Senior People Operations Generalist (Story + Wizard)

Story•San Francisco, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior People Operations Generalist will be the first dedicated people operations hire supporting Story & Science and its sister company, Wizard, both early-stage organizations hiring quickly. The role owns people operations from signed offer through an employee’s last day; recruiting is handled by the Head of Talent. The Generalist will build and maintain systems and policies that support growth across both companies. The role administers onboarding and offboarding, Gusto as the employee-data and payroll system of record, benefits and 401(k), compliance, compensation and leveling, and employee experience. During the first 90 days, the Generalist will take ownership of Gusto, standardize start and exit checklists, and lead a handbook and policy review with employment counsel. The position is based in person at the San Francisco headquarters and reports to the Head of Finance. It is described as high-intensity rather than a steady 9-to-5, with some long weeks during hiring waves and payroll deadlines. The role offers substantial ownership from day one. Compensation is a base salary of $125,000–$155,000, plus equity; the final offer depends on experience, skills, and level.

Requirements

At least 3 years of experience in people operations or HR at a high-growth startup.
Readiness to own the people operations function end to end.
Knowledge of California employment law, benefits, and payroll sufficient to identify errors before they are processed.
Ability to keep sensitive information private and maintain exact records.

Nice To Haves

PHR, SHRM-CP, or similar certification.
Experience with Gusto, Carta, and Ashby.
Experience supporting a production or contractor-heavy team.

Responsibilities

Manage onboarding and offboarding at both companies, including offer letters, Gusto setup, I-9s, day-one accounts, final pay, and access closure.
Maintain Gusto as the system of record for employee data, compensation changes, PTO, and accurate payroll inputs.
Administer benefits and 401(k), manage open enrollment, and reconcile carrier bills with Finance.
Manage compliance, including California employment law, the handbook, leave, postings, workers’ compensation audits, and employee-versus-contractor classification.
Manage compensation and leveling, including salary bands, review cycles, compensation changes, and equity grant paperwork.
Handle employee questions, performance cycles, and employee experience as the companies grow.
Own Gusto for both companies and manage every start, change, and exit processed through it.
Use standard checklists for starts and exits, ensuring accounts are activated and deactivated on the same day.
Lead a review of the handbook and people policies with employment counsel.
Build repeatable processes and templates and automate them where possible.