Sr. People Operations Generalist

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 Generalist 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

• Partner with leaders on performance, employee development, workforce planning, and organizational growth.
• Provide practical HR guidance and support complex employee matters.

Employee Relations & Culture

• Manage employee relations, investigations, conflict resolution, and performance issues.
• Promote a positive, inclusive, and high-performing workplace culture.

Compliance & Administration

• Ensure compliance with employment laws, policies, and HR processes.
• Maintain accurate records and partner with key stakeholders on HR operations.

Employee Lifecycle

• Support onboarding, promotions, transfers, performance management, and organizational changes.
• Partner with Recruiting to deliver a strong employee experience.

Operations & Projects

• Lead HR initiatives, improve processes, and support company growth.
• Analyze workforce trends and leverage HR systems to drive effective decision-making.

What you'll bring:
What’s Prepared You:

• 6–10+ years of progressive HR or People Operations experience, including experience supporting technical, engineering, manufacturing, or operational teams
• Strong experience in high-growth, fast-scaling startup or aerospace/technology environments
• Deep working knowledge of California employment law and HR compliance practices
• Demonstrated experience managing complex employee relations matters and workplace investigations
• Proven ability to coach managers through difficult conversations, performance management, and organizational challenges
• Experience supporting both exempt and non-exempt employee populations
• Strong project management and process improvement capabilities
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on operational execution
• Excellent communication, judgment, and interpersonal skills
• High level of professionalism, discretion, and emotional intelligence
• Experience using HRIS and performance management systems such as Lattice, Rippling, ADP Workforce Now, Insperity, BambooHR, or similar platforms
• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification preferred

Preferred Experience

• Experience supporting aerospace, advanced manufacturing, hardware engineering, robotics, automotive, defense, or other highly technical industries
• Experience supporting rapid headcount growth and organizational scaling
• Experience partnering with engineering leadership, program management, production teams, and executive leadership
• Familiarity 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
• Home office set up reimbursement
• Weekly lunch stipend, plus complimentary snacks and beverages on-site
• Once a month social hour on-site with food and drinks