People Operations Manager

EQL Tech (sales & engineering talent)

People Operations Manager owning hiring, HR operations, and compliance for Transluce, a nonprofit AI research lab. Building people systems as the San Francisco team scales.

Posted 9/10/2026full-timeSan Francisco • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $150,000 - $200,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

Use this summary to align your resume positioning with the role.

Demonstrates expertise in end-to-end hiring processes, people operations management, and compliance across federal and multi-state regulations. Proficient in onboarding, payroll, benefits administration, and employee relations, with a strong focus on communication and interpersonal skills.

Highest-signal resume keywords

End-To-End Hiring ManagementPeople Operations ManagementEmployee RelationsFederal Employment ComplianceOnboarding Development

ATS Keywords

Tailor your resume

Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills

Payroll ManagementBenefits AdministrationOnboardingVisa ManagementCompliance ManagementFunnel AnalysisProgram ManagementSourcing StrategyPerformance ManagementConflict Resolution

Soft Skills

Interpersonal SkillsWritten CommunicationVerbal CommunicationDiscretionNavigating Complexity

Tools & Technologies

HRISAI Productivity Tools

Industry Keywords

People OperationsEmployee RelationsStartup ExperienceNonprofit ExperienceAI Research Ecosystem

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Own the hiring process end-to-end, including candidate communications, scheduling, program management, and funnel analysis
Shape sourcing strategy across channels, events, partners, and outreach
Build onboarding that equips new employees during their first week
Own benefits, payroll, and HRIS operations, including vendor selection and changes
Establish policies and practices supporting candid feedback, continuous learning, and clear performance expectations
Advise managers and employees on performance concerns, conflict, feedback, and employee relations
Manage federal and multi-state employment compliance
Determine which compliance matters to handle in-house versus escalate to outside counsel and HR providers
Manage leaves, accommodations, and worker classification risks
Track visa cases, business licenses, state registrations, required trainings, and postings
Report directly to the Chief of Staff as the first dedicated People/HR hire
Design and run people systems while helping define and hire future operations roles

Requirements

What you’ll need

Owned hiring rounds end-to-end alongside hiring managers, with strong foundational HR knowledge
Personally owned core people operations, including payroll, benefits, onboarding, and visas, and willing to run them hands-on
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to navigate complexity with honesty, care, and discretion
Excellent written and verbal communication
4+ years running people operations, ideally at a growing startup or nonprofit
Experience recruiting highly sought-after technical or research talent
Familiarity with the AI research ecosystem is a plus
Experience scaling a people function as an organization grows
Comfortable using AI or other productivity tools, or eager to learn
Willingness to work in an ambiguous, hands-on environment
Ability to handle employee-relations work
Candidates with less overall experience or nontraditional backgrounds may be considered for similar roles

Benefits

Comp & perks

Comprehensive benefits
International visa sponsorship may be available for exceptional candidates
Direct input into how the organization is built as it scales