People Operations Lead

WHAT TO EXPECT Heron Power is a startup building cutting-edge power electronics for the 21st-century grid. We aim to debottleneck the growth of electricity generation and consumption with scalable, innovative, and cost-effective hardware solutions, accelerating the electrification of everything. Our first goal is to build better converters (inverters & rectifiers) to connect large-scale renewables, storage, and loads to the grid. Heron’s leadership team is made up of seasoned veterans who have designed and shipped gigawatts of power conversion products. We believe no one person knows everything. We learn together, build together, and solve hard problems from first principles. You’ll work in a fast-moving, deeply technical environment where ownership and impact are real. JOB OVERVIEW We are seeking a People Operations Lead to serve as Heron Power’s first dedicated HR hire. Reporting to the VP of Finance & Operations, you will help build the people operations foundation for a company scaling from R&D into manufacturing. You will own HR operations, payroll administration, benefits, compliance, employee relations, and manager support, while implementing the systems and policies needed to support a growing non-exempt and hourly workforce. This is a hands-on, high impact role that will influence Heron Power’s culture for years to come. HOW YOU WILL CONTRIBUTE Employee Lifecycle - Own employee onboarding, background checks, immigration with outside counsel, I-9 verification, and new hire orientation - Manage offboarding, including final pay coordination, exit interviews, systems deprovisioning, and documentation - Coordinate performance review cycles, promotions, job changes, and salary adjustments in partnership with Finance and leadership - Support contractor onboarding, renewals, and offboarding in partnership with Legal and Finance Payroll, Benefits & Systems - Prepare payroll for salaried and hourly employees in partnership with Finance - Lead benefits evaluation, annual renewals, open enrollment, and day-to-day administration - Manage HR systems and lead necessary transitions and integrations in partnership with IT - Build scalable timekeeping, attendance, scheduling, and wage-and-hour processes ahead of manufacturing ramp HR Business Partnership & Compliance - Serve as the first point of contact for employee relations, manager coaching, performance concerns, investigations, and HR cases - Maintain the employee handbook, HR policies, required trainings, employee records, and compliance calendar - Partner with Compliance/EHS on workers’ compensation, OSHA-related processes, safety training, and injury reporting WHAT YOU WILL BRING We have a short list of must-have requirements. We prioritize a strong grip on first principles, hands-on skills, and a sense of initiative. Domain-specific knowledge and experience will help determine the career level for each hire. MUST-HAVE REQUIREMENTS - Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience - 5+ years of progressive HR / people operations experience, including senior-level responsibility at a high-growth company - Hands-on experience running payroll, including non-exempt/hourly staff - Experience owning HRIS and payroll systems, including implementations and integrations with third-party tools - Exceptional discretion, judgment, and communication skills — employees at every level trust you with sensitive matters - Strong knowledge of federal and California employment law NICE-TO-HAVES - Prior experience as the first or early HR hire at a Series A–C company - Experience supporting a scaling manufacturing, warehouse or hourly workforce - PHR, SPHR, or SHRM-CP/SCP certification If you are passionate about technology and enjoy working in a fast-paced environment, we would love to hear from you. Join us in accelerating the electrification of everything at Heron Power. Heron Power provides competitive compensation (salary and equity) and benefits. The salary for this role ranges from $12…