SENIOR PEOPLE OPERATIONS BUSINESS PARTNER
Freeform builds AI-native manufacturing systems that unify software, hardware, and physics to produce industrial-scale parts at the speed of human ideation. By treating manufacturing as a single integrated system, we unlock a new era of innovation where complex hardware is designed, built, and scaled without limits.
As Freeform’s first dedicated People Operations hire, you will play a foundational role in building and scaling the human resources infrastructure that enables us to onboard, develop, and retain best-in-class talent. Reporting to the Director of Recruiting and People Operations, you will be an essential partner to our leadership team and employees alike. You will have direct ownership in everything from day-one onboarding experiences to company-wide people strategy. Importantly, you will be a steward of our high-performance culture, implementing inspiring and scalable initiatives to ensure that our employees strive for excellence in everything they do. Startups are hard - it is your job to support our people in embracing the challenge with positivity, teamwork, and humility.
This is a high-impact role for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, high-performance environment and is energized by the opportunity to build from an early stage at a company with a global vision.
Responsibilities:
- Own the full employee lifecycle end-to-end, from onboarding and HRIS administration (Rippling preferred) to processing transfers, leaves, and terminations with accuracy and care.
- Develop and implement HR policies, compliance practices, and operational processes that are practical and scalable.
- Serve as the primary resource for employees and managers on HR policies, employee relations issues, and workplace matters, handling investigations and resolutions with sound judgment and discretion.
- Partner with people leaders to build their coaching and feedback capabilities through leadership development programs, manager training, and ongoing 1:1 support.
- Drive the performance management process end-to-end, including calibration sessions, development planning, and follow-through.
- Design and execute retention and engagement programs that reinforce a high-performance culture grounded in results, accountability, and passion.
- Act as a strategic thought partner to the Director of Recruiting and People Ops and company executives on workforce planning, org design, and people strategy.
- Leverage people data and AI tools to improve the efficiency of HR operations, surface insights, and proactively identify trends before they become problems
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree.
- 5+ years of progressive HR or People Operations experience in a high-growth, high-performance environment.
- Knowledge of California labor law.
- Hands-on experience with modern HRIS platforms.
Nice to Have:
- Experience as the first or early HR hire at a startup or scaling company.
- Experience supporting both exempt and non-exempt employee populations.
- Background supporting engineering, R&D, or manufacturing teams.
- Experience with Rippling HRIS strongly preferred.
- Tech-savvy and data-driven. Enthusiastic about leveraging AI and automation to build a more efficient, scalable people operation.
- Demonstrated experience owning HR operations end-to-end with a no-job-too-small mentality.
- Proven track record of partnering with managers to develop their people leadership skills and building a high-performance team culture.
- Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust across all levels, navigate sensitive situations with discretion and tact, and influence without authority.
- Excellent verbal and written communications skills. Ability to be direct, clear, and confident in interpersonal matters.
- Experience rolling out performance review cycles.
- Exposure to equity administration, compensation benchmarking, or total rewards design.
- SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification.
Location:
- Based in Hawthorne, our vertically integrated facility brings technology development, R&D, and production together under one roof. We operate at the center of LA’s deep tech ecosystem, surrounded by some of the most ambitious hardware innovation happening anywhere in the country.
What We Offer:
- We have an inclusive and diverse culture that values collaboration, learning, and making deliberate data-driven decisions.
- We offer a unique opportunity to be an early and integral member of a rapidly growing company that is scaling a world-changing technology.
- Benefits
- Significant stock option packages
- 100% employer-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance (premium PPO and HMO options)
- Traditional and Roth 401(k)
- Relocation assistance provided
- Paid vacation, sick leave, and company holidays
- Generous Paid Parental Leave and extended transition back to work for the birthing parent
- Free daily catered lunch and dinner, and fully stocked kitchenette
- Casual dress, flexible work hours, and regular catered team building events
- Compensation
- As an early-stage startup, the salary range is intentionally wide as we determine the most appropriate package for each individual taking into consideration years of experience, educational background, and unique skills and abilities as demonstrated throughout the interview process. Our intent is to offer a salary that is commensurate for the company’s current stage of development and allows the employee to grow and develop within a role.
- In addition to the significant stock option package, the estimated salary range for this role is $120,000 – $175,000. The upper end of the range is reserved for individuals who demonstrate exceptional experience, deep domain mastery, and a proven history of high performance and impact.
- Freeform is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values diversity; employment with Freeform is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
