People Operations & Culture Generalist

About the role

Cellanome is scaling fast, and the People team is building the operational foundation to support ~150 employees across Foster City, San Diego, and Singapore. We're looking for a People Operations Generalist who can support the core operational engine, make the Foster City office and its events run seamlessly, and keep hiring activity on track. This is a hands-on, build-and-improve role where you'll turn manual processes into clean, repeatable ones. You'll have an eye for automation and efficiency, and you get to shape the People Operations function, working cross-functionally with Finance, Legal, and across our science and engineering teams. You'll partner closely with People leadership, who set strategy, while you own end-to-end execution. This is a genuine build opportunity for someone who wants a hand in designing the operational core and curating the employee experience. The role splits roughly into core operations (50%), workplace and events in Foster City (30%), and recruiting / people team coordination (20%), though the mix will flex as our needs evolve.

Responsibilities

• Run the employee lifecycle end to end: onboarding, offboarding, and all lifecycle changes in Rippling, with accuracy and speed.
• Administer leave of absence programs across multiple states, coordinating with employees, managers, carriers, and payroll on eligibility, documentation, and return-to-work.
• Own day-to-day benefits administration, including employee questions, open enrollment logistics, carrier and broker coordination, and reconciliation.
• Support multi-state (and cross-border) payroll processing, resolving edge cases and partnering with Accounting on the payroll RACI.
• Keep compliance documentation audit-ready across every state and entity where we operate, flagging gaps proactively.
• Serve as a responsive first point of contact for employee questions, escalating anything sensitive or high-stakes to People leadership.
• Identify and implement automations that cut down manual work and turnaround time.
• Own the day-to-day employee experience at the Foster City office, creating a sense of belonging, community, and engagement that drives team connection and productivity.
• Plan and execute onsite events and celebrations, partnering with the local events committee, from All Hands meeting logistics to team milestones to holiday events.
• Manage office vendors and services (food, gifting platforms, supplies), holding them accountable on cost and quality.
• Serve as the go-to for onsite needs and help strengthen cross-site connection between our Foster City, San Diego, and Singapore offices.
• Coordinate interview scheduling and candidate logistics in partnership with Talent Acquisition, delivering a smooth, professional candidate experience.
• Support offer and pre-boarding logistics so new hires have a seamless path from offer to Day One.
• Keep recruiting workflows and systems clean and up to date.

Qualifications

• 4 years in a People Operations, HR (People) Operations, or HR Generalist role, ideally in a fast-moving, venture-backed environment.
• Required hands-on experience across leave of absence administration, benefits, payroll, and multi-state HR compliance.
• California employment law experience strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to run onsite events and workplace programs from concept through flawless execution.
• Comfort owning vendor relationships around workplace and events and holding them accountable.
• Systems thinking: you can map a process end to end, find the friction, and redesign it to be simpler for everyone.
• Experience with ATS/HRIS (Greenhouse/Rippling a plus) and appetite for using AI and automation to optimize recurring work.
• Sound judgment on when to handle something directly and when to route it up.
• A confident, warm communicator who lands well with employees and managers at every level.
• Comfort juggling multiple priorities and shifting gears quickly without losing what matters most.
• Demonstrated ability to perform the Essential Duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodations.

Pay

In California, the estimated base salary for this position is $115,000 - $135,000/year. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

Benefits

Cellanome offers a comprehensive employment package that includes a competitive salary, generous stock options, great individual and family health plans, a 401(k), and flexibility to balance work and life.