Job Title: People Operations Manager

Department: People Operations

Employment Type: Full Time

FLSA: Exempt

Location: Houston, TX – Onsite

Who We Are

Persona AI is developing and commercializing rugged, multi-purpose humanoid robots that perform real work. Persona AI founding team has a decades-long history in humanoid robotics, bionics, and product development delivering robust hardware that has touched the stars, worked miles below the surface of the ocean, and even roamed Disney Parks. Our mission is focused squarely on shipping beautiful, reliable products at massive scale, while building a customer-focused team to achieve these aims.

Why join Persona AI

• We offer competitive compensation, a performance-based bonus, 99% employer covered medical benefits, early-stage equity, competitive PTO, and a company-wide paid winter break between December 24th and January 2nd.

• You’ll shape technology that’s redefining the possibilities of robotics and human interaction.

• Work alongside passionate teammates who value creativity, and continuous learning.

• Enjoy full access to advanced tools, systems, and the freedom to build scalable PO programs.

About the Role

We're looking for a People Operations Manager to join our Houston team onsite. This is a standalone role with no direct reports: you'll personally own the day-to-day people operations work — administering benefits, processing payroll, and running employee onboarding — while building the programs, systems, and workflows that let it scale.

For employees, you'll be the primary point of contact and a dependable source of information on the people matters that affect them day to day — the reliable face of People Operations and their experience of it. As one part of a broader people team, you'll bring more presence and initiative, owning your work end to end.

Based in our Houston office, you’ll serve as a vital anchor for our expanding teams in Texas and Florida, leaving a lasting impact on how Persona AI operates as a people-first company.

What You Will Be Doing

• Administer health, dental, vision, and ancillary benefit plans; manage open enrollment and carrier/vendor relationships.

• Manage multi-state and interstate tax obligations for the distributed workforce.

• Process bi-weekly and semi-monthly payroll accurately using HRIS/payroll platforms (e.g., Rippling, ADP, Workday).

• Design and own the full onboarding program, from offer acceptance through 90-day check-in, building scalable processes for both local and remote hires.

• Manage state tax registrations, withholding compliance, and nexus determinations for employees working across multiple states.

• Maintain I-9 compliance, employee records, and HRIS data integrity; support audits and reporting requirements.

• Serve as the first point of contact for employee questions on benefits, pay, and onboarding; resolve issues promptly and accurately.

• Coordinate with Finance and Legal on multi-state employment agreements, W-4 updates, and year-end W-2 processing.

• Build and maintain People Operations dashboards and metrics reports covering headcount, benefit utilization, and payroll variances; use data to drive program decisions and present insights to leadership.

• Enforce and champion safety, confidentiality, and PO compliance standards across all people operations activities.

• Design and implement people programs across the employee lifecycle, including performance management, engagement surveys, recognition, and culture initiatives, building from the ground up where programs don’t yet exist.

• Own systems access provisioning, assist with HRIS configuration, and new hire equipment coordination to ensure seamless day-one readiness; identify and implement tools that improve PO efficiency.

What We Are Looking For:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field, or equivalent practical experience

• 6–10 years of People Operations experience with hands-on ownership of payroll processing, benefits administration, PO compliance, and program or systems building, ideally in a fast-paced or high-growth environment

• Working knowledge of multi-state payroll tax rules, reciprocity agreements, and state income tax withholding compliance

• Experience administering FMLA, ADA accommodations, and Texas or Florida specific leave and labor laws

• Proficiency in modern HRIS platforms

• Strong understanding of ACA, ERISA, HIPAA, and COBRA compliance requirements

• High attention to detail, strong documentation habits, and ability to manage competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex PO/tax topics into clear guidance for employees and managers

Bonus Skills:

• PHR, SHRM-CP, or Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) certification

• Prior hands-on experience with interstate nexus analysis and SIT (state income tax) registrations for a multi-state workforce

• Experience supporting PO operations for 50–200 employee organizations

• Comfort working in a high-growth, startup or tech/robotics environment where processes are still being built, and a genuine passion for creating structure from ambiguity

Persona AI is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.