About this opportunity
Astrolab lists this Sr. People Operations Business Partner opportunity in hawthorne, California. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
Compensation: $125,000 - $145,000 / year
Department: People Operations
Location: Hawthorne, California
Compensation: $125,000 - $145,000 / year
Description
Venturi Astrolab, Inc. (Astrolab) is pioneering new ways to explore and operate on distant planetary bodies. We are singularly focused on designing, building, and operating a fleet of multi-purpose commercial planetary rovers to extend and enhance humanity’s presence in the solar system. We are seeking motivated, creative, and exceptional people to join our world-class team.
This position combines strategic partnership with hands‑on execution. The ideal candidate is comfortable in ambiguity, managing complex employee relations matters, improving processes, coaching leaders, and helping build a high‑accountability, high‑performance culture during a critical stage of company growth.
The Sr. People Operations Business Partner plays a key role in supporting the full employee lifecycle while helping leaders scale teams’ responsibility, compliantly and efficiently.
What you’ll do:
Strategic Partnership & Manager Support
Serve as a trusted People Operations partner to managers and employees across technical and operational organizations
Coach managers on performance management, employee development, organizational effectiveness, communication, accountability, and team dynamics
Partner with leaders to support organizational scaling, workforce planning, team structure and succession readiness
Help leaders navigate challenging people matters with sound judgment, confidentiality, and compliance awareness
Provide practical, business-focused People Operations guidance in a fast-moving engineering and manufacturing environment
Employee Relations & Workplace Culture
Manage employee relations matters promptly, fairly, and professionally, including investigations, conflict resolution, corrective actions, and performance concerns
Identify workplace risks proactively and recommend solutions before issues escalates
Support the development of a respectful, inclusive, high-performance culture aligned with Astrolab’s mission and operational goals
Build credibility and trust with employees at all levels of the organization
Partner cross-functionally to improve employee engagement, retention, communication, and workplace effectiveness
Compliance & Policy Administration
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws, with strong emphasis on California labor law compliance
Support compliance efforts related to wage and hour practices, leave administration, accommodations, investigations, employee documentation, and policy implementation
Assist in developing, improving, and scaling People Operations policies, SOPs, and internal processes
Maintain accurate and compliant employee records and HR documentation practices
Partner with payroll, benefits, recruiting, EH&S, and leadership teams to ensure operational alignment
Employee Lifecycle Management
Support and improve onboarding, offboarding, internal transfers, promotions, and employee development processes
Partner with Recruiting and hiring managers to ensure a strong new hire experience and effective organizational integration
Drive performance management processes including calibration discussions, employee feedback cycles, and development planning
Support workforce changes, organizational restructuring, and scaling initiatives as the company grows
Operations & Projects
Lead and contribute to cross-functional People Operations initiatives and special projects
Help build scalable infrastructure, programs, and workflows that support company growth
Analyze trends and provide recommendations related to retention, engagement, turnover, and organizational health
Utilize HR systems and reporting tools to improve efficiency and decision-making
Support implementation and optimization of HRIS, performance management, and employee engagement platforms
What you’ll bring:
Basic Qualifications
6+ years of HR or People Operations experience, including experience supporting technical, engineering, manufacturing, or operational teams
Experience in high-growth, fast-scaling startup or aerospace/technology environments
Experience and knowledge in California employment law and HR compliance practices
Experience managing complex employee relations matters and workplace investigations
Experience coaching managers through difficult conversations, performance management, and organizational challenges
Experience supporting both exempt and non-exempt employee populations
Experience using HRIS and performance management systems such as Lattice, Rippling, ADP Workforce Now, Insperity, BambooHR, or similar platforms
Preferred Qualifications
Experience supporting aerospace, advanced manufacturing, hardware engineering, robotics, automotive, defense, or other highly technical industries
Experience supporting rapid headcount growth and organizational scaling
SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification
Experience partnering with engineering leadership, program management, production teams, and executive leadership
Experience with government contracting environments or compliance-driven organizations is a plus
Benefits and Perks
Join a team of best-in-class engineers building the foundation of planetary surface exploration
Equity ownership in the company
Comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and mental health support
401(k) plan with company match
Flexible PTO and parental leave
Weekly lunch stipend, plus complimentary snacks and beverages on-site
Once a month social hour on-site with food and drinks
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Worksite address
hawthorne, CA, 90250, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.