Role Description:

As a People Operations Lead, you will serve as the operational backbone and strategic right hand of the Chief People Officer, owning the infrastructure that makes our people programs run while serving as a trusted partner to leaders and employees across every department.

This is a company-wide role that lives at the intersection of HR operations, people strategy, and organizational partnership. You will build and improve the systems, processes, and programs that shape the Defense Unicorns employee experience from day one through every milestone that follows. This is not a support role — it is a high-trust, high-visibility position for someone who moves fast, thinks critically, and takes action: identifies gaps, takes ownership, and drives solutions forward without waiting to be directed.

At Defense Unicorns, the order of priority is: 1) People 2) Culture 3) Process 4) Technology.

We champion our values, are open to experimentation, take ownership, and have fun doing it. As a fast-growing company, policies and processes are continuously being defined and refined and this person will be a key architect of that work, not just a follower of it.

Responsibilities:

Company-Wide People Leadership

• Navigate complex employee situations with sound judgment, ensuring outcomes are fair, timely, and compliant with applicable laws and regulations.
• Support managers in building high-performing teams through guidance on goal-setting, coaching, performance conversations, and development planning.
• Build trusted relationships across the organization, serving as a knowledgeable resource on people matters including employee relations, compensation guidance, and career growth.
• Collaborate with leaders across functions to support workforce planning efforts, including headcount forecasting and partnership with Talent Acquisition on hiring execution.
• Support processes around career planning, learning and development, and overall performance management in coordination with the CPO.
• Cultivate a positive, engaging work environment that reflects Defense Unicorns’ values.

HR Operations & Employee Lifecycle

• Lead and continuously improve HR operational processes across the full employee lifecycle, onboarding, offboarding, promotions, transfers, leaves, and everything in between.
• Manage employee data in Rippling with an obsession for accuracy and data integrity across hires, transfers, promotions, and terminations.
• Partner with the team to enhance the onboarding process end-to-end, from recruiter handoff through pre-employment screenings, I-9 verification, orientation, and onboarding survey.
• Support leave administration from preparation through return, in coordination with People Ops, Payroll, and Finance.
• Support employees and managers on HR questions across the full employee lifecycle, escalating complex matters appropriately.
• Ensure HR practices comply with applicable federal, state, and international employment laws; maintain audit-ready documentation and employee records.
• Partner with Legal, Finance, and Security to support compliance initiatives, audits, and tracking of compliance training.

Process Improvement & Systems

• Identify inefficiencies and implement scalable, standardized processes and workflows across HR functions, globally and domestically.
• Develop, document, and maintain HR SOPs, policies, and internal knowledge bases (Notion, Rippling, and beyond).
• Drive HR operational excellence through automation, system enhancements, and best practices, refining processes to be scalable and AI-ready.
• Actively identify and implement AI-powered tools and workflows to automate repetitive tasks, surface insights faster, and improve the overall employee experience.
• Ensure data integrity, accuracy, and reporting consistency across HR systems (HRIS, ATS) in partnership with the broader People Ops team.

Project & Program Management

• Lead and execute People Ops projects including process redesigns and cross-functional initiatives, owning timelines, stakeholders, and deliverables.
• Partner with People Ops leadership to prioritize and drive strategic people initiatives; track and report on progress, risks, and outcomes.
• Manage programs across the People Ops team, anything from vendor management to build new workflows to meet emerging business needs.
• Create, implement, and own operational people initiatives such as internal transfer processes, triage workflows, and HRIS process improvements.
• Optimize performance management processes, including HRIS cycles and compensation planning support.

Analytics & Reporting

• Analyze HR metrics, including turnover, headcount, engagement, time-to-hire, to identify trends and drive data-informed decisions.
• Build and maintain dashboards and reporting to support business decisions; provide ad hoc insights to the CPO and leadership.
• Dive into People data to answer questions from the business and proactively surface stories the data is telling.
• Provide monthly reporting to People Ops and department leaders on workforce updates and program outcomes.

Travel Expectations/Requirements: 5% - 10%

The listed responsibilities are not exhaustive and additional responsibilities may be assigned based on the evolving needs of the organization. We are seeking a dynamic individual who is able to adapt and take on new responsibilities as they arise.

Preferred Experience and Qualifications:

• 5+ years of progressive HR experience spanning both HR operations and HR generalist responsibilities.
• Demonstrated ability to serve as a trusted partner to leaders and employees across multiple functions simultaneously.
• Demonstrated AI fluency, including hands-on use of Claude/ChatGPT for building reports, automating workflows, and driving projects. Comfortable experimenting with AI tools and integrating them into HR operations.
• Proven ability to design and implement scalable HR processes in a fast-growing, ambiguous environment.
• Strong experience supporting global HR functions (U.S. required; Europe is a plus).
• Proficiency in HRIS and ATS systems; Rippling and Greenhouse experience strongly preferred.
• Strong analytical skills and experience working with HR data and reporting; comfortable building dashboards and telling stories with data.
• Solid understanding of performance management, employee relations, and compensation planning.
• Strong knowledge of HR laws, regulations, and compliance requirements (federal, state, and international).
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and build trust at all levels of the organization.
• Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities without losing sight of the details.
• Trusted to handle sensitive and confidential information with professionalism and discretion.
• Proactive, solutions-oriented mindset with a bias toward action and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated track record of driving process improvements and identifying ways to optimize workflows.
• Adept at navigating challenging, nuanced situations with tact and sound judgment.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, fully remote environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field preferred.