People Operations Partner

Nofence•Minneapolis, MN

3d•Remote

About The Position

Nofence is a Norwegian scale-up that has developed the world's first virtual fencing solution for livestock. As they aim to revolutionize livestock management, they are seeking a People Operations Partner to support their US team. This role is the first people hire in the US and will be responsible for the full employee experience, including hiring, onboarding, day-to-day people support, local compliance, and culture for a rapidly scaling team in a critical market. The People Operations Partner will be the primary point of contact for the US team, managing recruiting, ensuring compliance across states, and fostering Nofence's culture for employees located far from headquarters. This role involves close collaboration with the MD US, VP People, and the global People & Finance team. As a full member of the global People team, the role will work within global people processes for hiring, performance, onboarding, culture, and HRIS, adapting them for the US context. The position is at the intersection of recruiting, operations, and people partnership, requiring a proactive approach to building and shaping practices in a high-expectations environment.

Requirements

4+ years in people roles at a scaling US company or start-up.
Genuine, proven generalist breadth across both recruiting and HR operations.
Solid knowledge of multi-state US employment law and practical experience navigating it.
Hands-on experience administering US employee benefits: health insurance, leave management including FMLA, and benefits administration in HiBob or Rippling or a comparable HRIS.
Recruiter's instincts: ability to source, care about candidate experience, and run a structured process without extensive infrastructure.
Comfortable with ambiguity and building from scratch.
High ownership and low drama; ability to make things happen and flag problems early.
Aligned with Nofence's culture: direct, grounded, and genuinely motivated by impact over titles.
Experience running end-to-end hiring processes.
Understanding of employee relations, benefits administration, onboarding, manager support, and compliance.

Responsibilities

Be the first point of contact for US employees on people-related matters.
Run onboarding for all North America new hires, connecting them to Nofence's purpose, values, and the team.
Support managers with day-to-day people questions, performance conversations, and employee relations.
Administer benefits and leave for the US, ensuring offerings are competitive and well understood.
Own the day-to-day administration and employee communication for benefits and leave.
Manage local People administration and own biweekly US payroll inputs, ensuring accuracy and validation in Rippling and HiBob.
Drive the end-to-end hiring process for North American roles, from scoping and sourcing through to offer.
Run structured hiring processes in line with Nofence's hiring philosophy and frameworks.
Source candidates.
Manage candidate experience and communication, ensuring every candidate interaction reflects Nofence's brand and values.
Activate and maintain US compliant hiring flows end-to-end.
Partner with hiring managers to define role criteria, set expectations, and make good hiring decisions.
Own compliance for US employment, keeping pace with a changing regulatory environment.
Manage multi-state US employment compliance, including at-will employment, state-specific leave laws, workers' compensation, benefits obligations, and contractor classification.
Own multi-state SUI and employment tax compliance; verify Rippling filings, manage state correspondence, and escalate audit or rate adjustment issues.
Carry Nofence's culture into a US context, helping the North America team feel connected to the company's values, ways of working, and each other.
Support the rhythm of check-ins, phase conversations, and performance processes in the US team.
Identify where North America employees need more connection, clarity, or support and take action.
Act as a trusted presence with low ego and high integrity.
Support the organization of regular US team gatherings.