People Operations Generalist

People Operations Generalist

Nominal is a venture-backed company with offices in Los Angeles, Austin, and New York City. We're focused on building software and data solutions for organizations that test and validate complex systems—think drones, rocket engines, satellites, and nuclear reactors. Supported by leading investors like Sequoia Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, General Catalyst, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, and more, we're gaining strong traction with both commercial and government customers across the industrial base, including working directly with the Department of Defense. Our team includes engineers and operators from SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril, Lockheed Martin, and NASA, all working toward a common goal: making it faster and easier for hardware engineers to push the boundaries of advanced technology safely and efficiently. Our platform enables continuous test of hardware, equipping engineers to deploy capability, at scale, in the shortest time possible.

As a People Operations Generalist at Nominal, you will own and elevate core HR operations across the employee lifecycle. You'll be a critical partner to teams across Nominal, ensuring that our internal people systems and experiences are as thoughtful and high-performing as the customers we support. You will play a critical role in people system ownership, resolution of employee issues, and facilitation of a frictionless employee experience. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment and love building and refining people systems, we'd love to meet you!

What You'll Do

• Own and manage our HRIS (Rippling) and people systems (Notion), ensuring accurate, up-to-date employee data and smooth day-to-day operations
• Serve as the go-to resource for employees on HR policies, benefits, and general inquiries
• Coordinate end-to-end onboarding and offboarding processes, partnering with cross-functional stakeholders like IT, Talent, and Payroll
• Process employee lifecycle changes, including promotions, compensation adjustments, and leaves of absence
• Maintain compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws, including EEO, ACA, and workers' comp reporting
• Help administer payroll inputs and partner closely with our Finance team and PEO provider to ensure timely and accurate execution
• Track and report on key people metrics and support internal audits as needed
• Contribute to building and refining scalable programs around performance, engagement, inclusion, and manager training
• Support the broader People team with special projects as they arise—no task is too small

We're Looking For Someone With:

• 2-3 years of experience in People Operations, HR Generalist, or equivalent roles in a high-growth startup environment
• Confident navigating multi-state employment laws and working with distributed teams
• Hands-on experience with HR systems (HRIS, ATS, PEO platforms) and comfortable managing systems administration
• Excellent attention to detail, organization, and follow-through—you take pride in running a tight ship
• Discretion - you know how to maintain confidentiality but also recognize what needs to be escalated
• Empathetic, approachable, and energized by creating a frictionless employee experience
• Promote Clarity - clear and thoughtful communicator, especially with a distributed team
• Comfortable wearing many hats and stepping into ambiguity
• Ability and interest in working from the NYC office 5 days/week
• Bonus: experience working with these specific tools - Rippling, Notion, Navan, Ramp, GSuite, and Slack

Why You'll Love It Here

• 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Unlimited PTO and generous parental leave
• Company retreats and regular social events
• High trust, low ego culture—where people genuinely care about doing great work together

$90,000 - $130,000 a year

This job description is written to capture a range of experience levels from 2 years to 15+ years, which is why you'll see a wide band listed. Your actual base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on a range of considerations, including job-related knowledge and skills, education, prior experience, and other business needs. The listed salary range represents an estimate for base compensation only. Base salary is just one part of the total rewards package. Eligible employees may also receive highly competitive equity grants in the form of stock options, allowing you to share in the company's long-term success.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.