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People Operations Lead

Cognition· General & Administrative
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San FranciscoFull-timePosted 2mo ago

About the role

HR leader to build and scale Cognition's People operations, including onboarding, benefits, compensation, compliance, immigration, policies, and data-driven programs within a fast-growing, global company.

Responsibilities

  • Own and evolve our People systems and operational infrastructure, ensuring HR technology, data, workflows, and integrations are accurate, scalable, and effective as Cognition grows.
  • Design the systems that make People Operations scalable, including tracking, playbooks, checklists, documentation, and clear ownership so that nothing falls through the cracks.
  • Lead benefits operations and administration, partnering with brokers, vendors, payroll, Finance, and employees to deliver a high-quality benefits experience in the US and support evolving international benefits programs.
  • Build and manage our compliance infrastructure, translating employment requirements into practical processes and controls across an increasingly complex, multi-state and international workforce.
  • Develop and maintain employee policies and our handbook, balancing compliance requirements with Cognition’s culture and operating philosophy.
  • Bring an operational lens to business decisions, surfacing risks, dependencies, and tradeoffs early and helping leaders navigate complex People situations with strong judgment.
  • Partner closely with Payroll, Finance, Legal, IT, Recruiting, and external vendors to ensure People programs are executed accurately and seamlessly.
  • Use data and operational insights to identify issues and improve programs, building reporting, controls, and processes that allow the team to operate proactively rather than reactively.
  • Jump into high-priority People and business projects as needed.

Qualifications

  • 7+ years in people operations or HR at a fast-growing startup or tech company
  • Strong end-to-end People Operations experience, with the ability to own and scale programs across areas such as benefits, immigration, compliance, systems, and employee operations.
  • Experience in a fast-growing startup or technology company, with comfort operating in a high-velocity environment where priorities evolve quickly and processes are still being built.
  • Strong first-principles thinking and a can-do attitude — you can break down ambiguous problems, challenge existing assumptions, and figure out practical solutions without waiting for a playbook.
  • Strong data-driven, analytical, and program management skills, with the ability to use data to inform decisions, manage complex cross-functional initiatives, and drive work from idea through execution.

Skills

Required:People operationsHR systems and infrastructureBenefits administrationCompliance and policy developmentData analysis and program managementCross-functional collaboration
Last updated Oct 21, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.
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About Cognition

cognition is an applied AI lab

An applied AI lab building the future of software engineering. We’re the makers of Devin, a collaborative AI teammate that helps ambitious engineering teams achieve more.

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