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Biotechnology, Artificial Intelligence

People Operations & Culture Generalist

Foster City, CAOnsiteFull Time$125,000–$150,000 /yrPosted 2 months agoVisa sponsorship available

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Required skills

  • People Operations
  • HR Generalist
  • employee lifecycle
  • onboarding
  • offboarding
  • leave of absence
  • benefits administration
  • payroll processing
  • multi-state HR compliance
  • process automation

Nice to have

  • startup environment
  • ATS
  • HRIS
  • systems thinking
  • Finance
  • Legal

Role summary

Cellanome is seeking a People Operations Generalist to support its rapid growth, managing the full employee lifecycle for over 150 employees across multiple locations. This hands-on role involves optimizing HR systems and processes, administering benefits and leave, ensuring multi-state compliance, and managing office operations and events in Foster City. The position requires 5-7+ years of experience in People Operations or HR, with a strong emphasis on process automation, HRIS (Rippling/Greenhouse), and vendor management. The role offers a blend of core operations (60%), workplace/events (30%), and recruiting coordination (10%), aiming to build and improve the People Operations function.

We’re a well-funded start-up. You’ll get a chance to wear many hats, be a part of a growing team, and have the potential for exciting financial and career growth.

Here’s what sets us apart. We’ve set our sights on some of the biggest challenges facing biology today. We’re amassing a world class team of engineers, scientists, team builders and problem solvers to tackle these challenges heads-on. We’re passionate about developing the next generation technologies that will unravel the complexities of biology.

This is a unique opportunity to build, be part of an exciting start-up and be surrounded by good humans who are super capable, humble and down-to- earth.

Cellanome is scaling fast, and the People team is building the foundation to support more than 150 employees across Foster City, San Diego, and Singapore, as well as field-based employees in various states and regions. We're looking for a People Operations Generalist to support the full employee life cycle. You'll bring expertise in systems and processes, along with strong people skills to help design and support employee programs and events. You'll also take on some office management responsibilities to keep our Foster City office running smoothly.

This is a hands-on, build-and-improve role where you'll turn manual processes into clean, repeatable ones. You’ll have an eye for automation and efficiency, and you get to shape the People Operations function, working cross-functionally with Finance, Legal, and across our science and engineering teams. You'll partner closely with People leadership, who set strategy, while you own end-to-end execution. This is a genuine build opportunity for someone who wants a hand in designing the operational core and curating the employee experience.

The role splits roughly into core operations (60%), workplace and events in Foster City (30%), and recruiting / people team coordination (10%), through the mix will flex as our needs evolve.

Essential Duties include but are not limited to the following:

  • Core People Operations (~60%)
  • Run the employee lifecycle end to end: onboarding, offboarding, and all lifecycle changes in Rippling, with accuracy and speed.
  • Administer leave of absence programs across multiple states, coordinating with employees, managers, carriers, and payroll on eligibility, documentation, and return-to-work.
  • Own day-to-day benefits administration, including employee questions, open enrollment logistics, carrier and broker coordination, and reconciliation.
  • Support multi-state (and cross-border) payroll processing, resolving edge cases and partnering with Accounting on the payroll RACI.
  • Keep compliance documentation audit-ready across every state and entity where we operate, flagging gaps proactively.
  • Serve as a responsive first point of contact for employee questions, escalating anything sensitive or high-stakes to People leadership.
  • Lead process automation across the People function: map current workflows, identify friction, and design and implement automations (Rippling, Greenhouse, AI tools) that cut down manual work and turnaround time.
  • Design, launch, and own core People programs, such as onboarding, performance cycles, recognition programs, and policy updates, from needs assessment through rollout, measurement, and iteration.
  • Workplace & Events, Foster City (~30%)
  • Own the day-to-day employee experience at the Foster City office, creating a sense of belonging, community, and engagement that drives team connection and productivity
  • Plan and execute onsite events and celebrations, partnering with the local events committee, from All Hands meeting logistics to team milestones to holiday events.
  • Manage office vendors and services (food, gifting platforms, supplies), holding them accountable on cost and quality.
  • Serve as the go-to for onsite needs and help strengthen cross-site connection between our Foster City, San Diego, and Singapore offices.
  • Recruiting & People team Coordination (~10%)
  • Coordinate interview scheduling and candidate logistics in partnership with Talent Acquisition, delivering a smooth, professional candidate experience.
  • Support offer and pre-boarding logistics so new hires have a seamless path from offer to Day One.
  • Keep recruiting workflows and systems clean and up to date.

    • Minimum Qualifications:

  • 5-7+ years in a People Operations, HR (People) Operations, or HR Generalist role, ideally in a fast-moving start-up.
  • Required hands-on experience across leave of absence administration, benefits, payroll, and multi-state HR compliance. California employment law experience strongly preferred.
  • Proven ability to run onsite events and workplace programs from concept through flawless execution.
  • Demonstrated experience independently managing employee relations matters, including investigations, and designing and launching People programs that scale.
  • Vendor sourcing, management and relationships around workplace programs and events.
  • Systems thinking: you can map a process end to end, find the friction, and redesign it to be simpler for everyone.
  • Experience with ATS/HRIS (Greenhouse/Rippling a plus) and appetite for using AI and automation to optimize recurring work.
  • Sound judgment on when to handle something directly and when to route it up.
  • A confident, warm communicator who lands well with employees and managers at every level.
  • Comfort juggling multiple priorities and shifting gears quickly without losing what matters most.
  • Demonstrated ability to perform the Essential Duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodations.

    • We provide competitive total compensation packages, including base pay, benefits, and equity. In California, the estimated base salary for this position is $125,000 - $150,000/year. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

    What you can expect from us:

    You’ll feel the energy when you walk in our door – we work hard, we have fun and we have ambitious plans to grow. Cellanome offers a comprehensive employment package that includes a competitive salary, generous stock options, great individual, and family health plans, a 401(k) and flexibility to balance work and life.

    We embrace and celebrate the diversity of our employees. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, national origin, gender, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or parental status, disability, veteran status, or other class protected by applicable law. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

    We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

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