People Operations Director

Atoms • San Francisco, CA

1d • $185,000 - $240,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Atoms is building the machines that power the next era of progress. Over the last decade, software has transformed the digital world. But the physical world, where food is made, minerals are mined, goods are moved, and industries are run, remains far less intelligent, far less efficient, and far more constrained. We’re changing that. Atoms builds Physical AI — real-world robots for the industries that move civilization forward, starting with food, mining, and transport. Our systems are designed to understand, predict, and control the real world with precision, turning complex physical operations into something more reliable, more scalable, and more productive. This work requires more than robotics. It requires deep integration across hardware, software, AI, operations, manufacturing, and real estate. We don’t just build machines in a lab. We deploy them into real environments, operate them, learn from them, and improve them until they work at scale. We are roboticists, engineers, operators, and builders. We believe the next great technology companies will not only transform information, but the physical systems that shape everyday life. If you want to work on hard problems with real-world impact, join us.

Requirements

• 8+ years of People Operations experience, including leadership of core People Operations and a shared services or HR operations delivery team.
• Operated in a complex organization supporting frontline, corporate, and executive populations across multiple locations, entities, or countries.
• Experience spans both worlds: scaled, mature operations within a large organization and scrappy, high-growth environments where processes are still being built.
• Depth in HRIS—Workday preferred—automation, and building efficient, metrics-driven operations.
• Led offshore or shared services delivery teams.
• Comfortable staying hands-on while leading and developing a team, and thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with captive offshore teams and payroll operations are strong pluses.

Responsibilities

• Own the employee lifecycle: Manage the processes every employee moves through—from pre-onboarding and onboarding through employee changes, promotions, data management, and offboarding—end to end.
• Lead two teams: Lead a People Operations Center of Excellence responsible for process design, governance, compliance, and communications, alongside a shared services team delivering high-volume employee support against clear SLA and CSAT targets.
• Drive process and compliance excellence: Design, improve, and govern critical processes spanning I-9, background checks, benefits service delivery, workforce compliance, and audits.
• Partner on payroll: Work closely with Payroll as it integrates into the People organization, with the potential to expand the role’s direct ownership over time.
• Modernize systems and automation: Deepen our HRIS capabilities, particularly in Workday, and build automation and efficiency across the employee lifecycle.
• Break, rebuild, and polish: Redesign processes built for a smaller company so they can support a doubling of headcount. Establish an operating rhythm grounded in metrics, efficiency, and continuous improvement.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance (multiple plans, incl. HSA options).
• Company-paid life and disability insurance (short- and long-term).
• Voluntary insurance: accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity.
• Optional supplemental life insurance for self, spouse, and children.
• Pet insurance discount.
• 401(k).
• Health Savings Account (HSA).
• Flexible Spending Accounts (Healthcare, Dependent Care, Commuter).
• Discretionary vacation days, 8 paid holidays per year, paid sick time, paid bereavement leave, and paid parental leave.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed