People Operations Specialist

Company Overview

CHAOS Industries is building a new approach to modern defense through a multi-product platform designed to provide a decisive edge and help maintain dominance across domains. Its products are built on Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), enabling warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to respond more quickly, adapt at speed, and keep pace with changing threats.

Founded in 2022, the company has secured $1 billion in total funding from investors such as 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. CHAOS Industries is based in Los Angeles and also operates from offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London.

Role Summary

The organization is seeking a practical, proactive People Operations Specialist who enjoys working in a dynamic startup environment. This role suits someone who likes variety and can move between improving HR processes, supporting managers and employees, and handling questions related to onboarding, benefits, and policy.

You will work closely with the HR team to run everyday people operations, improve systems and compliance, and help create a strong employee experience during a period of rapid growth.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a go-to contact for routine HR questions and employee support.
• Keep HRIS, payroll, and benefits records accurate and up to date in Rippling.
• Build reports, audit outputs, and dashboards that support data accuracy and compliance.
• Handle onboarding, offboarding, and employee status changes.
• Support benefits administration, open enrollment, and coordination with vendors.
• Monitor and manage leave of absence cases, accommodation requests, and employment verification needs.
• Assist with investigations and related documentation.
• Help run the semi-annual performance and compensation review cycle by coordinating timelines, drafting communications, maintaining tracking tools, and supporting managers and HR through the process.
• Contribute to HR communications, employee surveys, and engagement programs.
• Work on a full-time onsite basis from the Los Angeles (El Segundo, California) office.

Requirements

• 3 to 5 years of increasing responsibility in HR, ideally in a generalist or coordinator role within a high-growth or startup environment.
• Solid understanding of U.S. employment law and HR best practices, with a strong emphasis on California and helpful multi-state exposure.
• Proven experience supporting HR operations such as onboarding, benefits administration, employee relations, and compliance tracking.
• Comfort working with HRIS platforms and handling transactions, workflows, and audits with a high level of accuracy.
• Practical experience managing leave cases from start to finish, including FMLA, CFRA, short-term disability, long-term disability, and company-paid parental leave programs with top-off pay calculations and benefits coordination.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to earn trust across employees and managers at all levels.
• Ability to handle confidential information with professionalism and discretion.
• Excellent organization and attention to detail, with the ability to juggle priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced setting.
• Confidence using spreadsheets, HR reporting, and Excel-based data integrity checks.
• Collaborative, proactive, and solution-oriented mindset.

Preferred Qualifications

• Practical experience using Rippling.
• Exposure to benefits renewals and open enrollment coordination.
• Background supporting performance reviews and compensation cycles.
• Familiarity with leave administration, including FMLA, CFRA, and PFL.
• Interest in improving HR processes and employee experience in a startup environment.

Benefits and Perks

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage fully paid by the company.
• 401(k) plan with a 50% company match on contributions up to 6% of pay.
• Access to FSA, HSA, life insurance, and additional benefits.
• Free lunch every day, no-meeting Fridays, unlimited PTO, and a casual dress code.
• Competitive base pay, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation support, and upcoming annual bonuses.
• A growing team of 250 employees across 5 global offices.

Compensation Notice

The expected base salary range for this position is $120,000 to $135,000 per year. This range applies only to base pay and does not include bonus, equity, or benefits. Final compensation may vary depending on experience, education or training, critical skills, and other business factors. Candidates whose expectations fall outside the range are still encouraged to apply.

Recruiting Note

Unsolicited resumes or outreach from recruiting agencies will not be reviewed or paid for.