People Operations Generalist

The posting, as Salient Motion wrote it

Who We Are

Salient Motion designs, manufactures, and supports advanced motion control and actuation systems for aerospace, defense, and robotics applications. We're a fast-growing, venture-backed startup building the next generation of intelligent motion systems, partnering directly with leading organizations to bring new technology from concept to deployment.

About the Role

This is the first dedicated People Ops hire at Salient Motion. You are coming in at a moment when the company is scaling fast enough that we need someone who can build and own the operational infrastructure that keeps everything running: onboarding, compliance, HRIS, payroll and benefits (and more). You will also support recruiting operations as we build out the talent function, which means you will touch the full employee lifecycle from candidate to day one and beyond.

A couple other things

• We are open to relocating you
• We have great benefits
• We are well funded, and generating revenue
• We just moved into a new large HQ in Hawthorne, CA, with presence still in Torrance, CA
• We need folks onsite, but provide a lot of flexibilty

What you'll do

People Operations

• HRIS administration in Rippling: employee records, workflows, onboarding automation, and data integrity
• Onboarding end to end: pre-boarding, Day 1 coordination, and 30/60/90 day check-ins in partnership with managers
• Benefits administration: open enrollment, carrier coordination, employee questions, and day-to-day benefits support
• Compliance: I-9 management, employment law adherence (California and federal), required policy maintenance, and ITAR documentation at offer stage
• Visa and immigration coordination in partnership with outside counsel: includes preparing job descriptions and role documentation for petition support, coordinating the recruiting process to meet visa timeline requirements, managing case tracking and document collection, and serving as the internal point of contact between employees, managers, and counsel throughout the process
• Payroll support: first point of contact for employee questions and discrepancies related to payroll. You are not running payroll, but you are making sure issues get resolved and managers are approving timesheets before processing deadlines
• Culture and engagement: own the cadence of pulse surveys and engagement check-ins, synthesize results into actionable insights for the Head of People and leadership, and serve as a visible, approachable presence on the floor. You are the day-to-day read on how the team is doing, what is working, and what is not
• Company policy ownership: employee handbook, PTO policy, code of conduct, and required state and federal postings

Recruiting Support

• Job posting management: publish and maintain open roles on the Salient Motion careers page and LinkedIn, keep postings current, and ensure all listings include required ITAR and location language
• Interview coordination: schedule 1:1 interviews acros

[…]
ion of People Ops and recruiting, and the context switches constantly. One hour you are resolving a payroll discrepancy, the next you are hosting a candidate onsite, the next you are updating a job posting. You do not drop things when the day changes direction

• You learn fast and go deep. You do not need to be an employment lawyer to understand California compliance, but you are not afraid to dig in until you do. Same with systems. Rippling, Greenhouse, Juicebox: you get your hands on a tool and you master it. You do not stay at the surface level
• You move before you are asked. You see around corners. You spot the timesheet that has not been approved before payroll closes, the compliance requirement coming before it becomes a problem, the candidate who has been waiting too long for a follow-up. You bring solutions, not just observations. This is core to who we are as a company and we expect it from everyone on the team
• 3-5 years in a People Ops, HR Generalist, or HR Coordinator role is a reasonable baseline
• ITAR-eligible (U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident) and onsite in Hawthorne are both required
• Rippling, Greenhouse, Juicebox, and or other (HR/Recruiting tools) experience are a strong plus

What we have to offer

We are a small, technical team building hardware that flies. The people who thrive here are builders: people who take ownership, move without waiting to be asked, and hold a high bar for their own work. We also care deeply about what it feels like to work here. This role has a real hand in shaping that. If that sounds like you, we want to talk.

• Salary Range: $100,000-$130,000, plus equity and benefits at a well-funded, fast-moving startup
• Mission-driven work at the intersection of aerospace, defense, and robotics innovation
• Exceptional healthcare benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision) - Medical is 100% covered by the company
• 2x salary Life Insurance - 100% covered by the company
• Flexible PTO Policy
• 401K
• More to come!