Senior Manager, People & Organizational Effectiveness

Firestorm•San Diego, CA

3d•$155,000 - $185,000•Onsite

About The Position

Firestorm is hiring a Senior Manager, People & Organizational Effectiveness to serve as the operational backbone of our people function. This is a high-autonomy, high-impact role focused on solving problems quickly, building durable solutions, and operating at the intersection of HR operations, legal coordination, and management partnership. The role reports directly to Legal, ensuring tight coordination on compliance and employment matters, with an HR Coordinator reporting to the Senior Manager. The position works in close partnership with the CEO, CFO, and business unit heads, serving as their primary people-operations point of contact across employee relations, workforce planning, and organizational issues. The ideal candidate can move fast, navigate ambiguity, work directly with executives and legal counsel, and defuse complex employee situations while building the governance infrastructure that prevents recurring issues. The role is a business partner first and an HR operator second, with work divided into two core pillars: Immediate Issue Response and Structural Mitigation.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, related field or degree.
Operator who has built processes, managed people issues, and operated under compliance pressure without a traditional HR background.
U.S. Citizenship required due to ITAR regulations, with the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance
7+ years of progressive HR, and/or operational experience, including significant depth in employee relations, investigations, and California employment law
3+ years’ experience managing, leading or mentoring at least one direct report
Experience serving as an operational partner to legal counsel on employment matters
Experience building HR processes, policies, forms, and governance mechanisms from the ground up
Knowledge of compensation administration, governance processes, and documentation standards
Experience coaching managers through difficult conversations and employee relations situations
Experience with contractor classification, workforce design, and multi-state compliance
Experience utilizing HRIS, ATS, AI-enabled tools, and people analytics platforms

Nice To Haves

Experience in defense, aerospace, manufacturing, or venture-backed high-growth technology environments
Experience supporting organizations through rapid scaling or organizational transformation
SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification
Experience with OFCCP, ITAR/EAR workforce requirements, and government contractor compliance
Experience working with founders and entrepreneurial leadership teams
Multi-state employment law experience beyond California
Master’s degree in HR, Business, or related discipline

Responsibilities

Serve as the operational liaison between HR, outside employment counsel, the full leadership team, and employees on sensitive matters—coordinating communications, advising on next steps, and translating legal guidance into practical management actions
Act as the dedicated people-operations partner to the C-suite and business unit heads—understanding each division's workforce needs, escalation patterns, and operational rhythm well enough to anticipate issues rather than just respond to them
Respond rapidly to employee relations matters, investigations, complaints, and workplace concerns with sound judgment and legal defensibility
Prevent unnecessary escalation while maintaining consistency and defensibility across all employee actions
Advise managers and HR on preparing for and conducting difficult conversations, including drafting manager communications
Coordinate with outside employment counsel on active matters, leveraging your position within Legal to ensure leadership receives clear, actionable guidance without delay
Support investigations end-to-end: intake, documentation, witness interviews, findings, and recommended actions
Advise on responses to individual compensation concerns, helping frame conversations and reinforcing that compensation decisions must be explainable and defensible
Address contractor classification questions, workforce design issues, agency workers, independent contractors, and visa-sponsored employee matters
Manage cross-border employment considerations and H-1B coordination as they arise
Identify recurring issues and build permanent process improvements—policies, forms, templates, workflows, and governance mechanisms—that reduce future risk
Develop compensation request forms, employee action forms, and approval processes that encourage written business justification and consistent decision-making
Draft and implement policies that create organizational consistency without unnecessary bureaucracy
Build governance guardrails for promotions, title changes, compensation actions, and organizational changes to reduce ad hoc decision-making
Advise on clearer requisition criteria, posting practices, and candidate evaluation standards to strengthen recruiting governance
Reconstruct and document historical commitments (compensation, sign-on bonuses, relocation) where records are incomplete
Develop documentation practices and direct the HR Coordinator on proper recordkeeping and administrative processes
Create scalable systems and decision frameworks that support rapid growth while maintaining compliance and defensibility
Manage and develop the HR Coordinator, delegating onboarding logistics, HRIS data entry, employee records, and recruiting coordination while ensuring consistent quality and compliance standards
Ensure compliance with California employment law, multi-state requirements, and federal regulations (including ITAR/EAR)
Partner with internal and outside legal counsel on employment matters, investigations, and organizational risk—leveraging your embedded position within the Legal function to eliminate bottlenecks
Maintain operational discipline across employee relations, compliance, compensation administration, and HR systems
Leverage HRIS, ATS, AI-enabled tools, and people analytics to support scalable operations and workforce insights, owning system configuration, data integrity, and reporting while the HR Coordinator handles routine data entry and recordkeeping
Own onboarding and offboarding design—offer documentation, I-9 process, new-hire orientation, and exit logistics—while the HR Coordinator executes day-to-day scheduling and administration; step in directly on sensitive exits or terminations
Support OFCCP compliance and affirmative action requirements as applicable
Ensure all people decisions—compensation, terminations, promotions, and transfers—are properly documented and defensible
Coach managers on handling specific employee situations—providing tactical guidance, not theoretical frameworks
Help managers acknowledge employee concerns while clearly explaining business decisions and process
Draft or review manager communications for sensitive situations (performance concerns, compensation conversations, role changes)
Encourage constructive escalation and help distinguish between situations requiring immediate action vs. ongoing monitoring
Support managers in navigating difficult interpersonal dynamics, team friction, and cross-functional coordination challenges
Serve as a confidential sounding board for leaders navigating sensitive organizational situations
Comfortably work directly and simultaneously with executives, legal counsel, HR staff, and line managers
Demonstrate ability to operate independently with minimal oversight in fast-paced, ambiguous environments
Balance speed with legal defensibility — move fast without creating risk
Delegate effectively while maintaining accountability for quality and outcomes

Benefits

Relocation assistance is available
Comprehensive medical, dental, and visions plans
401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
Equity grants for new hires
Unlimited PTO
Extremely generous company holiday calendar, including a holiday hiatus in July, & December.
Generous Parental Leave
Lifestyle Spending Account
FSA
DCFSA
HSA
Hospital Indemnity insurance
Critical Illness insurance
Accident insurance
Basic Life/AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance, 100% covered by Firestorm. Plus, the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your family.
Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, are available to you as well.