Senior People Ops Manager - Payroll & Systems

About Convergent Research Convergent Research is a nonprofit science studio best known for pioneering the Focused Research Organization (FRO). We architect critical infrastructure that removes bottlenecks to breakthrough scientific research. FROs are mission-driven, time-bound organizations built to solve important scientific and engineering bottlenecks. Convergent secures funding and provides the operational backbone that allows scientists and engineers to move quickly, from legal formation and governance to hiring, finance, communications, and operational systems. We’ve taken 14 FROs from idea to operating entity, including four launches in 2026.   About the Role Payroll probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think about breakthrough science. But scientists can’t do their best work if they aren’t paid correctly, benefits aren’t working, or their organization isn’t set up to employ them. That’s where you come in. We’re looking for a Senior People Ops Manager - Payroll & Systems to own the people ops infrastructure that keeps Convergent and our FROs running smoothly. You’ll make sure our employees get paid accurately and on time, our policies and systems keep pace with our growth, new FROs become functioning employers, and organizations completing their missions can wind down responsibly. This is a senior, hands-on expert role. We’re looking for someone who knows parts of this work better than we do. Someone who doesn’t just identify problems but brings recommendations, builds solutions, and sets the standard for how we operate. You’ll have significant autonomy to make decisions within your domain, with the Head of People providing final approval on decisions that impact company-wide strategy or multiple teams. You’ll report to our Head of People and work closely with our People Ops Manager – Employee Experience, who owns recruiting, onboarding, and internal communications, and our Sr. HRBP, who serves as the primary point of contact for FRO employees. You’ll also partner with our Launch team, which coordinates the many moving pieces involved in getting a new FRO off the ground or winding one down. As we grow, there may be an opportunity to add a coordinator to support routine administrative work. A quick note on payroll: We use TriNet as our US PEO and Rippling for UK payroll. Our providers handle tax calculations and filings, but that doesn’t mean we’ve outsourced accountability. You’ll own the accuracy of the inputs, review the outputs, and make sure issues get resolved. A second member of People Ops will provide an independent pre-run review. This role will initially be approximately 60% hands-on execution and 40% policy development, infrastructure building, and continuous improvement. We need someone who enjoys both.