People Ops Manager

About Gaia

Gaia is on a mission to make family building accessible and affordable. We offer fixed price fertility treatment plans through a national network of partner clinics, flexible financing for members, and a benefits offering for employers. We are a Series B company with teams in the US and London, backed by investors who share our belief that everyone deserves a fair shot at building a family.

About the role

We are hiring a People Ops Manager to build the people function for our next stage of growth. You will own the full employee lifecycle across our US, UK and remote teams, from hiring and onboarding through performance, compensation, and culture. This is a hands on leadership role: you will set strategy and do much of the work yourself, partnering closely with the CFO, CEO, and leadership team.

The right person is equal parts operator and culture builder. You care about getting payroll, compliance, and policy exactly right, and you also know how to help a mission driven team do the best work of their careers.

What you will do

People strategy and leadership

Build and own the people roadmap aligned to company goals, headcount plans, and budget

Serve as a trusted advisor to the leadership team on org design, team structure, and leadership development

Partner with Finance on workforce planning, headcount forecasting, and people cost modeling

Report on people metrics (retention, engagement, time to hire, compensation benchmarks) to leadership and the board

Talent acquisition

Manage, coach, and develop our Recruiter, setting clear priorities and hiring goals

Own the hiring process end to end, including role scoping, sourcing strategy, interview design, and offer management

Build a consistent, inclusive, and efficient hiring experience that reflects the Gaia brand

Manage recruiting partners and tools, and build our employer brand

Performance, growth, and engagement

Design and run performance review cycles, goal setting, and feedback practices

Build career frameworks, leveling, and development programs

Measure and act on employee engagement, and champion a culture of ownership, care, and accountability

Lead onboarding and offboarding so every transition is thoughtful and well run

Compensation and benefits

Own compensation philosophy, salary bands, and equity guidelines in partnership with the CFO

Run annual compensation reviews and benchmarking

Manage benefits programs, broker relationships, and open enrollment, including our own family building benefits for employees

People operations and compliance

Oversee HRIS, payroll inputs, and PEO relationships (Justworks in the US, and UK payroll providers)

Ensure compliance with US federal and state employment law and UK employment law for our London team

Maintain employee handbooks, policies, and documentation for both entities

Handle employee relations matters with sound judgment, discretion, and fairness

Support audit, diligence, and fundraising processes with accurate people data

What we are looking for

8+ years of experience in People or HR roles, with at least 3 years leading the function or a meaningful part of it at a venture backed startup (Series A to C)

Experience supporting teams across the US and UK, or across multiple US states and at least one international entity

Strong working knowledge of US employment law; familiarity with UK employment practices is a strong plus

Track record of building people programs from scratch (performance, compensation, leveling, onboarding)

Experience managing and developing direct reports, ideally including recruiters

Comfortable with data: you can build a headcount model, run a comp analysis, and present people metrics clearly

Excellent judgment and discretion with sensitive information

A builder mindset: you are energized by ambiguity and happy to roll up your sleeves

Genuine connection to our mission of making family building accessible

Nice to have

Experience in healthcare, benefits, fintech, or another regulated industry

Experience with HRIS and ATS tools such as Justworks, Rippling, BambooHR, Greenhouse, or Ashby

SHRM, CIPD, or similar certification

What success looks like

In your first 90 days

Audit current people processes, policies, and tools across the US and UK

Build relationships with every leader and understand team needs

Align with your Recruiter on open roles, pipeline health, and hiring priorities

Deliver a prioritized people roadmap for the next 12 months

In your first year

Launch a consistent performance and career framework company wide

Establish compensation bands and a repeatable comp review process

Stand up a scalable, well run hiring engine that supports our headcount plan

Improve engagement and retention against a clear baseline

What we offer

Competitive salary and meaningful equity

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage

Fertility and family building benefits through Gaia

The chance to build a people function at a mission driven company at a pivotal stage

Equal opportunity

Gaia is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, identities, and family structures.