People Operations Manager

Persona AI Inc•Houston, TX

24d•Onsite

About The Position

Persona AI is developing and commercializing rugged, multi-purpose humanoid robots that perform real work. Persona AI founding team has a decades-long history in humanoid robotics, bionics, and product development delivering robust hardware that has touched the stars, worked miles below the surface of the ocean, and even roamed Disney Parks. Our mission is focused squarely on shipping beautiful, reliable products at massive scale, while building a customer-focused team to achieve these aims. We're looking for a People Operations Manager to join our Houston team onsite. This is a standalone role with no direct reports: you'll personally own the day-to-day people operations work — administering benefits, processing payroll, and running employee onboarding — while building the programs, systems, and workflows that let it scale. For employees, you'll be the primary point of contact and a dependable source of information on the people matters that affect them day to day — the reliable face of People Operations and their experience of it. As one part of a broader people team, you'll bring more presence and initiative, owning your work end to end. Based in our Houston office, you’ll serve as a vital anchor for our expanding teams in Texas and Florida, leaving a lasting impact on how Persona AI operates as a people-first company.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field, or equivalent practical experience
6–10 years of People Operations experience with hands-on ownership of payroll processing, benefits administration, PO compliance, and program or systems building, ideally in a fast-paced or high-growth environment
Working knowledge of multi-state payroll tax rules, reciprocity agreements, and state income tax withholding compliance
Experience administering FMLA, ADA accommodations, and Texas or Florida specific leave and labor laws
Proficiency in modern HRIS platforms
Strong understanding of ACA, ERISA, HIPAA, and COBRA compliance requirements
High attention to detail, strong documentation habits, and ability to manage competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment
Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex PO/tax topics into clear guidance for employees and managers

Nice To Haves

PHR, SHRM-CP, or Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) certification
Prior hands-on experience with interstate nexus analysis and SIT (state income tax) registrations for a multi-state workforce
Experience supporting PO operations for 50–200 employee organizations
Comfort working in a high-growth, startup or tech/robotics environment where processes are still being built, and a genuine passion for creating structure from ambiguity

Responsibilities

Administer health, dental, vision, and ancillary benefit plans; manage open enrollment and carrier/vendor relationships.
Manage multi-state and interstate tax obligations for the distributed workforce.
Process bi-weekly and semi-monthly payroll accurately using HRIS/payroll platforms (e.g., Rippling, ADP, Workday).
Design and own the full onboarding program, from offer acceptance through 90-day check-in, building scalable processes for both local and remote hires.
Manage state tax registrations, withholding compliance, and nexus determinations for employees working across multiple states.
Maintain I-9 compliance, employee records, and HRIS data integrity; support audits and reporting requirements.
Serve as the first point of contact for employee questions on benefits, pay, and onboarding; resolve issues promptly and accurately.
Coordinate with Finance and Legal on multi-state employment agreements, W-4 updates, and year-end W-2 processing.
Build and maintain People Operations dashboards and metrics reports covering headcount, benefit utilization, and payroll variances; use data to drive program decisions and present insights to leadership.
Enforce and champion safety, confidentiality, and PO compliance standards across all people operations activities.
Design and implement people programs across the employee lifecycle, including performance management, engagement surveys, recognition, and culture initiatives, building from the ground up where programs don’t yet exist.
Own systems access provisioning, assist with HRIS configuration, and new hire equipment coordination to ensure seamless day-one readiness; identify and implement tools that improve PO efficiency.