People & Talent Operations Partner- Location: Mountain View, CA (Hybrid)
- Reports To: Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)
- FLSA Status: Exempt
- Salary Range: $80,000 - $120,000 annually
About This RoleEvery groundbreaking scientific discovery needs a rock-solid operational foundation. We are seeking a thoughtful, energetic, and highly execution-oriented People & Talent Operations Partner to serve as the structural anchor of our employee experience. Your mission is to take absolute ownership of our internal universe-managing the day-to-day administration of our HRIS/ATS (Rippling), executing flawless onboarding and offboarding workflows, and maintaining impeccable data integrity.
Because our team operates across a suite of modern digital tools, you must be a curious, tech-loving learner who can jump into new platforms at warp speed. While your core focus is building a pristine, compliant operations hub, you are also an agile teammate ready to provide flexible support for recruitment pipelines and talent events. If you are a master of airtight documentation, relentless follow-ups, and building genuine internal trust, you belong at SETI.
What You'll Do- Command Core HR Operations: Serve as the primary master administrator for Rippling HRIS/ATS, processing all lifecycle transitions (hires, status changes) and maintaining flawless digital documentation.
- Orchestrate the Employee Journey: Act as the ultimate host for new team members by leading memorable Day 1 orientations and managing the full lifecycle of onboarding and offboarding documentation.
- Guard Data Integrity & Compliance: Run routine, comprehensive HR audits of employee files and system data to ensure absolute compliance, while supporting I-9 verifications and critical immigration coordination.
- Deliver Stellar Team Support: Act as the warm, incredibly responsive first line of defense for daily internal HR inquiries via email and Slack, resolving issues with speed and exceptional care.
- Maximize Collaboration Tooling: Collaborate cross-functionally with Finance on workforce tracking and optimizing our core digital toolkit: Rippling, Slack, Zoom, Dropbox, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and Basecamp.
Who You Are- An Operational Powerhouse: You don't just plan-you execute. You genuinely find joy in crossing items off your checklist, auditing complex data, and organizing workflows from start to finish.
- A Rapid Tech Adopter: New software doesn't intimidate you; it excites you. You pick up new tools effortlessly and love finding clever ways to make platforms work better for the people using them.
- An Engaging Presenter & Communicator: You are comfortable, warm, and clear when presenting to new hires during orientation, your documentation is pristine, and your follow-up game is legendary.
- A Trusted & Adaptable Partner: You handle sensitive operational data with absolute discretion, building psychological safety and trust with everyone from interns to executive leadership.
- A Detail-Obsessed Executor: You maintain a microscope-level focus on accuracy and data integrity without losing sight of the human being on the other side of the process.
What We're Looking For- Bachelor's degree (or equivalent experience) and 3+ years of experience in HR Operations, People Operations, or a heavily system-focused Talent Acquisition role.
- Deep, hands-on mastery managing complex day-to-day data entry and automated workflows within modern HRIS and ATS suites (Rippling strongly preferred).
- Proven track record of independently commanding new hire orientations, offboarding compliance, and complex employment documentation.
- Superb digital workspace literacy, specifically with Dropbox, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoom, and Slack.
- Strong background in creating clean process documentation, managing system audits, and keeping stakeholders proactively informed.
What Will Make You Stand Out- Diverse Environmental Agility: Experience supporting operations within mission-driven nonprofits, tech startups, research institutes, scientific settings, or academic environments.
- Advanced Global Mobility & Systems: Exposure to tracking complex immigration workflows, employment authorizations, or utilizing robust workforce planning suites (such as Rippling, Workday, BambooHR, etc.).
- Dynamic Presenter & Facilitator: High comfort level confidently delivering engaging group presentations, leading interactive new hire orientations, and commanding a room.
- Spreadsheet & PM Guru: Active experience building, managing, and analyzing advanced spreadsheets in Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel, paired with proficiency in project management platforms to keep priorities moving seamlessly.
- Technical Team Collaboration: High comfort level interacting with, and building structured operational workflows for, Principal Investigators (PIs), researchers, or highly technical engineering teams.
Compensation & BenefitsSETI offers a competitive compensation package including medical, dental, and vision coverage, retirement benefits, paid time off, professional development opportunities, and other employee programs.
- Expected Salary Range: $80,000 - $120,000 annually.
Actual compensation will be determined based on factors including skills, experience, qualifications, internal equity, geographic location, and business needs.
