People Operations Generalist

Obsidian Therapeutics•Bedford, MA

9d•$95,500 - $117,000

About The Position

Obsidian Therapeutics is pioneering engineered cell and gene therapies to deliver transformative outcomes for patients. Obsidian’s programs apply our cytoDRiVE® technology in Cell and Gene therapy products to control expression of proteins for enhanced therapeutic efficacy and safety. Obsidian’s lead program is currently in clinical development for the treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer. We’re proud of our diverse talented team and committed to cultivating an environment of inclusion where each person feels a strong sense of belonging and is supported to continuously learn and contribute their best work. Our Research team is based in the heart of Cambridge, MA, and Technical Operations team is based in our purpose built facility in Bedford, MA. Obsidianites enjoy a highly collaborative culture, competitive salary and benefits, and potential for ownership through stock options. We are looking for a highly motivated, operationally strong, service-oriented People Operations Generalist who enjoys ownership of core operational responsibilities and support of a range of people programs in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment. With a dedicated recruiting function in place, this position will focus primarily on HR operations (including, employee lifecycle support, benefits administration, recordkeeping, HR systems), employee communications, and support of people programs. As a key individual contributor within our People team, you will own and execute key HR operations processes across the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, role and reporting changes, offboarding, benefits administration, HR systems management, compliance, and employee communications. You will serve as a primary point of contact for employees; partner closely with internal stakeholders to ensure a seamless employee experience; maintain accurate and efficient HR systems & processes, records, and reports; and support employee communications, people programs, and continuous improvement efforts as the organization scales through a critical phase of growth and advancement of our first clinical stage autologous cell therapy program targeting solid tumors. This is a unique opportunity in a well-funded clinical company with blue chip investors, field-leading advisors, best-in-class partners, and an experienced team. You'll help us build a dynamic, collaborative, innovative, passionate, and successful organization focused on delivering transformative therapies in areas of greatest clinical need, starting with our lead program OBX-115, a novel engineered tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; typically 5+ years of relevant HR or People Operations experience.
Experience in biotech, life sciences, pharmaceutical, or another regulated, fast-growing environment strongly preferred.
Strong operational orientation with the ability to manage details accurately while improving processes for scale.
Working knowledge of employee lifecycle processes, benefits administration, HR systems, compliance training, and employee documentation.
Comfortable working in a dynamic environment where the role will stretch across multiple HR workstreams, and priorities may shift based on business need.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to interact professionally and confidentially with employees at all levels.
Highly organized, proactive, collaborative, flexible, and self-motivated, with strong follow-through and sound judgment.
Excellent planning, coordination, and time management skills
A desire and ability to work in a dynamic, collaborative environment; you build productive and healthy relationships within and across functions,
Collaborative and accountable – recognizes success requires teamwork and interdisciplinary thinking; you share feedback and constructively challenge and accept challenges to generate the best ideas to advance project and company goals.
Self-motivated, with a proven ability to meet objectives, timelines, and high standards managing multiple responsibilities in parallel.
Flexible – able to operate and adapt in a fast paced, rapidly developing environment
Curious and humble – seeks and welcomes input/expertise of others, continuous learner
Tenacious and resilient – is not easily overwhelmed by challenges, delivers on commitments, operates with urgency.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting recruiting coordination, interview scheduling, or candidate-facing processes; and a willingness to lend support if needed.
HR certification or related coursework.

Responsibilities

Serve as a trusted first point of contact for employees on HR processes, policies, benefits, systems, and general people-related questions.
Ensure operational excellence. Manage and continuously improve employee lifecycle processes, including onboarding, offboarding, employee changes, employment verifications, I-9 documentation, immigration support, and personnel record maintenance.
Own benefits administration, partnering with Director of People Operations and external vendors to ensure accurate, timely, and employee-friendly execution.
Maintain accurate employee data and documentation across HR systems, reports, distribution lists, organization charts, compliance records, and related people operations tools.
Coordinate required compliance training, including Code of Conduct, anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training, and future public-company readiness topics.
Drive continuous improvement of People Operations workflows to improve consistency, scalability, documentation hygiene, and the employee experience.
Support employee engagement, and internal community and culture initiatives, including social committee activities, DEI-related programming, and employee communications.
Support performance management and talent processes by assisting with communications, timelines, materials, documentation, and process administration.
Maintain job description template and library, career frameworks, competency materials, and related HR documentation and resources.
Draft and coordinate employee communications, including intranet content, promotion announcements, company meeting materials, and other People team updates.
Partner flexibly across the People function to support emerging priorities as the company grows and prepares for increased operational complexity.