People Operations Lead

Manifest OS•New York, NY

1d•$160,000 - $180,000•Onsite

About The Position

Manifest OS is seeking its first People Operations Lead to build a world-class employee experience and a culture that makes Manifest the best place to work in legal tech. This role is primarily focused on the employee experience, from their first day to their long-term connection with the company. While building foundational systems and infrastructure is part of the role, the main focus is on culture, community, and belonging. The People Operations Lead will own the full People function, with both the freedom and accountability that comes with it. The position is in-office in NYC, five days a week.

Requirements

4–6+ years in People Operations or HR, with significant experience in culture, employee experience, or people programming (not solely ops and compliance).
A track record of planning and executing memorable, high-impact employee events and offsites.
Hands-on experience with a modern HRIS, including configuration and trust in its capabilities.
Ability to lead with warmth and build genuine relationships across an organization.
An owner's mindset: proactively identifying and addressing gaps without being asked.

Responsibilities

Own the onboarding experience end-to-end, designing and running a program that makes new hires feel welcomed, oriented, and set up for success.
Build the rhythm of company culture by planning and executing events, rituals, and touchpoints like offsites, team dinners, happy hours, and company-wide celebrations.
Shape company values and employer brand from the ground up, leading values-setting exercises and translating them into lived experiences.
Champion employee engagement through feedback loops such as surveys, 1:1 listening sessions, and stay conversations, and act on the insights gathered.
Create meaningful moments such as milestone recognition, tenure celebrations, team wins, and acknowledgment of personal life events.
Partner with managers to build great teams by coaching them on effective 1:1s, feedback delivery, and creating positive team environments.
Stand up and maintain core People infrastructure, including configuring the HRIS, ensuring data integrity, and building leadership reporting.
Establish the operational backbone, owning payroll, benefits administration, compliance, and documentation for audit readiness.
Design and implement core HR processes (onboarding, offboarding, leaves) across both Manifest OS and Manifest Law offices for a consistent employee experience.
Write foundational People policies, including initial versions of internal mobility frameworks, PIP processes, performance calibration, and compensation review cycles.