People Operations Manager

🌳 About the Organization

Adventure Scientists is a nonprofit organization on a mission to protect the planet by pairing scientists with individuals uniquely capable of gathering difficult-to-obtain data. Our team collaborates with scientists worldwide to solve pressing environmental challenges, from biodiversity to climate change. Every role here offers a chance to make an impact on a global scale!

🙋‍♀️ About the Role

As our first dedicated People Operations Manager, you’ll play a crucial role in supporting the people and culture infrastructure that helps our mission thrive. You’ll bring order to our people systems, keeping everything from onboarding to benefits to cultural rituals running smoothly and efficiently.

This role will initially report to the Chief of Staff and work closely with staff across all departments. Once a new Executive Director is hired, the position will transition to report directly to them. You won’t be working alone — you’ll have access to external HR and legal support for complex matters, allowing you to focus on building reliable, people-centered HR operations day to day.

We’re looking for someone who thrives on keeping things organized, enjoys building thoughtful processes, and loves bringing people together — someone who sees HR not just as compliance and paperwork, but as a key contributor to a healthy, vibrant workplace culture.

💼 Responsibilities

1.HR Administration & Compliance

• Maintain employee records and ensure compliance with employment laws.
• Oversee new hire (employees and contractors) onboarding, including offer letters, background checks, and compliance documentation.
• Maintain confidential employee files and disciplinary records.
• Assist in maintaining and formatting the employee handbook and HR policy documents, incorporating updates as advised by leadership, and recording employee acknowledgements.
• Support basic employment law compliance (record retention, wage/hour tracking/coding, required notices, etc.).
• Maintain relationships with HR and benefits-related vendors.
• Support the setup and maintenance of systems like 401(k) platforms and assist with onboarding to those systems.

2.Recruiting & Onboarding Support

• Post job openings for most roles, coordinate interview scheduling and support candidate tracking.
• Assist in new hire onboarding process and templates in Asana.
• Maintain recruiting documentation on Notion/Drive and applicant tracking on Salesforce.

3.Payroll & Benefits Coordination

• Liaise with payroll providers for processing and issue resolution.
• Coordinate benefits administration with brokers and providers, including ongoing management of American Funds (401k) and Health Equity (HSA) accounts, ensuring alignment with payroll cycles and deductions.
• Track worker’s compensation claims and OSHA reporting.
• Manage open enrollment processes and insurance documentation.

4.General HR Support & Communications

• Serve as the point of contact for day-to-day HR inquiries (PTO/sick leaves entries, questions on employee handbook, etc).
• Provide basic HR policy guidance to employees.
• Coordinate and research training sessions and compliance workshops at manager’s direction.
• Support employee engagement tools like Officevibe (or similar), manage pulse surveys, and summarize insights — with support from leadership for deeper interpretation
• Maintain and distribute HR updates and announcements.
• Verify HR-related data across systems and send reminders as needed (e.g. compliance tasks, upcoming deadlines).
• Support data entry and basic report generation in systems such as 401(k) platforms and QuickBooks.

5.Culture & Team Experience Support

• Help organize remote cultural rituals such as team bonding activities, coffee chats, and internal events.
• Maintain and update a shared team calendar with birthdays, team activities, and organizational milestones.
• Coordinate small team appreciation gestures such as work anniversary gifts, using a mostly pre-defined yearly plan while managing logistics, customization, and delivery
• Assist in the planning and logistics of virtual and in-person team retreats, including coordination, scheduling, and agenda support.
• Support small culture-building efforts like milestone recognitions or informal team touchpoints.
• Conduct basic research for leadership on HR trends, market benchmarks, or vendors.

🎯 Skills & Requirements

• 3+ years of hands-on experience in HR operations in a dynamic remote team
• 2+ years of experience in benefits administration, U.S. compliance and employment regulations, payroll workflows, and open enrollment coordination
• Proficient in HR systems and tools — payroll systems, 401(k) platforms, benefits admin portals, task management systems
• Experience supporting recruitment logistics (posting roles, scheduling interviews, and maintaining applicant tracking documentation)
• Self-starter with strong attention to detail who thrives in a remote team, manages their own time well, and knows when to ask for support
• Experience organizing team rituals, retreats, or employee engagement efforts in a remote setting
• Experience managing HR-related vendors
• Clear and professional communicator — both written and verbal
• Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and good judgment
• A curiosity-driven and improvement-oriented mindset

💪 Extra Awesome Qualities

(preferred but not required)

• Multi-state US compliance knowledge
• Basic knowledge of employment law, OSHA reporting, and workplace safety practices
• Experience managing remote team rituals and organizing retreats
• Exposure to performance management cycles or engagement survey tools like Officevibe
• Experience using tools like Google Workspace, Asana, Salesforce, Notion, and/or Officevibe
• HR certification (PHR, SHRM-CP, etc.)

🌎 Location

Remote (U.S.-based)

💎 Compensation

$66,844/year

Adventure Scientists offers competitive compensation based on experience, with a commitment to supporting work-life balance, professional growth, and well-being!

We offer non-negotiable salaries to ensure fairness, transparency, and equity for everyone in the hiring process. This approach allows us to uphold our commitment to pay consistency, eliminate bias in the hiring process, and create a culture of trust and clarity for all team members.

🗓️ Hiring Process

At Adventure Scientists, we believe in a transparent, enjoyable, and thorough hiring experience that ensures mutual alignment.

1. Initial Conversation: Your first call will be with our Hiring Coordinator to discuss your experience and fit with our mission.
2. Collaborative Project: Then, we’ll invite you to work on a short project that reflects the type of work you’ll do, offering insights into our team-oriented approach.
3. Meet the Team: The third step includes a conversation with the Hiring Manager, allowing you to learn more about the role and the team you may join.
4. Team Fit Interview: Final discussions with team members and other stakeholders, designed to gauge mutual compatibility.

Throughout the process, we’ll keep you updated so you’ll always know what to expect. Typically, the entire hiring process spans 3 to 6 weeks.

Adventure Scientists is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to achieving our mission. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, and we’re committed to providing a fair and supportive hiring process for everyone. We consider all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or any other status. If you have any questions about the application process, please don’t hesitate to let us know—we’re here to help!

🎓 How to Apply

If you’re excited to bring people together, build great systems, and contribute to a mission with global impact, we’d love to hear from you!

Please submit your application on our website!

Including a link to your LinkedIn (and portfolio if you have one), showcasing any previous relevant work. We do not require a cover letter. Instead, please complete the application questions included in the form.

We’re excited to learn more about you and appreciate the time you take to share your story with us!