People Operations Specialist

Our client is building the future of AI for analysts and scientists, based on a fundamentally new approach to reasoning and knowledge representation. Their team of 40 exceptional researchers and engineers - distributed across 16 countries - are tackling some of the hardest problems in AI. They're in our R&D phase, founder-backed, and scaling rapidly toward commercialisation. They are looking for a People Operations Specialist to join their Operations team. You will own the operational engine behind their team's growth and culture. This is not a traditional HR role; it is a logistics and process role. You will build and manage the infrastructure that allows our client to recruit top talent, execute complex quarterly retreats, and maintain rigorous internal documentation. Location: Remote (working hours are 09:00-18:00 CET) Team: People Ops (2 people total) What You'll Own Recruitment Operations • Manage the candidate pipeline to ensure a smooth flow throughout the process. • Identify and address any irregularities or bottlenecks in the recruiting process immediately, and escalate for action. • Manage relationships with recruitment agencies and oversee their onboarding processes and documentation. • Keep all hiring team members updated, coordinated, and aligned on candidate status and next steps. • Manage the configuration and maintenance of our Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and other recruiting tools. • Develop and maintain up-to-date recruiting documentation, including job ads, candidate materials, and tooling guides. Quarterly Team Retreats • Research, source, and vet venues for team retreats, ensuring they meet requirements. • Monitor and coordinate all travel booking processes, including flights, ground transportation, and arrivals for team members. • Act as the on-site coordinator during retreats to ensure smooth execution of the event. • Plan and oversee venue logistics, including menus, room allocation, workspace configuration, and technical equipment setup. People Processes • Coordinate onboarding of new team members; ensuring smooth communication and set up for their start. • Manage the tooling and documentation of team-facing people processes, ensuring they are accessible and up-to-date. • Track and approve absence requests to ensure accurate records. • Process reimbursement requests efficiently and accurately. Background & Experience Essential • 4+ years in Operations or Project Management roles. • Experience in a high-performance, fast-paced environment. • Proven track record managing complex logistics (international travel, events). • Experience documenting and building processes from scratch, not just following them. • Ability to write clear, concise documentation that leaves no room for ambiguity. • Degree (Masters preferred); in a subject that required structured thinking. Highly Valued • Experience planning and executing international events. • Experience working in a fully remote, distributed team. Technical Skills Must Have • Deep knowledge of Google Workspace toolset • Calendar resources, groups, drive permissions, and admin console settings. • Comfortable with spreadsheet formulas and data organisation for budgets and logistics . • Comfortable using Google Sheets for complex travel data, budget tracking, and data organisation. • Experience with Notion, or similar documentation/project management tools. • Experience managing recruiting pipelines in tools like Ashby, Greenhouse, or Lever. Nice to have • Experience with travel booking tools, such as Perk. • Experience with Deel or similar HRIS platforms. Operating Style You thrive when: ✅ The bar for quality is extremely high. ✅ There is no room for logistical errors (travel, visas, bookings) . ✅ Processes need to be built from scratch. ✅ You are solving complex, tangible problems ✅ You are working with smart, demanding people who expect speed and accuracy. You struggle when: ❌ "Good enough" is acceptable. ❌ Tasks are ambiguous and you prefer to wait for instructions rather than creating a plan. ❌ Documentation is missing or sloppy. Operating Environment Stakeholders • People Ops Manager - Your partner in running a well oiled people operations machine. • Founders (Co-CEOs) - Direct access for critical decisions. • Finance team: A team of 3 collaborating on finance, legal, and admin topics. • External providers: Recruitment agencies, Deel (HRIS) support team, travel agents, venue hosts. Collaboration & Tooling • Ashby (ATS) - Recruitment pipeline. • Google Sheets - Complex logistics and budgeting. • Quire/Google Docs/Sheets - Task management, knowledge base and process documentation. • Perk - Flight and accommodation booking tools. • Deel (HRIS) - Absence policies and tracking Why Our client? Highlights The Mission: They're not building another SaaS tool or ad-tech platform. They're working on fundamental problems in AI that could reshape how machines learn and reason. If that excites you, you'll fit right in. The Team: Work with researchers and engineers who are highly passionate about their work and the problems we are solving. Our intellectual bar is exceptionally high - and that extends to finance operations too. The Stage: Pre-revenue R&D means you're building financial operations from scratch. No legacy mess to clean up. You'll establish the foundation that scales to Series A, Series B, and beyond. Unique organisation: startup spirit with solid foundations Startup spirit • Collaborate with the best: Join a hand-picked team of intellectually curious people who are deeply passionate about their work. • Make a real difference: Here, you aren't just a cog in a big machine; at eye-level with everyone else, your contributions directly impact the product and the team. • Engineered for Exponential Scale: Our client is a deep-tech venture with a significant technological moat, aimed at solving fundamental, large-scale problems. • Space to grow: As our client is starting to scale, there is plenty of opportunity to demonstrate leadership and take responsibility, developing organically into senior roles. Solid foundations • Securely funded: Fully funded by the founders, meaning our client operates without run-rate anxiety. Their ability to set our strategy is not driven by VC demands, but purely by the team’s understanding of what moves them fastest closer to our goal. • Focus on Product, not fundraising: Financial stability allows our client to focus on long-term product potential, sustainable execution, and the strength of our team. • Quality over chaos: Startups are often scrappy, but we have the stability to do things properly; our client has a high level of rigour and take the time to build things in a solid and reliable way from the start. Team Retreats • Our client is globally distributed but closely connected. Every three months, they bring the whole team together in nice locations across Europe. • They spend one week together: planning, solving problems at the white board, having fun and bonding. Original job People Operations Specialist posted on GrabJobs ©. To flag any issues with this job please use the Report Job button on GrabJobs.