HR Manager

About Mesa Quantum

Mesa Quantum is building the next generation of quantum sensing and Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) technologies. Our mission is to make quantum technologies practical, scalable, and deployable in real-world applications spanning defense, critical infrastructure, telecommunications, and autonomous systems. We are a fast-growing deep-tech startup backed by leading investors, government partners, and industry stakeholders. As we continue to scale, we are looking for a highly organized and proactive People & Operations Coordinator to help keep the company running smoothly.

Role Overview

This is a builder's role, not a maintainer's. You'll own HR and People Operations end-to-end, from offer letter to offboarding, while also standing up the processes, systems, and documentation. You'll be the go-to person for employees and leadership alike, and you'll pick up adjacent operational work (procurement, vendor management, facilities) when the business needs it. You'll know you're succeeding when: employees have a smooth, well-supported experience at every stage; leadership has accurate people data whenever they need it; and HR never becomes the bottleneck as we grow.

Responsibilities

• People Operations
  • Full employee lifecycle: onboarding, offboarding, records, documentation
  • Performance management processes and employee relations support
  • Company policies, employee handbook, and compliance across our operating jurisdictions
  • Design and document scalable HR workflows: you're not just running a playbook, you're writing it
  • Own the HRIS and keep employee data clean and current
  • Payroll coordination and benefits administration
  • Spot gaps before they become problems and fix them proactively
• Operations (as needed)
  • Procurement, vendor management, and software license/subscription tracking
  • Facilities and workplace operations
  • General administrative support for leadership initiatives

Requirements

• 5+ years in HR/People Ops with real ownership of core responsibilities, not just administrative support
• A track record of building HR processes from scratch, not just executing existing ones
• Strong grasp of employee lifecycle management, compliance basics, and confidentiality norms
• Comfort with ambiguity and a genuine willingness to be hands-on outside "traditional HR" when needed
• Excellent judgment, follow-through, and communication skills

Nice to Have

• Background in a startup, deep tech, engineering, or technical environment
• Multi-state HR experience, payroll/benefits administration, HRIS/ATS platforms
• Experience with vendor, procurement, or facilities management
• HR-related degree or equivalent experience

Skills

• Highly organized and detail-oriented.
• Dependable and follows through on commitments.
• Comfortable juggling many moving pieces at once.
• Proactive and resourceful when solving problems.
• Strong communicator who works well with a variety of personalities.
• Low ego, adaptable, and willing to help wherever needed.
• Able to identify priorities and take action without requiring constant direction.
• Takes pride in helping teams and organizations operate effectively.

Why This Role?

You'd be the first real owner of HR at Mesa, building the systems and practices that shape how we hire, support, and retain people as we scale. It's high-ownership, high-visibility work with direct impact, at a company solving genuinely hard technical problems.