People Operations Specialist

About VSCO

VSCO has been a trusted platform for photographers worldwide, focused entirely on supporting and enhancing the craft of photography. We are building innovative tools that encompass the entire photography workflow—from creation and editing to client delivery and business management. Our mission is to empower photographers by automating routine tasks so they can dedicate more time to their art, especially in this era where AI is transforming creative processes.

Role Overview

As a People Operations Specialist, you will play a crucial role in translating company values into lived experiences for employees and contractors. This position focuses on owning and improving the systems and workflows that underpin our workforce experience, including HRIS management, contractor administration, onboarding/offboarding procedures, compliance adherence, and reporting for strategic decision-making. This is a specialized operational role aimed at transforming manual, inconsistent processes into reliable, scalable systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain and manage HRIS, contractor platforms, and related systems to ensure data accuracy throughout employee and contractor lifecycles.
• Evaluate and implement tools aiding hiring, onboarding, payroll coordination, benefits management, and contractor relations.
• Create comprehensive reports and dashboards to provide leadership with clear insights into workforce metrics such as headcount and contractor expenditures.
• Oversee end-to-end onboarding and offboarding, ensuring smooth and well-documented transitions for both employees and contractors.
• Manage contractor classification, contract renewals, and compliance in collaboration with Legal and Finance.
• Coordinate benefits administration, leave management, and other lifecycle activities with discretion and precision.
• Identify inefficiencies in existing people processes and build scalable, streamlined systems to replace them.
• Utilize data analytics to generate insights on workforce trends like turnover and time-to-hire, supporting leadership in informed decision-making.
• Document policies and workflows thoroughly to ensure clarity, audit readiness, and ease of handoff as the team expands.
• Ensure compliance with employment and contractor regulations across multiple jurisdictions, managing related workflows such as I-9 verification and employee file maintenance.
• Partner with Finance and external vendors to facilitate payroll activities and reporting.
• Collaborate with the CEO and leadership to update policies, manage the employee handbook, and communicate internal people programs.
• Support culture initiatives including event logistics, employee appreciation, and fostering a positive employee experience.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience in People Operations, HR Operations, People Systems, or similar operational functions.
• Practical expertise with HRIS platforms like Sapling and Lattice and contractor management systems.
• Strong systems thinker able to create scalable, efficient processes rather than temporary fixes.
• Proficient in building reports, analyzing data, and deriving actionable insights to guide personnel decisions.
• Understanding of employment and contractor compliance or ability to rapidly acquire this knowledge.
• Excellent written communication skills, especially for policy and process documentation targeting clear employee comprehension.
• High level of discretion in handling sensitive employee and contractor information.
• Comfort and fluency with AI tools to improve workflows while maintaining critical thinking and creativity.
• Proactive in evaluating emerging AI and automation technologies to enhance the employee experience and reduce manual tasks.

Differentiators

• Experience in revamping people systems from disorganized to reliable.
• Exceptional at organizing and documenting policies for clear employee understanding.
• Analytically driven, favoring data-based decisions over intuition.
• Motivated to grow into broader People, Operations, or business leadership roles.
• Ownership mindset, attentive to detail and initiative-taking.
• Experience working with both employee and contractor populations, understanding their distinct needs.
• Driven by the opportunity to shape scaling people operations functions.

Compensation and Benefits

This full-time position based in San Francisco offers a base salary range of 120000 to 150000 annually. Compensation includes potential bonuses and equity options. Benefits provided encompass flexible time off, 401(k) plan, comprehensive insurance covers (medical, dental, vision, life/AD&D, short and long-term disability), 11 paid holidays, and paid sick leave per state and local laws. Additional perks are also available.

Additional Information

The role requires a minimum of three days a week onsite at the San Francisco office. The application window remains open at least through August 28th, though it may close based on business needs earlier or later.