Human Resources Operations Manager, Sonoma

Founding HR / People Operations | Series A AI Startup | San Francisco (In-Person)
Macmillan Davies is recruiting on behalf of a well-funded Series A AI company.
They're hiring their
first dedicated HR professional
to own and scale core HR operations as they grow from 50 to 100+ employees.
This is a greenfield, high-ownership role for someone who thrives on bringing structure to complexity and wants to build the People function from the ground up.
What You'll Own:
Full employee lifecycle: onboarding, offboarding, transitions, terminations
HRIS management (Rippling), compliance, and employment documentation
Benefits administration and payroll partnership with Finance
Building scalable HR workflows and processes
Employee relations, severance, and vendor/counsel partnerships
Future scope: performance management, manager enablement, culture programs
You'll Be a Fit If:
4–7 years HR experience, ideally as a first or early HR hire at a VC-backed startup
Strong California employment law fluency (in-person workplace considerations)
HRIS expertise (Rippling preferred) and payroll fundamentals
Proven experience handling terminations and severance with care and compliance
Comfortable operating independently in a fast-moving environment
Based in SF Bay Area and available 5 days/week in-person
Compensation & Benefits:
Up to $185K base
Medical, dental, vision, 401(k)
Daily catered lunch, $150/month wellness benefit, commuter benefits
This is a rare opportunity to be the first HR hire at a commercially successful, fast-scaling AI company with real product-market fit and enterprise traction.