People Ops Manager

Gaia Family Inc•New York, NY

5d•$145,000 - $175,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Gaia is seeking a People Operations Manager to establish and lead the people function for its next phase of growth. This role will oversee the entire employee lifecycle for US, UK, and remote teams, encompassing hiring, onboarding, performance management, compensation, and culture development. It's a hands-on leadership position where the individual will define strategy and execute tasks, collaborating closely with the CFO, CEO, and the leadership team. The ideal candidate is adept at both operational execution and fostering a positive culture, ensuring accuracy in payroll, compliance, and policy while enabling a mission-driven team to perform at their best.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in People or HR roles, with at least 3 years leading the function or a significant part of it at a venture-backed startup (Series A to C).
Experience supporting teams across the US and UK, or across multiple US states and at least one international entity.
Strong working knowledge of US employment law; familiarity with UK employment practices is a strong plus.
Track record of building people programs from scratch (performance, compensation, leveling, onboarding).
Experience managing and developing direct reports, ideally including recruiters.
Comfortable with data: ability to build a headcount model, run a compensation analysis, and present people metrics clearly.
Excellent judgment and discretion with sensitive information.
A builder mindset: energized by ambiguity and willing to roll up sleeves.
Genuine connection to the mission of making family building accessible.

Nice To Haves

Experience in healthcare, benefits, fintech, or another regulated industry.
Experience with HRIS and ATS tools such as Justworks, Rippling, BambooHR, Greenhouse, or Ashby.
SHRM, CIPD, or similar certification.

Responsibilities

Build and own the people roadmap aligned to company goals, headcount plans, and budget.
Serve as a trusted advisor to the leadership team on organizational design, team structure, and leadership development.
Partner with Finance on workforce planning, headcount forecasting, and people cost modeling.
Report on people metrics (retention, engagement, time to hire, compensation benchmarks) to leadership and the board.
Manage, coach, and develop the Recruiter, setting clear priorities and hiring goals.
Own the hiring process end-to-end, including role scoping, sourcing strategy, interview design, and offer management.
Build a consistent, inclusive, and efficient hiring experience that reflects the Gaia brand.
Manage recruiting partners and tools, and build the employer brand.
Design and run performance review cycles, goal setting, and feedback practices.
Build career frameworks, leveling, and development programs.
Measure and act on employee engagement, and champion a culture of ownership, care, and accountability.
Lead onboarding and offboarding processes to ensure smooth transitions.
Own compensation philosophy, salary bands, and equity guidelines in partnership with the CFO.
Run annual compensation reviews and benchmarking.
Manage benefits programs, broker relationships, and open enrollment, including Gaia's own family building benefits for employees.
Oversee HRIS, payroll inputs, and PEO relationships (Justworks in the US, and UK payroll providers).
Ensure compliance with US federal and state employment law and UK employment law for the London team.
Maintain employee handbooks, policies, and documentation for both entities.
Handle employee relations matters with sound judgment, discretion, and fairness.
Support audit, diligence, and fundraising processes with accurate people data.