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Salary: USD 130,000 - 155,000 / annual
Sofar Ocean builds sensors and software that map and forecast ocean conditions through its Spotter buoy network, Wayfinder voyage optimization platform, and SpotCast analytics. The company is a lean, high-ownership team of approximately 100 people.
This Senior People Operations Manager role owns HR infrastructure end-to-end: building systems, running day-to-day operations, and continuously improving processes with minimal oversight. The position demands autonomy, attention to detail, and a sense of urgency—payroll, compliance, and employee data require precision, and delays in leave, pay, or onboarding directly impact trust and morale.
Key responsibilities include:
- HR Infrastructure & Technology: Optimize HR systems (Rippling, Ashby, Slack, and related tools), ensure data integrity, build automation to eliminate manual friction, and produce people analytics that leadership can act on.
- Compliance & Risk Management: Maintain rigorous compliance with federal, California, and San Francisco labor law (FMLA/CFRA, SF HCSO, FLSA). Lead audit readiness, including SOC 2 or SOX documentation as needed.
- Total Rewards & Payroll: Partner with finance and external vendors on payroll processing, benefits administration, and open enrollment. Catch discrepancies before they escalate.
- Employee Lifecycle & Operations: Run onboarding, internal mobility, leaves of absence, and off-boarding cleanly and consistently. Support the transition of international team members to direct-hire employment as new entities are established abroad.
- Process Optimization: Identify and remove administrative friction. Draft clear SOPs and maintain the employee handbook, treating documentation as a tool to make the People function more autonomous.
Required qualifications: 6+ years of progressive HR experience with at least 3 years focused on People Operations, ideally in a fast-growing startup. Advanced administrator experience with modern HR platforms (Rippling, Ashby, Slack, or similar) and strong Excel/Google Sheets skills. Deep working knowledge of California employment law, wage-and-hour rules, and leave administration. Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, or related field (SHRM-SCP or SPHR a plus). Must be based in San Francisco Bay Area and able to be onsite at Pier 28 4 days per week.
The role values ownership without hand-holding, meticulous attention to detail, urgency, and genuine care for employee experience.
