People Operations Analyst

Lightmatter•Boston, MA

21h•$119,000 - $123,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Lightmatter is seeking a Total Rewards and People Operations professional to support the scaling of critical people infrastructure during a period of rapid global growth. This role ensures core People Operations and Total Rewards processes run smoothly, remain compliant, and scale with the business. The person will own and administer employee and contractor lifecycle processes, provide first-line employee support, maintain accurate people data, support benefits administration, and develop workforce reporting. The role also brings an AI-native approach to People Operations by applying AI tools to automate routine tasks, streamline workflows, improve employee self-service, and accelerate reporting and analysis while protecting confidential employee data. The People Operations Analyst will partner closely with Talent Acquisition, Finance, IT, and Payroll, and help identify process improvements as the company grows. Strong judgment, discretion, execution, and a service-oriented mindset are essential.

Requirements

At least 5 years of experience in People Operations or Total Rewards support in a high-growth, high-tech environment.
Hands-on experience with Workday.
Experience handling sensitive information and producing accurate analysis in Excel or similar tools.
Demonstrated experience using AI tools to improve HR processes, increase efficiency, and solve problems creatively.
Experience supporting onboarding, offboarding, leave of absence, and benefits processes, and providing first-line support for employee inquiries.
Strong organization and practical judgment, with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
Demonstrated ownership and accountability, proactively driving tasks to completion and ensuring alignment across stakeholders.
Ability to maintain high execution velocity, translate priorities into actionable deliverables, and ensure consistent progress across projects.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to producing accurate, reliable work.
Ability to adapt in a fast-paced environment as priorities evolve.
Ability to earn trust through consistency, responsiveness, and careful handling of sensitive employee information.
Practical, people-focused approach that keeps work moving forward.
Collaborative and service-oriented communication skills and ability to work across teams and functions.
Capacity to comply with federally mandated U.S. export control requirements.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree.
Some compensation experience, such as benchmarking, survey participation, or salary structure maintenance.
Vendor management experience.

Responsibilities

Own the end-to-end new hire onboarding process in Workday, including pre-boarding, background checks, I-9 and compliance documentation, equipment and systems coordination, and day-one readiness.
Manage offboarding, including Workday terminations, final pay and benefits coordination, exit documentation, and access and equipment return in partnership with IT, Payroll, and managers.
Administer the contractor lifecycle, including onboarding, record maintenance, engagement changes and extensions, and offboarding, while maintaining compliant worker classification and documentation.
Administer medical, parental, and personal leaves, including eligibility review, employee and manager communication, coordination with carriers and vendors, tracking, and return-to-work in compliance with federal and state requirements.
Serve as the Tier 1 point of contact for employee inquiries about HR policies, Workday, leave, and general People Operations questions; resolve requests directly and escalate complex or sensitive matters as appropriate.
Oversee recurring audits of Workday employee and contractor data, investigate and correct discrepancies, document findings, and recommend process improvements.
Support benefits administration, including enrollment and qualifying life events, employee questions, vendor and carrier coordination, and ensuring Workday benefits data is accurate and reconciled.
Build and maintain reporting on headcount, hiring activity, attrition, and workforce trends to support hiring and workforce decisions in partnership with Talent Acquisition.
Use AI tools to automate routine work, streamline workflows, improve employee self-service, and speed up reporting and analysis while exercising sound judgment and protecting employee data.
Partner with Talent Acquisition, Finance, IT, and Payroll and identify process improvements as the company grows.