New

People Operations Manager

Vaco
$175,000.00 - $185,000.00 / yr
United States, New York, New York
Jan 01, 2026
Client: Top-Tier AI/SaaS Organization Role: People Operations Manager Salary: $175,000 - $185,000/annually + Equity Location: Remote - must be willing to travel to Barcelona once a month! Preferred to be in San Fran, CA or New York City but not required *Must have experience with an AI/Saas Company that has experienced high growth Job Description: People Operations Lead (Founding Member) We're seeking a strategic yet deeply hands-on People Operations Lead to help build the foundation of our culture and people infrastructure. As our first dedicated People hire, you'll work closely with the founders to design and implement the systems, practices, and experiences that enable our team to thrive as we scale. This role is ideal for someone who excels in early-stage environments-balancing big-picture thinking with detailed execution-and enjoys turning ambiguity into structure. The Impact You'll Have Build from the Ground Up: Partner with founders to design and scale People Operations from zero, ensuring systems and processes evolve alongside the business. Own the Employee Experience: Lead the full employee lifecycle, from creating a standout onboarding experience to managing thoughtful, compliant offboarding. Run Core People Operations: Oversee payroll, benefits, HRIS, and people documentation-keeping the operational backbone of the company running smoothly. Support Global Growth: Manage the complexities of a distributed, international workforce, including visa sponsorships, work authorization, and regional compliance. Enable Performance & Growth: Implement lightweight, high-impact performance and feedback frameworks that support growth without unnecessary bureaucracy. Serve as a Trusted Partner: Act as a trusted advisor to employees and leaders alike, bringing high emotional intelligence, discretion, and sound judgment to sensitive conversations. What You Bring Early-Stage Experience: 5+ years in People Operations or HR, with experience in high-growth or early-stage startups. You understand what scalable People Ops looks like-and how to build toward it. Builder Mentality: You're energized by creating structure where none exists and take pride in building practical, scalable processes. Legal & Systems Knowledge: Strong understanding of U.S. employment law, with international exposure a plus, and hands-on experience with modern HRIS and payroll tools. Comfort with Ambiguity: You can take loosely defined goals and turn them into clear plans, frameworks, and execution. High EQ, Low Ego:** You communicate clearly, listen deeply, and lead with empathy-earning trust across the organization. Vaco by Highspring values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply. EEO Notice Vaco by Highspring is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race (including but not limited to traits historically associated with race such as hair texture and hair style), color, sex (includes pregnancy or related conditions), religion or creed, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, status as a veteran, union membership, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, or any other protected characteristics as required by federal, state or local law. Vaco by Highspring and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Vaco by Highspring and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact HR@vaco.com . Vaco by Highspring also wants all applicants to know their rights that workplace discrimination is illegal. By submitting to this position, you agree that you will be giving Vaco by Highspring the exclusive right to present your as a candidate for the foregoing employment opportunity. You further agree that you have represented information about yourself accurately and have not affirmatively misrepresented your qualifications. You also agree to maintain as confidential, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any information you learn from Vaco by Highspring about the position and you will limit disclosure of information about the position only to the extent necessary to perform any obligations in furtherance of your application. In exchange, Vaco by Highspring agrees to exercise reasonable efforts to represent you through all solicitation, job screening and resume dispersal. Privacy Notice Vaco by Highspring and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries ("we," "our," or "Vaco by Highspring") respects your privacy and are committed to providing transparent notice of our policies. California residents may access Vaco by Highspring HR Notice at Collection for California Applicants and Employees here. Virginia residents may access our state specific policies here. Residents of all other states may access our policies here. Canadian residents may access our policies in English here and in French here. Residents of countries governed by GDPR may access our policies here. Pay Transparency Notice Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco by Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to: the individual's skill sets, experience and training; licensure and certification requirements; office location and other geographic considerations; other business and organizational needs. With that said, as required by local law, Vaco by Highspring believes that the following salary range referenced above reasonably estimates the base compensation for an individual hired into this position in geographies that require salary range disclosure. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses.