People Operations Specialist

Varda Space Industries • El Segundo, CA

4d • $30 - $43 • Onsite

About The Position

Varda is looking for a highly organized, proactive People Operations Specialist to help keep the day-to-day People function running smoothly. This role will support recruiting, onboarding, HR administration, and the overall employee experience.
This is a hands-on role and an important point of contact for candidates, new hires, employees, and managers. The ideal person enjoys being at the center of the action, takes ownership of the details, anticipates what needs to happen next, and helps create a seamless and welcoming experience for employees from candidate through offboarding.

Requirements

• 3+ years of HR, recruiting coordination, People Operations, or administrative experience.
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail and follow-through.
• Strong communication and customer-service skills.
• Comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-moving environment.
• High discretion when handling confidential employee information.
• Proactive, resourceful, and willing to jump in where needed.
• Comfortable working onsite and being a visible, approachable member of the People team.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate the new hire onboarding process from accepted offer through the employee’s first-day experience, ensuring all required documentation, systems access, communications, and internal coordination are completed.
• Serve as a key point of contact for new hires, helping create an organized, welcoming, and consistent onboarding experience.
• Ensure employee changes are accurately documented and communicated to payroll, benefits, IT, managers, and other appropriate partners in a timely manner.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date employee records, personnel files, organizational information, and HRIS data.
• Support employee offboarding, including coordinating required documentation, internal notifications, system access changes, return of company property, and final-day logistics.
• Monitor People Operations workflows and follow up with employees and managers to ensure required forms, approvals, and information are completed on time.
• Respond to routine employee questions and help connect employees with the appropriate People team member or resource when additional support is needed.
• Support employee events, recognition programs, communications, engagement activities, and other People initiatives.
• Partner across Recruiting, People Operations, Finance, IT, Facilities, Hospitality, and Administration to ensure employee-related processes are coordinated and executed smoothly.
• Provide general administrative and project support to the People team, including special projects and evolving priorities as the organization grows.
• Draft and prepare routine HR documentation, including offer letters, promotion and compensation change letters, bonus and recognition award letters, employment verification letters, and other ad hoc employee communications and documents.
• Provide backup coordination support to the recruitment team when needed.
• Partner with recruiters and hiring managers to ensure a smooth, high-touch candidate experience.
• Support recruiting events, interview logistics, travel, and recruiting administration.
• Help coordinate the employee shuttle service, including schedules, communications, feedback, and day-to-day issues until hospitality team is built out.
• Help ensure employees have seamless, best-in-class workplace experience.

Benefits

• Flexible PTO policy + 12 paid holidays
• 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options
• Voluntary accident, hospital, critical illness, and pet insurance
• $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses
• 12 weeks of parental leave (with supplemental disability leave for CA mothers)
• Family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause benefits via Maven Clinic
• Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents
• Substantial incentive equity in a fully funded space start-up
• 401(k) retirement plan with 6% employer match (immediately vested)
• $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement
• Relocation support for new hires, if needed
• Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly
• Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and mission-success celebrations
• Complimentary EV charging

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed