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Kernel is an AI infrastructure company providing open-source tools for AI agents to use the internet. The company's API enables developers to spin up secure browsers and automate web-based tasks, handling production challenges like agent credential management, autoscaling, bot detection, and human-in-the-loop workflows. Kernel is used by teams at Cash App, Vercel, Framer, Rye, and over 5,000 developers for QA automation, RPA, virtual assistants, and reinforcement learning environments. The company has raised $22M from top-tier investors including Accel, Y Combinator, Vercel, Paul Graham, Solomon Hykes (Docker founder), David Cramer (Sentry founder), and Charlie Marsh (Astral founder).
This is Kernel's first dedicated People team hire—an experienced generalist who will own HR and people operations end-to-end for a ~30-person team distributed across San Francisco, New York, Cincinnati, and remote locations. This is a hands-on individual contributor role where you will run day-to-day operations yourself, including onboarding, payroll, benefits, compliance, and employee relations. You will build systems appropriate for the company's current stage and scale them as the team grows. You'll collaborate closely with the recruiting team on offers and onboarding.
Key responsibilities include: owning the complete employee lifecycle from signed offer through offboarding (onboarding, I-9s, equipment, policy acknowledgments); running payroll and benefits administration in the HRIS and payroll systems, including 401(k) management; ensuring compliance across multiple states (CA, NY, OH, and any remote employee locations) including registrations, state-mandated benefits, and required trainings; building foundational playbooks and structure (handbook, leveling, compensation bands, lightweight performance and feedback cycles); serving as a trusted resource for employees and managers on policies, benefits, and employee relations; helping shape culture across offices through team rituals, offsites, and working practices; and leveraging AI and automation to handle administrative work so you can focus on high-impact people work.
REQUIREMENTS:
- 4+ years in people operations or HR, ideally as an early people/HR hire at a high-growth startup
- Hands-on experience running payroll, benefits, and an HRIS (Rippling experience is a plus)
- Working knowledge of multi-state US employment compliance
- Strong judgment and discretion with sensitive topics
- Builder's mindset: understanding when process helps and when it creates friction
- Startup experience: ability to build fast, wear multiple hats, and solve problems without a playbook
- Excitement about growing into building a team as Kernel scales
