Senior Manager, HR Operations

Who we are

Semafor is a global news platform for an increasingly complex world in which consumers are overwhelmed by too many news sources and unsure what to trust. We are building Semafor to enable world-class journalists to deliver reporting and insights with rigor in journalistic forms that ensure a new level of transparency. Our editors and reporters distill the most important stories from all over in formats that uncover the forces shaping the stories, explain the interests behind polarizing narratives, and replenish the stock of shared facts. As a global platform, Semafor recognizes that smart people can disagree and that informed readers need to understand alternative points of view from competing centers of power and culture in a multi-polar world. Want to join us? Read on.

About this Role

We're looking for a Senior Manager of HR Operations who combines strong people-operations expertise with hands-on office management skills and sharp project management instincts. This is a hybrid role: part of your time will be spent running the systems, processes, and compliance work that keep our employee lifecycle running smoothly, and part will be spent as the operational backbone of our physical workspace — including leading our upcoming office move from planning through execution.

You'll report directly to the CFO and work closely with Finance, HR, IT, and department leaders across the company to ensure our people operations are efficient, accurate, and aligned with broader business systems.

What You'll Do

HR Operations & Employee Lifecycle

Own the end-to-end onboarding and offboarding process, ensuring a smooth, compliant, and well-documented experience for new hires and departing employees

Manage and maintain our HR systems and technology stack — including Rippling (HRIS), ChartHop (people analytics/org data), and Greenhouse (ATS) — ensuring data integrity and system optimization

Identify opportunities to optimize workflows, automate manual processes, and improve the employee and manager experience through HR technology.

Maintain and update personnel files in accordance with legal and company recordkeeping requirements

Own the employee handbook and policy documents, keeping them current with employment law and company practice

Manage the PTO approval process and ensure accurate tracking and reporting of time off

Produce regular HR reporting and analytics for leadership, including headcount, turnover, and compliance metrics

Provide operational support across key People initiatives, including talent management, annual performance reviews, compensation planning, promotions, organizational changes.

Develop, document and continuously improve People Operations processes and standard operating procedures to support scalability.

Cross-Functional & Systems Alignment

Partner with Finance to align Rippling/ChartHop data, tagging conventions, and terminology with the Finance ERP system, ensuring consistency across systems

Coordinate with IT on device inventory management and equipment provisioning/deprovisioning tied to employee onboarding and offboarding in Rippling

Design and configure workflows in Rippling, ChartHop, and Greenhouse to support key people initiatives, including annual performance reviews and employee engagement/feedback surveys

Serve as a key point of contact across departments for people-related process questions and improvements

Workplace Operations& Project Leadership

Lead the planning and execution of the company's upcoming NYC office move, partnering with Finance, IT, building management, and external vendors to deliver the project on time and within budget. Responsibilities include project planning, timeline management, vendor and building coordination, budget tracking, furniture/equipment logistics, risk management, and employee communications to ensure a seamless transition with minimal business disruption.

Act as the day-to-day office manager for a fast-paced, open office environment, overseeing supplies, vendor coordination, equipment, and general office operations

Apply strong critical thinking and project management skills to anticipate risks, solve problems proactively, and keep cross-functional stakeholders aligned throughout the move

Coordinate with building facilities teams on repairs, security, and general office upkeep

Support the setup and execution of company events, all-hands meetings, and employee recognition programs as needed

What Makes You Qualified

Bachelor's degree preferred, or equivalent professional experience

5+ years of experience in HR operations, people operations, or a related field, ideally with some office management or facilities exposure

Demonstrated experience managing a project with significant logistical complexity (e.g., office move, systems implementation, event at scale) is a strong plus

Hands-on experience with Rippling, ChartHop, and Greenhouse strongly preferred; comfort configuring, troubleshooting, and optimizing HR technology tools

Strong understanding of core HR processes: onboarding/offboarding, personnel recordkeeping, leave/PTO administration, and policy documentation

Excellent project management skills — able to build a plan, manage a timeline, track a budget, and drive multiple workstreams to completion

Strong critical thinking and proactive problem-solving skills; comfortable making decisions independently and escalating judiciously

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly across all levels of the organization

Highly organized and detail-oriented, with strong follow-through on deadlines and deliverables

Proficiency in Google Workspace and Slack

Professional demeanor with the ability to maintain strict confidentiality

Comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving environment and wearing multiple hats

Additional Job Details

Salary Range: Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, etc. Base: $130,000 - $145,000 per year.

Additional job details

Semafor offers a Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) policy to our full-time, salaried employees who may take paid time off as-needed without a prescribed limit or defined balance.

Semafor, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and enthusiastically encourages people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. Semafor, Inc. will consider all applicants without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical and/or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.