People Operations Manager

About Cyngn Based in Mountain View, CA, Cyngn is a publicly-traded autonomous technology company. We deploy self-driving industrial vehicles — specifically autonomous tuggers —  to factories, warehouses, and other facilities throughout North America. To build this emergent technology, we are looking for innovative, motivated, and experienced leaders to join us and move this field forward. If you like to build, tinker, and create with a team of trusted and passionate colleagues, then Cyngn is the place for you. Key reasons to join Cyngn:    We are Small and Big. With under 100 employees, Cyngn operates with the energy of a startup. On the other hand, we’re publicly traded. This means our employees not only work in close-knit teams with mentorship from company leaders—they also get access to the liquidity of our publicly-traded equity.   We Build Today and Deploy Tomorrow. Our autonomous vehicles aren’t just test concepts—they’re deployed to real clients right now. That means your work will have a tangible, visible impact.   We aren’t robots. We just build them. We’re a welcoming, diverse team of sharp thinkers and kind humans. Collaboration and trust drive our creative environment. At Cyngn, everyone’s perspective matters—and that’s what powers our innovation.   About this role:  Cyngn is seeking a People Operations Manager to serve as a high-stakes executor and enforcer of our operational standards. You will be responsible for the mechanical, technical, and legal integrity of our People function. We need a high-agency professional with the backbone to drive decisive action, optimize our tech stack without external guidance, and maintain the precision required for autonomous vehicle technology. Responsibilities

Systems Mastery: Own Rippling (PEO, 401(k), and integrations) as the primary power user, ensuring absolute data integrity and seamless system architecture.

Onboarding Excellence: Oversee the technical and administrative logistics of the end-to-end employee lifecycle, with a focus on high-velocity, structured onboarding in a technical environment.

Program Architecture: Build and scale automated, legally sound frameworks for Performance Management, Comp Cycles, and Equity.

Policy Enforcement: Act as the final authority on HR policies, ensuring company-wide adherence to standards, safety protocols, and mandates.

Compliance: Maintain rigorous compliance with Federal and California labor laws; proactively mitigate risks.

Operational Execution: Direct administrative handling of complex employee relations, including leaves, ADA, and terminations.

Framework Ownership: Evolve compensation bands and leveling guidelines in partnership with Business Ops.

Payroll & Benefits: Manage end-to-end processing of payroll and benefits with high precision and attention to detail.

Cross-Functional Partnership: Partner with Recruiting, Finance, and Legal on audits, workforce planning, and export-control (ITAR/EAR) compliance.

Qualifications

6+ years of HR/People Operations experience in a fast-growing tech environment.

Rippling Expert: Advanced, hands-on experience with Rippling PEO, payroll, and 401(k) administration.

CA Labor Law Mastery: Deep functional knowledge of California-specific regulations and compliance requirements.

Extreme Ownership & Resourcefulness: Proven ability to solve complex problems independently and deliver results in high-pressure environments.

The "Enforcer" Mentality: Ability to have difficult conversations, stand your ground, and enforce policies with professional firmness.

Strict Organization: High discipline in documentation and file management; you are not okay with things being out of place.

Education: BA/BS Degree.

Bonus Qualifications

Experience with hardware, manufacturing, or robotics teams.

Familiarity with regulated or export-controlled (ITAR/EAR) environments.

Experience scaling a startup from mid-stage to commercial deployment.