HR & Business Operations Manager

Irradiant Technologies is seeking a dynamic, collaborative Manager of Human Resources and Business Operations to align HR and operational infrastructure goals with the business strategies of a rapidly growing scale-up deep tech organization. In this onsite role reporting to the Vice President of Operations, you will partner with leadership, other Operations team members, and external vendors to develop and implement sustainable process frameworks supporting the company’s cross-functional G&A needs, with an initial focus on people and culture. The ideal candidate thrives in collaborative environments, demonstrates high emotional intelligence, and is passionate about proactively creating and implementing solutions to organizational challenges.

About the Role

This position requires access to facilities, technical data, and program information subject to U.S. export-control regulations (ITAR/EAR). The role is primarily onsite in Waltham, Massachusetts, and is open to local candidates only.

Responsibilities

Human Resource Operations (75%)

• Identify and implement best practices across all general areas of HR associated with the employee life-cycle.
• Partner with the VP of Operations to champion, operationalize, and sustain an inclusive work environment.
• Collaborate with Operations team members to deliver across the recruitment sourcing-to-offer pipeline.
• Create, streamline, and deliver onboarding/offboarding programs and processes, including onsite logistics such as office workstations, badging, access coordination, and equipment management, to ensure an exemplary employee experience.
• Act as the primary point of contact for onboarding and offboarding employees.
• Support the design and execution of new policies in partnership with external HR consultants, and communicate company-wide changes in policy, practice, and resources.
• Manage annual HR cycle deliverables related to benefits enrollment, performance management, and merit and promotion decisions.
• Ensure compliance with federal and Massachusetts employment laws and regulations (wage and hour, leave, EEO, I-9); maintain accurate, audit-ready employee files.
• Serve as the primary operational point of contact with outside immigration counsel while internally maintaining immigration database and public access files, including case documentation, status maintenance, reminder cadence, and leadership reporting for employees on work visas.
• Provide clear, proactive communication to visa-holding employees regarding case status and points of contact.
• Leverage external HR advisory resources (in close partnership with VP of Operations) for complex employee relations matters.
• Assist with team-building initiatives to support a culture and work environment that encourages employee engagement and collaboration (e.g., weekly team lunches, all-team meetings, company swag).
• Support the development and deployment of a workplace recognition strategy that empowers staff to live out the organization's values and execute on its mission and vision.

Business Operations (25%)

• Identify and implement best practices across broader G&A units to ensure continuous organizational improvement.
• Own day-to-day office operations, including supplies, mail, shipping and receiving, people-facing vendor coordination (catering, cleaning schedules), and miscellaneous troubleshooting requests in partnership with the Lab Operations, Facilities & EHS Manager.
• Oversee and track IT and security needs for the growing workforce in partnership with the external managed services IT provider.
• Maintain a safe, organized, and welcoming workplace for employees and visitors, including readiness for customer and investor visits.
• Coordinate (and create when needed) internal communications for the roll-out of new policies and culture-building initiatives.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in HR operations, people operations, or office/business operations, ideally in a startup or small-company environment.
• Working knowledge of Massachusetts and federal employment law, including wage and hour, leave, EEO, and I-9 requirements.
• Hands-on experience with HRIS/payroll platforms (e.g., Paychex or similar) and benefits administration.
• Ability to work with minimal direction, exercising judgment, creativity, and analytical thinking.
• Experience interacting at all levels, including Board members and senior management.
• High degree of poise, judgment, discretion, empathy, and professionalism.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Qualifications

• Employment-based immigration experience, including coordinating cases with outside counsel (desirable).
• Defense, aerospace, or advanced-technology/manufacturing experience, including familiarity with export-control (ITAR/EAR) compliance environments (desirable).
• HR certification (e.g., SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP or PHR/SPHR) (desirable).
• Experience with Deltek Costpoint (desirable).
• Experience with AI integration and application in processes and workflows (desirable).
• Experience supporting a scaling organization across dual defense and commercial business lines (desirable).

Pay

The salary range for this role is $110,000 - $130,000+ (depending on experience), as well as equity. This position may initially be contract-to-hire, with potential for permanent employment.

About Irradiant Technologies

Irradiant Technologies is pioneering the future of nano-optics and photonics with our proprietary 3D nanofabrication platform. Our technology enables the creation of optical components with geometries and refractive index profiles previously unattainable, opening doors to entirely new classes of photonic devices. By redefining what is possible in optical design and manufacturing, we are accelerating innovations in sensing, communication, imaging, display, and computation. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, we are a 30+ person team of scientists and engineers delivering on active DARPA and U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) contracts. In 2025, we reached over $10M in revenue and are currently raising a Series A to scale our platform and program portfolio.