People Operations Senior Manager

The Role

Build the seamless, scalable, and supportive operational foundation that enables our global team to grow from 150 to 300 people, while keeping the lights on today.

You have the strategic vision to design a best-in-class people operations function and the willingness to process employee changes, answer questions, and maintain data integrity until your team is in place. You're pragmatic, empathetic, and excited to bring stability to a dynamic, high-growth environment.

The Opportunity

We're evolving from an early-stage environment into a more stable, scalable phase, with minimal formal HR operations or documented processes today. Your mission is to change that thoughtfully, even as you handle the day-to-day.

• Phase 1 (Q2–Q3): Player-Coach. Own both strategy and execution, managing operations personally while designing the function you'll eventually lead.

• Phase 2 (Q3–Q4+): Leader. As you hire your team, transition operational tasks and focus on roadmap, strategy, and cross-functional leadership.

Core Responsibilities

Lead the Function (20% today → 40% by year-end)

• Translate the VP of People's strategic vision into a tangible People Operations roadmap, communicating the "why" clearly to stakeholders.

• Build the People Operations team, hiring and onboarding specialists for Hungary and the US.

• Foster a unified global team where specialists feel developed, empowered, and supported.

• Connect daily work to company strategy and promote leadership development across your team.

• If alignment with the VP of People isn't possible on key decisions, you're comfortable disagreeing and committing once a direction is set.

Execute Operations (50% today → 20% by year-end)

• Manage core people operations processes including onboarding, offboarding, benefits administration, and employee data management.

• Serve as the first point of contact for employee inquiries, resolving issues with empathy and sound judgment.

• Maintain data integrity across our HRIS and people tools.

• Document processes, creating simple guides that make it easy for employees and managers to navigate people matters.

Partner Across the Business (15%)

• Act as the primary operational partner to leaders across departments, understanding their needs and delivering practical solutions.

• Make decisions that consider cross-functional impact, gathering input and communicating rationale clearly.

• Anticipate how teams may react to changes and plan your communication with care.

• Champion a feedback culture by giving and requesting feedback regularly, acting on it constructively.

• Facilitate difficult conversations with openness when employee matters arise.

Build Global Infrastructure (15%)

• Lead the selection and implementation of our core HRIS, creating a single source of truth.

• Design scalable, employee-friendly processes for the entire employee lifecycle.

• Stay current on HR technology trends and employment law developments to inform our roadmap.

• Navigate ambiguity by providing clarity of direction and priorities, even when all information isn't available.

• Own Compliance with a People-First Approach

• Own HR legal compliance across Hungary, the EU, and the US, partnering with external counsel as needed.

• Partner with the VP of People on critical initiatives like the EU Transparency Act, operationalizing pay reporting and policy updates.

• Develop clear, fair employment policies, contracts, and audit trails.

• Champion data privacy (GDPR/SOC2), handling employee information with care.

What You Bring

• 6–8+ years in People Operations/HR, with experience both building and executing.

• Proven track record scaling operations in a fast-growing company (e.g., ~150 to 300+ employees).

• Deep expertise in Hungarian and EU employment law, with collaborative understanding of US employment law.

• Experience leading an HRIS implementation or major system upgrade.

• Willingness to execute operational tasks while building toward a strategic leadership role.

• Pragmatic, solutions-oriented approach balanced with high emotional intelligence.

• Fluency in English and Hungarian.

Apply If You

Are energized by building something from the ground up and you're not afraid to do the work yourself until your team arrives. You bring clarity, care, and a steady hand to both strategy and execution.

Nice to Have

• Platform Experience: Familiarity with BambooHR, Gusto, Deel, or Remote.

• Tool Knowledge: Basic understanding of Jira or Clockify.

• Payroll Expertise: Knowledge of international payroll systems.

• Regional Experience: Prior experience supporting a US-Hungary operational model.