People Operations Manager

We’re hiring a People Operations Manager to lead and execute all U.S. people operations as we scale rapidly. This is a senior individual contributor role for someone who thrives in fast-moving, under-structured environments and brings deep, hands-on expertise in U.S. payroll, benefits, and employment compliance.

You’ll be the clear owner of U.S. people operations, operating with high autonomy and accountability. This role is not about designing theoretical frameworks—it’s about building, running, fixing, and scaling core systems at speed, while maintaining strong judgment around compliance, risk, and employee experience. You’ll work as part of a small, global People & Operations team, collaborating closely with colleagues primarily based in Europe. We value velocity, clarity of ownership, and exceptional execution.

What You’ll Do

• Fully own U.S. people operations end to end, acting as the operational lead for all U.S. employment matters.

• Run U.S. payroll with precision and reliability across multiple states.

• Administer and continuously improve U.S. benefits programs, including vendor selection, renewals, and employee support.

• Manage the current PEO setup and lead the transition to a fully established U.S. entity over time, including benefits design and compliance decisions.

• Support rapid hiring and team growth across the United States, building scalable processes that don’t slow the business down.

• Ensure ongoing compliance with U.S. federal, state, and local labor laws, proactively identifying risks and gaps.

• Create and maintain lightweight, effective policies and documentation that support clarity without bureaucracy.

• Act as a hands-on partner to leadership, applying strong judgment in ambiguous, fast-changing situations.

• Collaborate closely with a Europe-based People & Operations team, aligning where it makes sense and adapting where it doesn’t.

• Contribute to global people initiatives and develop working familiarity with European labor frameworks.

What We’re Looking For

• 6–10+ years of experience in U.S. people operations, HR operations, or similar roles, ideally in high-growth environments.

• Deep, practical expertise in U.S. payroll, benefits administration, and multi-state employment compliance.

• Direct experience scaling teams quickly across multiple U.S. states.

• Hands-on experience managing a PEO and leading a transition to an in-house U.S. entity.

• Exceptional operational judgment—able to move fast while knowing when to slow down for compliance or risk.

• Strong bias toward execution; comfortable owning the work and getting into the details.

• High attention to detail paired with pragmatism and speed.

• Ability to operate autonomously in a flat organization with minimal hierarchy.

• Comfort working across time zones and with internationally distributed teams.

• Interest in global people operations and openness to learning and contributing beyond the U.S. context.

• Clear, direct communicator who values simplicity and accountability.

Working Model

• On-site role based in Boston.

• Primary collaboration with a Europe-based team; flexibility in working style and hours is important.

Why This Role
This role offers real ownership at a critical stage of growth. You’ll shape how U.S. people operations are built and scaled, with the trust to execute quickly and the influence to guide decisions that matter. We’re looking for someone exceptional—someone who cares deeply about quality and compliance, but understands that velocity is a feature, not a nice-to-have.