Senior People Operations Specialist

IMPORTANT: Please be aware, scammers may try to impersonate Zello by reaching out regarding job opportunities. We will never ask you for bank account information, checks, or other sensitive information as part of our hiring process. All correspondence will come from the zello.com email domain. If you’re unsure, please email [email protected] with questions. ABOUT ZELLO Zello is a voice-first communication platform, powered by our industry-leading push-to-talk technology, to improve collaboration and productivity for desk-less workers. With over 175+ million users, we’re the #1 rated push-to-talk app in the world, delivering 9 billion (yes, with a B) messages a month.  At Zello, our company values are at the heart of what we do everyday. We’re proud to serve the frontline, we’re privileged to connect people in times of crisis across the globe, and we’re honored to support first responders. And this is where you come in. At Zello, we keep frontline workers connected through instant, voice-first communication. Behind that mission is a People team focused on creating an exceptional employee experience and helping our organization grow. We're a four-person People team supporting approximately 85 Zellonauts, and we're building an AI-enabled People function that scales with our business. We're looking for a Senior People Operations Generalist who loves making things work better. Someone who takes pride in operational excellence, enjoys solving complex problems, and gets excited about building smarter systems and processes. You'll own the operational foundation of our People function, including payroll, benefits, HRIS, compliance, and the employee lifecycle. You'll also have the autonomy to challenge how things work today, introduce new technology, and create solutions that make work easier for employees and the People team. You'll work directly with our VP of People, have meaningful ownership over how we operate, and see the impact of your work across Zello. If you love bringing order to complexity, take pride in getting the details right, and find yourself thinking, "There has to be a better way to do this," we'd love to meet you. AFTER A SUCCESSFUL FIRST YEAR, YOU WILL HAVE - Owned reliable People operations: Independently managed payroll, benefits, HRIS, and employee lifecycle processes with strong accuracy, compliance, and controls, allowing the VP of People to step out of day-to-day operations. - Built smarter, scalable processes: Automated or AI-enabled at least five recurring processes, reducing manual work by 10+ hours monthly with appropriate quality checks. - Improved the employee experience: Elevated onboarding to help new hires ramp more effectively and improved employee access to People information through simpler workflows and self-service resources. - Advanced our People technology: Delivered a recommendation on our HRIS/payroll transition and, if approved, led operational implementation toward our target go-live. - Strengthened our operational foundation: Documented at least 90% of recurring People Operations processes, improved audit readiness, and reduced dependency on individual knowledge. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Run reliable People operations: Own semi-monthly multi-state payroll, benefits and 401(k) administration, leaves of absence, HRIS administration, and employee lifecycle processes with strong accuracy and controls. - Build smarter systems: Own HRIS workflows, configuration, reporting, and data integrity. Use AI and automation to streamline processes while maintaining appropriate checks for accuracy and confidentiality. - Manage compliance and operational risk: Coordinate state employment registrations, filings, I-9/E-Verify, immigration cases with outside counsel, and international employment administration. Anticipate issues, maintain accurate records, and resolve problems at the root cause. - Drive our HRIS evolution: Help evaluate, select, and implement our next HRIS/payroll platform, building project plans, managing milestones, and coordinating with Finance, IT, and external partners. - Elevate the employee experience: Partner with Recruiting, IT, and managers to improve onboarding, simplify employee-facing processes, and make People information easier to find and use. - Support People programs: Manage the operational execution of performance reviews, compensation cycles, and other recurring People initiatives. - Own outcomes, not just tasks: Independently establish priorities, anticipate risks, bring recommendations, and drive initiatives through completion without waiting for direction. WHO YOU ARE - An experienced operational owner. You bring meaningful hands-on People Operations experience, including independently managing multi-state U.S. payroll, benefits, and HR systems. - Analytical and detail-oriented. You are comfortable with spreadsheets, reconciliations, and complex data. You establish controls that catch errors before they impact employees and take accountability for resolving issues. - Naturally proactive. You don't wait for someone to establish every next step. You build plans, anticipate challenges, and bring thoughtful solutions and recommendations. - Systems-minded and AI-forward. You've improved or automated recurring processes and are excited to use technology to make work more effective. You know when to trust automation and when to validate the output. - Pragmatic and adaptable. You understand the importance of compliance but can navigate ambiguity, balance competing priorities, and exercise sound judgment. - Energized by growth. You genuinely enjoy hands-on People Operations and thrive in an environment where you can improve existing processes and build what comes next. THIS ROLE IS NOT - An HR business partner role. Manager coaching and employee relations sit with the VP of People, though there's room to grow into that work. - A people management role. This is an individual contributor seat. - A remote role. We work together in our Austin office four days a week. - A keep-the-lights-on role. You'll be expected to rebuild processes, not just run them. BONUS POINTS - Experience leading an HRIS or payroll implementation. - Experience coordinating immigration, international employment, or complex leaves. - Experience building AI-enabled workflows or employee self-service tools. - Experience improving onboarding or employee programs. - Experience in a startup or scale-up environment. WHAT MAKES THIS ROLE DIFFERENT - Real ownership: You'll have the autonomy to improve how our People function operates, not simply maintain existing processes. - Meaningful impact: You'll work directly with our VP of People and influence systems and experiences that touch every employee at Zello. - Room to build: We're investing in AI, automation, and better technology, giving you the opportunity to shape how People Operations evolves as we grow. - A career in operations: You can deepen your expertise and expand your impact without needing to move into strategic HR business partnering or people management. - A collaborative environment: We're based in Austin and work together in our office four days a week. We hire for potential, passion for our mission, and a knack for solving difficult problems over checking every qualification box. We have competitive pay, equity with significant upside, and intentionally design our benefits to encourage healthy and well-balanced employees, flexible schedules and time off. We even offer a sabbatical after every five years of service so you’re able to pursue and enjoy what matters most to you. And of course, we wouldn’t be a technology company without a ping-pong table and free snacks in our break room. Join us! Zello provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. All Zello personnel are required to comply with defined security, privacy, and compliance requirements applicable to their role along with requirements that are applicable to all Zello personnel.