Sr. People Operations Business Partner

Astrolab • Hawthorne, CA

9d • $125,000 - $145,000 • Onsite

About The Position

This position combines strategic partnership with hands-on execution. The ideal candidate is comfortable in ambiguity, managing complex employee relations matters, improving processes, coaching leaders, and helping build a high-accountability, high-performance culture during a critical stage of company growth. The Sr. People Operations Business Partner plays a key role in supporting the full employee lifecycle while helping leaders scale teams’ responsibility, compliantly and efficiently.

Requirements

• 6+ years of HR or People Operations experience, including experience supporting technical, engineering, manufacturing, or operational teams
• Experience in high-growth, fast-scaling startup or aerospace/technology environments
• Experience and knowledge in California employment law and HR compliance practices
• Experience managing complex employee relations matters and workplace investigations
• Experience coaching managers through difficult conversations, performance management, and organizational challenges
• Experience supporting both exempt and non-exempt employee populations
• Experience using HRIS and performance management systems such as Lattice, Rippling, ADP Workforce Now, Insperity, BambooHR, or similar platforms

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting aerospace, advanced manufacturing, hardware engineering, robotics, automotive, defense, or other highly technical industries
• Experience supporting rapid headcount growth and organizational scaling
• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification
• Experience partnering with engineering leadership, program management, production teams, and executive leadership
• Experience with government contracting environments or compliance-driven organizations is a plus

Responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted People Operations partner to managers and employees across technical and operational organizations
• Coach managers on performance management, employee development, organizational effectiveness, communication, accountability, and team dynamics
• Partner with leaders to support organizational scaling, workforce planning, team structure and succession readiness
• Help leaders navigate challenging people matters with sound judgment, confidentiality, and compliance awareness
• Provide practical, business-focused People Operations guidance in a fast-moving engineering and manufacturing environment
• Manage employee relations matters promptly, fairly, and professionally, including investigations, conflict resolution, corrective actions, and performance concerns
• Identify workplace risks proactively and recommend solutions before issues escalate
• Support the development of a respectful, inclusive, high-performance culture aligned with Astrolab’s mission and operational goals
• Build credibility and trust with employees at all levels of the organization
• Partner cross-functionally to improve employee engagement, retention, communication, and workplace effectiveness
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws, with strong emphasis on California labor law compliance
• Support compliance efforts related to wage and hour practices, leave administration, accommodations, investigations, employee documentation, and policy implementation
• Assist in developing, improving, and scaling People Operations policies, SOPs, and internal processes
• Maintain accurate and compliant employee records and HR documentation practices
• Partner with payroll, benefits, recruiting, EH&S, and leadership teams to ensure operational alignment
• Support and improve onboarding, offboarding, internal transfers, promotions, and employee development processes
• Partner with Recruiting and hiring managers to ensure a strong new hire experience and effective organizational integration
• Drive performance management processes including calibration discussions, employee feedback cycles, and development planning
• Support workforce changes, organizational restructuring, and scaling initiatives as the company grows
• Lead and contribute to cross-functional People Operations initiatives and special projects
• Help build scalable infrastructure, programs, and workflows that support company growth
• Analyze trends and provide recommendations related to retention, engagement, turnover, and organizational health
• Utilize HR systems and reporting tools to improve efficiency and decision-making
• Support implementation and optimization of HRIS, performance management, and employee engagement platforms

Benefits

• Equity ownership in the company
• Comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and mental health support
• 401(k) plan with company match
• Flexible PTO and parental leave
• Weekly lunch stipend, plus complimentary snacks and beverages on-site
• Once a month social hour on-site with food and drinks

What This Job Offers

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