People Operations Manager

Headquarters: URL: https://gruns.co We're so happy you're here! Thank you for checking our job out and we hope to have the chance to meet you in our interview process! About the role Grüns is scaling fast, and our People team needs a hands-on partner who can coach managers and run the operational engine at the same time. You'll be the first line of support for managers and employees on policy, performance, and growth, while owning payroll, leaves, benefits, and the employee lifecycle end to end. You'll step in during a major Q1 2027 systems transition, protecting talent density, keeping pay and compliance airtight, and freeing our People leadership to focus on strategy. This role is part of our remote HQ! We have a fully remote, high-trust work environment - and also come together on a biannual basis for amazing off-sites where we can connect IRL. In this role, you will: • Be the first point of contact for managers and employees on policy, performance, corrective feedback, and growth • Coach managers on feedback, documentation, and follow-ups, with hands-on support through performance and termination situations that keep talent density high and legal risk low • Run People Team 1:1s and exit interviews for Levels 1 and 2, and surface culture themes, flight risks, and training gaps for our quarterly People Pulse report • Administer leaves (FMLA, ADA, state, STD, parental) and accommodation requests from start to finish, and oversee workers' comp claims • Own payroll accuracy across HQ, field, and international teams by resolving complications directly with our partners and tracking every issue to closure • Own benefits administration end to end: enrollments, qualifying life events, COBRA, carrier coordination, renewals, and clear employee communication • Own onboarding and offboarding, so every new hire starts with complete paperwork and correct pay, and every exit closes out cleanly on final pay, benefits notices, and access • Keep employee data clean (levels, titles, departments, managers, compensation) so comp, survey, and headcount decisions are always backed by accurate data • Support employees through our Q1 2027 payroll, benefits, and retirement platform changes • Turn repeat work into AI-supported workflows, and know when AI shouldn't be involved We're looking for someone who: • Has 5+ years scaling HR support, ideally on a coordinator to HRBP to HR Generalist track in a fast-growing consumer or DTC company • Has hands-on payroll administration experience • Has run leaves (FMLA, ADA, state leaves, STD, parental) and workers' comp end to end • Has administered benefits: enrollments, qualifying life events, COBRA, and open enrollment • Has a track record in employee relations and manager coaching, including performance documentation and terminations • Has handled sensitive employee situations and exits with discretion and good judgment • Has working knowledge of FMLA, ADA, COBRA, E-Verify, and multi-state leave and final pay laws • Bonus: payroll or HRIS migration or acquisition integration experience, and Paylocity experience Approach to the role: • You bring a customer service mindset: you acknowledge fast, focus on solutions, and can't rest until every loop is closed • You're detail-obsessed about anything that touches someone's pay • You treat every interaction as if it could land on the front page of the NY Times • You build real relationships and stay culture-aligned while making decisions in the best interest of Grüns • You have extreme ownership and self-motivation, so micromanagement isn't needed because you're always 10 steps ahead • You use AI to protect your focus for thoughtful people partnership Compensation & Benefits: At Grüns, we're committed to providing a competitive total c