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Star Catcher is building the world's first orbital energy grid—space-based power infrastructure that enables spacecraft to receive conditioned energy via existing solar arrays without retrofit. The company is rapidly scaling its team in Jacksonville, Florida, and seeks a People Operations Manager to serve as the tactical engine across key HR functions.
In this role, you will own end-to-end onboarding workflows for new hires, ensuring smooth transitions through I-9 verification, background checks, system access, orientation, and first-week scheduling. You'll serve as the first point of contact for employee questions regarding health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, and company perks, and assist with open enrollment, benefits carrier updates, and leave administration.
You will partner directly with engineering, operations, and leadership hiring managers to define hiring needs, craft job descriptions, manage ATS records for data integrity and candidate velocity, conduct phone screenings, and orchestrate on-site interview visits. You'll maintain accurate employee records in the HRIS, ensure data privacy, and assist with compliance audits including state/federal labor law postings, ITAR personnel tracking, and record retention.
Additionally, you will work with senior leadership to design and launch the organization's first formal review process with clear, objective criteria for promotions and merit-based raises. You'll implement structured continuous feedback mechanisms, manager training, and peer-review systems across engineering and operational teams to boost retention and talent mobility.
You'll help organize company-wide events, team celebrations, training sessions, and employee wellness initiatives to foster an inclusive, high-performance culture. You'll assist with offboarding logistics, including exit paperwork, equipment retrieval, and benefit termination notices. Finally, you'll identify bottlenecks in HR workflows and build scalable templates, guides, and standard operating procedures for a fast-scaling company.
**Requirements:**
- 4–6 years of progressive experience in HR support, talent operations, or people operations roles, ideally within high-growth tech, hardware, or aerospace environments
- Practical experience managing onboarding logistics, candidate scheduling, and benefits administrative support
- Direct experience with HRIS/ATS platforms (e.g., Rippling, BambooHR, Gusto, Greenhouse, Lever) and modern office tools (Google Workspace, Slack, Microsoft Office)
- Exceptional organizational skills with proven ability to handle sensitive, confidential employee data
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with a customer-service mindset toward supporting technical, operational, and leadership teams
- Ability to prioritize tasks effectively, adapt to changing priorities, and solve operational challenges in a fast-paced environment
**Ideal Experience:**
- Prior experience in aerospace, defense, or hardware engineering startup environments
- Basic familiarity with ITAR/EAR compliance considerations as they relate to personnel onboarding and citizenship verification
- Experience scaling People Ops processes during high-growth stages
Note: ITAR compliance is a requirement for this role; you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual, or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
