People Operations Specialist

About the company

Astro Mechanica is an aerospace company that brings together aircraft and engine development under one roof to push toward a faster, more connected future. The company’s goal is to make supersonic travel practical, flexible, and sustainable so that people and goods can move point-to-point across the globe with far greater speed. Its near-term work also includes building adaptable high-speed systems that help address aircraft performance gaps for the U.S. government.

Team culture

The organization describes itself as a group of driven engineers who combine broad problem-solving skills with deep technical expertise. It operates with a flat structure, values practicality, and prioritizes strong engineering execution over hierarchy.

Role overview

This role is ideal for a highly organized, people-focused HR operator who wants to shape the employee experience from the moment an offer is accepted through offboarding. You will create structure in a fast-moving environment, handle sensitive matters with discretion, and help define the People Operations function as the company scales.

What you will do

• Design and launch scalable People Operations workflows that support growth without adding unnecessary overhead.
• Coordinate recruiting operations such as interview scheduling, candidate communication, ATS administration, hiring reports, and recruiting metrics.
• Manage benefits administration from end to end, including employee enrollment, issue resolution, vendor coordination, compliance, and annual renewals.
• Oversee HR compliance processes across several states, including claims handling, carrier coordination, and work with external partners to identify and close compliance gaps early.
• Run onboarding operations, including paperwork, HRIS setup, benefits enrollment, and preparation for the employee’s first day.
• Contribute to compensation planning, market benchmarking, equity administration, and annual compensation review cycles alongside leadership.
• Act as the main contact for employee questions about benefits, policies, and HR processes, using judgment to decide what can be handled directly and what should be escalated.
• Improve HR systems, documentation, workflows, and reporting to make operations more efficient and reduce administrative burden.

What the company is looking for

The ideal candidate brings several years of hands-on People Operations or HR Operations experience and is comfortable owning complex administrative work with minimal oversight. You should be highly detail-oriented, strong at juggling multiple priorities, confident in handling confidential information, and able to build trust across the organization. Success in this role also requires a proactive mindset, strong judgment, and comfort in a fast-changing startup setting.

Additional information

Astro Mechanica places a strong emphasis on working in person and considers a five-day in-office schedule to be an essential part of the role. The company is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building an inclusive workplace with a diverse workforce.

Compensation

The expected salary range for this position is $115,000 to $170,000.