People Operations Manager

Government technology has failed the public for decades, and Americans have been conditioned to expect websites from the 90s for essential public services.

Kaizen exists to strengthen trust in American public services by building technology that residents and public servants are proud to use. We partner with local, state, and federal agencies to replace legacy systems with modern, AI-native software that is worthy of the people they serve. We started in outdoor recreation, and now we're building toward something much larger — the software layer that powers how Americans access any government service.

Our platform reaches 55 million Americans across 50+ agencies. Our goal: build technology that touches the lives of 100 million residents by the end of the year.

Founded in 2022 and based in New York City, Kaizen has raised $35 million from NEA, a16z, Accel, 776, and Carpenter Capital. We're builders, designers, and operators who believe that beautifully designed software shouldn't be a luxury in government. It's how you earn trust back.

The Role

The Kaizen team is growing and the back-office and people infrastructure that got us here (onboarding, payroll, benefits, compliance, office ops) is ready to scale. This is the first dedicated People Operations hire at Kaizen. You'll take ownership of the function, build the processes that grow with the company, and be the person employees and managers turn to across every stage of the employee lifecycle.

What You'll Do

Own onboarding and offboarding end-to-end: offer letters, I-9 verification, background checks, tools provisioning, system access setup, HM coordination, 30/60/90 check-in process, and a clean, documented exit process every time

Run payroll operations - adding new employees, processing changes, troubleshooting issues, and ensuring every run is accurate and on time

Manage the benefits program day-to-day: open enrollment, carrier coordination, employee questions, a potential PEO migration, stipend maintenance, usage tracking, and feedback loops

Own people compliance across all active states: SOS registrations, unemployment insurance, quarterly and annual filings, employee records, handbook maintenance, and working fluency with tools like Mosey, Corpnet, and AbstractOps

Own employee engagement including pulse surveys, feedback initiatives, and sentiment tracking across a distributed team. Surface themes to leadership and turn feedback into actionable improvements

Support performance management cycles: mid-year and end-of-year reviews, manager check-ins, scorecard coordination, and keeping feedback loops tight without adding unnecessary process

Coordinate and manage office gatherings, employer branding events, and more intimate team outings

Spearhead future office relocation efforts including broker relationships, touring spaces, coordinating buildouts, and ensuring seamless move-in processes

Administer equity in Carta, partnering with the CoS and Finance on option grants, termination processing, and cap table hygiene

Partner with COO and Recruiting Lead on headcount planning, leveling, and compensation frameworks

Partner with Recruiting Lead on candidate experience and recruiting operations including interview coordination, offer letter workflows, ATS hygiene, and keeping the recruiting-to-people handoff clean

Use AI tools actively to automate repetitive workflows, draft communications, and build more scalable processes — this is an expectation, not a nice-to-have

What You'll Bring

4+ years of experience in People Operations, HR Operations, or related program management roles

Experience at one or more scaling startups where you operated without a full HR team behind you

Hands-on fluency with the core People Ops toolset: Gusto or Rippling, Carta, PEOs such as Sequoia or equivalent, and compliance platforms like Vanta, Mosey, or AbstractOps

Ownership mentality: you've run a people ops or back-office function yourself, not just supported someone who did

Comfort operating across people, finance, and admin functions without needing clean lane boundaries — this role crosses all three

Clear, direct communicator who can navigate sensitive employee and manager conversations with judgment and empathy

Fluency with AI tools as a genuine part of your workflow. you use them to move faster, write better, and build processes that don't require headcount to scale

Strong Candidates May Also...

Have supported or led a PEO migration

Have familiarity with federal contracting compliance from a people/HR perspective

Have worked with SOC 2 or similar security frameworks in a people ops context

Don't Apply If...

You've only worked in large orgs with a full HR team.

You're a strategist who hands off execution. At Kaizen, you define the process and then you run it.

You can't get excited about the mission. The agencies on our platform serve tens of millions of people. The infrastructure you build here matters to them.

You need a detailed ticket to know what to work on next

You get overwhelmed when the path forward isn't clear

You think AI tools are a productivity gimmick rather than a core part of how modern operators work

What Kaizen Offers

Health & Insurance

100% coverage across the board: medical through Oxford/United (Gold and Platinum PPO plans), dental through Guardian PPO, and vision through Beam — all fully covered for employees, with 100% coverage for dependents.

$100,000 in fully paid life insurance. FSA and Dependent Care FSA.

One Medical membership, on us — same-day primary care, 24/7 virtual visits, and offices all over the city.

Fertility and family-building support through Carrot.

401(k) through Guideline, with a 2% company match.

Family & Time Off

16 weeks of fully paid parental leave for birthing parents. 10 weeks fully paid for non-birthing parents.

Unlimited PTO, with a two-week minimum (we mean it when we say take time off!)

Closed for all federal holidays.

Company-wide winter break the week of Christmas.

Company offsites throughout the year.

Office & Remote Setup

Up to $750 one-time home office or desk setup stipend for NYC-based employees. $500 for remote employees.

$50/month commuter benefit (company contribution).

Expensed lunch while in the office.

Company-provided laptop of your choice.

Wellness

Fully covered gym membership at Grindhouse — right across the street from our office at 47 W 17th St (and in Williamsburg). A $225/month value, on us. For remote employees, $100/month dedicated to gym or physical fitness reimbursement.

Stipends

$100/month utility stipend.

$500/year professional development.

$250/year recreation.

$300/quarter pet care stipend.