People Operations Specialist

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats. CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London. For more information, please visit https://www.chaosinc.com. **Role Overview:** We’re looking for a hands-on, resourceful People Operations Specialist who thrives in a fast-moving startup environment and enjoys variety – one day improving HR workflows, the next helping managers and employees navigate benefits, onboarding, or policy questions. You’ll partner closely with the HR team to manage day-to-day HR operations, strengthen systems and compliance, and deliver an exceptional employee experience as we continue our rapid growth. **Responsibilities:** - Act as a primary point of contact for daily HR inquiries and employee support. - Maintain accurate and timely data across Rippling (HRIS, payroll, and benefits). - Prepare reports, audits, and dashboards to ensure data accuracy and compliance. - Coordinate onboarding, offboarding, and employee changes. - Assist with benefits administration, open enrollment, and vendor coordination. - Track and coordinate leaves of absence, accommodations, and employment verifications. - Support investigations and documentation. - Assist with the semi-annual performance and compensation review process by coordinating timelines, preparing communications and tracking tools, and assisting managers and HR throughout the review cycle. - Support HR communications, employee surveys, and engagement initiatives. - Work full-time onsite out of our office in Los Angeles (El Segundo), California. **Minimum Requirements:** - 3-5 years of progressive HR experience in a generalist or coordinator role; ideally in a high growth or startup setting - Strong working knowledge of U.S. employment laws and HR best practices (especially California; multi-state familiarity a plus) - Demonstrated experience supporting HR operations such as onboarding, benefits administration, employee relations, and compliance tracking. - Proficiency with HRIS systems; able to manage transactions, workflows, and audits with high accuracy. - Hands-on experience managing leave of absence cases end-to-end, including FMLA/CFRA, short- and long-term disability, and company-paid parental leave programs that require top-off payment calculations and benefits integration. - Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; able to build trust with employees and managers across all levels. - Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion and professionalism. - Strong organizational skills and attention to detail; able to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment. - Comfort with spreadsheets, HR reporting, and data integrity checks in Excel. - Team-oriented mindset with proactive, solutions-focused approach. **Preferred Requirements:** - Hands-on experience with Rippling. - Experience coordinating benefits renewals and open enrollment. - Exposure to or involvement in performance reviews and compensation cycles. - Familiarity with leave administration (FMLA, CFRA, PFL). - Interest in scaling HR processes and improving employee experience within a startup. **Why CHAOS?** - **Health Benefits:** Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company - **Additional benefits**: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more - **Our Perks:** Free daily lunch, ‘No meeting Fridays’, unlimited PTO, casual dress code - **Compensation Components:** Co…