AfterQuery
People Operations Lead
San Francisco · Contract
Sponsorship not specifiedDetected 12 days ago
ValuationVendor ManagementEmployee RelationsHRISEmployment LawResearch
About the role
- This is our first dedicated HR Operations hire, reporting to the Head of Business Operations & People.
- You will be the go-to person that employees trust at the ground level.
- You are an advisor and advocate for HR, who balances strong people skills with judgment to protect the company against compliance risk.
Responsibilities
- Own end-to-end payroll operations - accuracy, timeliness, and compliance, including coordination with finance on payroll funding and reporting.
- Build and maintain HR policies and the employee handbook, keeping them current with the law and reflective of AfterQuery's culture.
- Track record of leading change management for new policies, systems, or programs - you know how to build buy-in and drive adoption without over-engineering.
- Clear, calm, written-first communicator who can document decisions and policies without unnecessary process.
Requirements
- Deep working knowledge of California employment law and wage-and-hour rules
- Demonstrated judgment handling sensitive employee relations matters - you can hold both the company's interests and an individual employee's perspective at the same time.
- Experience supporting HR compliance for a workforce that includes both full-time employees and contractor/expert population.
- Real ownership over the systems and decisions that shape every employee's day-to-day experience, with people around you who care about getting it right.
Benefits
- High ownership instincts; you've built or meaningfully rebuilt HR infrastructure at a small or fast-growing company, not just operated within an existing one.
- You'll lead and own People operations - payroll, benefits, compliance, and employee relations - as part of a small, supportive, dynamic team, partnering closely with the Head of Business Operations & People.
- Administer employee benefits programs - plan selection, open enrollment, vendor management, and day-to-day employee support.
- Own the accuracy and integrity of HR and payroll systems (HRIS, payroll, benefits platforms) as the single source of truth for people data.
- 5-8+ years in HR generalist, HRBP, or HR operations roles, with direct, hands-on ownership of payroll, benefits, and compliance - not just oversight of vendors.
Equal opportunity
- AfterQuery is an equal opportunity employer.
- We hire on merit and evaluate everyone against the same bar.
Visa & Work Authorization
- Serve as the company's HR compliance lead — employment law (CA and any additional jurisdictions as we grow), visa sponsorship program management, leave administration, I-9 and recordkeeping, policy documentation, and audit readiness.
Apply directly at AfterQuery →Create a free account for alerts like thisView AfterQuery immigration profile
This listing is sourced directly from AfterQuery's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.