People Operations

The mission of Thinking Machines is to build AI that extends human will and judgment. We are looking for a People Operations Generalist who believes that great people systems create leverage and trust. This role is ideal for someone who treats people operations as a craft that spans compliance, program design, and organizational strategy. You'll support the early employee lifecycle, from offer acceptance to onboarding, while also building the programs and infrastructure that preserve what makes our culture distinctive as we grow. You'll operate with significant autonomy, making judgment calls and building systems from first principles in an early-stage environment. This role reports to the Head of Operations and will be foundational in shaping how we scale.

Responsibilities

Own the early employee lifecycle, including onboarding from offer acceptance through completion of new hire training; Design compliance systems and manage I-9 verification, employee eligibility documentation, background checks, and compliance training; Monitor federal and state employment law obligations as headcount grows; Own immigration case management with outside counsel across visa types (H-1B, O-1A, EB-1A, PERM, CPT/OPT, and others), including RFE response management and policy monitoring; Support international hiring and employer-of-record arrangements; Design and manage onboarding curricula, manager training, and executive/team coaching engagements; Build playbooks and feedback loops for people programs; Evaluate, implement, and maintain HRIS, payroll, and adjacent systems, including platform migrations; Administer benefits enrollment, answer employee questions, and coordinate with brokers and vendors during renewals; Build playbooks, decision trees, self-service resources, and dashboards and trackers across onboarding, immigration, and program health; Partner with finance, legal, IT, and hiring managers; Build the infrastructure, operations, and team needed to scale

Requirements

Demonstrated experience in HR operations, people operations, or a related field; Strong knowledge of employment compliance, including I-9 requirements, state and federal regulations, and recordkeeping best practices; Experience supporting immigration processes in coordination with outside counsel; Hands-on experience with HRIS platforms (e.g., Rippling, Workday, SequoiaOne) and comfort evaluating new tools; Meticulous attention to detail, paired with an instinct for designing systems that fail gracefully and surface issues early; Ability to operate with ambiguity and make principled tradeoffs in fast-moving environments; Clear, concise written communication skills; Exercise sound judgment and discretion when handling sensitive employee information and complex situations

Nice to have

Experience at a high-growth technology or AI company; Background in benefits administration or total rewards; Familiarity with leave management, workers' compensation, or other compliance-heavy HR domains; Experience building onboarding programs or improving employee experience touchpoints; Experience with international employment (EOR, cross-border hiring)

Benefits

Generous health, dental, and vision benefits; Unlimited PTO; Paid parental leave; Relocation support as needed; Fertility, mental health, retirement, and workers' comp benefits