People Operations Manager

Kaizen Labs•New York, NY

19d•$130,000 - $150,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Kaizen team is growing, and the back-office and people infrastructure that got us here (onboarding, payroll, benefits, compliance, office ops) is ready to scale. This is the first dedicated People Operations hire at Kaizen. You'll take ownership of the function, build the processes that grow with the company, and be the person employees and managers turn to across every stage of the employee lifecycle.

Requirements

4+ years of experience in People Operations, HR Operations, or related program management roles
Experience at one or more scaling startups where you operated without a full HR team behind you
Hands-on fluency with the core People Ops toolset: Gusto or Rippling, Carta, PEOs such as Sequoia or equivalent, and compliance platforms like Vanta, Mosey, or AbstractOps
Ownership mentality: you've run a people ops or back-office function yourself, not just supported someone who did
Comfort operating across people, finance, and admin functions without needing clean lane boundaries — this role crosses all three
Clear, direct communicator who can navigate sensitive employee and manager conversations with judgment and empathy
Fluency with AI tools as a genuine part of your workflow. you use them to move faster, write better, and build processes that don't require headcount to scale

Nice To Haves

Supported or led a PEO migration
Familiarity with federal contracting compliance from a people/HR perspective
Worked with SOC 2 or similar security frameworks in a people ops context

Responsibilities

Own onboarding and offboarding end-to-end: offer letters, I-9 verification, background checks, tools provisioning, system access setup, HM coordination, 30/60/90 check-in process, and a clean, documented exit process every time
Run payroll operations - adding new employees, processing changes, troubleshooting issues, and ensuring every run is accurate and on time
Manage the benefits program day-to-day: open enrollment, carrier coordination, employee questions, a potential PEO migration, stipend maintenance, usage tracking, and feedback loops
Own people compliance across all active states: SOS registrations, unemployment insurance, quarterly and annual filings, employee records, handbook maintenance, and working fluency with tools like Mosey, Corpnet, and AbstractOps
Own employee engagement including pulse surveys, feedback initiatives, and sentiment tracking across a distributed team. Surface themes to leadership and turn feedback into actionable improvements
Support performance management cycles: mid-year and end-of-year reviews, manager check-ins, scorecard coordination, and keeping feedback loops tight without adding unnecessary process
Coordinate and manage office gatherings, employer branding events, and more intimate team outings
Spearhead future office relocation efforts including broker relationships, touring spaces, coordinating buildouts, and ensuring seamless move-in processes
Administer equity in Carta, partnering with the CoS and Finance on option grants, termination processing, and cap table hygiene
Partner with COO and Recruiting Lead on headcount planning, leveling, and compensation frameworks
Partner with Recruiting Lead on candidate experience and recruiting operations including interview coordination, offer letter workflows, ATS hygiene, and keeping the recruiting-to-people handoff clean
Use AI tools actively to automate repetitive workflows, draft communications, and build more scalable processes — this is an expectation, not a nice-to-have

Benefits

Comprehensive medical through Oxford/United — Gold and Platinum PPO plans, with 85% of premiums covered on the Platinum plan and a $0 employee premium option.
Dental through Guardian PPO and vision through Beam, with 99% of employee premiums covered and 50% for dependents.
$100,000 in fully paid life insurance.
FSA and Dependent Care FSA.
401(k) access through Guideline.
16 weeks of fully paid parental leave for birthing parents.
10 weeks fully paid for non-birthing parents.
Unlimited PTO
Closed for all federal holidays
Company-wide winter break the week of Christmas.
Up to $750 one-time home office or desk setup stipend for NYC-based employees. $500 for remote employees.
$50/month commuter benefit (company contribution).
Expensed lunch 3x a week while in the office.
Company-provided laptop.
Fully covered gym membership at Grindhouse — right across the street from our office at 47 W 17th St (and in Williamsburg). A $225/month value, on us. For remote employees, $100/month dedicated to gym or physical fitness reimbursement.
$300/quarter pet care stipend.
$100/month utility stipend.
$500/year professional development.
$250/year recreation.