People Operations Manager

ABOUT THE ROLE Firebird is growing fast. We manage and invest in artists across five portfolio companies, operating in three countries, with roughly 200 employees and contractors who depend on a People function that actually works. This role exists to scale with us. We're looking for a People Operations Manager who will own and continuously improve the operational backbone of our People function: the systems, processes, and day-to-day experiences that make every Firebird employee feel supported from day one through every milestone of their time here. Payroll, benefits, leave, compliance, onboarding, offboarding, recruiting coordination. The person who thrives at Firebird doesn't need a lot of hand-holding. You see a messy process and can't rest until it's clean and humming. You care as much about how something feels to the employee on the other end as you do about whether it works. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Employee Lifecycle & Support - Build and maintain onboarding and offboarding workflows in Rippling — covering automated access provisioning, equipment coordination with our outsourced IT team, pre-boarding communications, and every step in between — so nothing falls through the cracks. - Constantly evaluate and improve these workflows; if there's a smarter way to do something, find it and build it. - Track contractor engagement timelines and proactively ensure clean offboarding when contracts end. - Support performance management and compensation cycles, including Rippling workflow administration. - Partner with the Head of People on employee relations matters with discretion and empathy. RECRUITING - Conduct initial candidate screens — assess for role fit, communicate Firebird's story compellingly, and move the right people forward with speed and clarity. - Coordinate interview scheduling across hiring managers and candidates in Ashby, keeping pipelines organized and candidates informed at every step. - Ensure job postings are consistent, well-formatted, and live across the right platforms (LinkedIn, industry job boards). - Support hiring process documentation and help train hiring managers on recruiting tools and workflows. - Bring a genuine systems mindset to recruiting operations — don't just manage the process, improve it. HR OPERATIONS & COMPLIANCE - Own end-to-end payroll processing in Rippling, serving as the trusted point person for all payroll matters across Firebird — accuracy and confidentiality are non-negotiable. - Administer benefits programs through Rippling, including open enrollment and employee inquiries, with patience and clarity. - Manage leave administration (FMLA, state leaves, parental leave, medical leave) end to end, ensuring employees feel supported and informed throughout. - Maintain employee records, HR data, and personnel files in Rippling, keeping our system of record clean and current. - Draft and manage HR documentation: offer letters, separation agreements, contractor agreements, and policy updates. OFFICE MANAGEMENT & TEAM OPERATIONS - Facilitate a pleasant guest experience for visitors and clients. - Provide coordination support for the New York office, including vendor relationships and day-to-day logistics. - Support company culture initiatives and team events in partnership with cross-functional colleagues. QUALIFICATIONS - 3-5 years of experience in an HR Generalist or People Operations role, ideally in a high-growth or startup environment. - Hands-on Rippling experience is required. You should know the platform well enough to build workflows, troubleshoot issues, and train others on it. - Strong working knowledge of payroll processing, benefits administration, and leave management. - Substantive communicator. You translate complex topics clearly at every level, and you know the difference between a fast reply and a real answer. You sit with complexity, work through it, and come back with a resolution — not three follow-up questions. - You own problems, not just tasks. You're resourceful,