Senior People Operations Specialist

The People & Culture Team at Ceribell works to enable all of Ceribell Nation to achieve our goals as a company in a way that is consistent with our values. We recruit, develop and retain exceptional people of diverse backgrounds. Our goal is to ensure that all our people are thriving, maximizing their impact and growing. All of this is in service of our mission to transform patient care, by improving the detection and treatment of neurological conditions.

What you'll do:

The Senior People Operations Specialist will play a key role in scaling our People Operations function as we continue to grow. You'll own core employee lifecycle processes, lead system improvements, drive People data reporting, and serve as a connector across Talent Acquisition, Legal, Payroll, IT, Stock Admin, and Finance. You'll ensure our people processes, systems, and data are reliable, scalable, and employee-centered.

This role will report to the Head of People Operations and work closely with our broader People & Culture team. We are looking for someone who can grow with the company and who finds purpose in doing great People & Culture work.

This role is based in our Sunnyvale office with an office-centric hybrid schedule. In-office days are typically Thursday and one additional day during the week, coordinated with the rest of the People Ops team to ensure on-site coverage throughout the work week. Occasionally, this schedule may shift to support key meetings or team collaboration needs.

What We're Looking For: 

• Own and execute lifecycle processes from onboarding through offboarding with minimal oversight, ensuring workflows are efficient, timely, and well-documented across systems and stakeholders
• Serve as a subject matter expert for Paylocity, Lattice, and other People tools by supporting field configuration, resolving user issues, conducting data audits, and fulfilling reporting requests
• Lead small-scale system enhancements or rollouts that improve efficiency and user experience
• Develop and maintain dashboards and regular reports that track key People metrics (headcount, turnover, DEIB, etc.) and ensure data alignment across tools in partnership with Finance, Analytics, and People leadership
• Create, maintain, and refine comprehensive documentation including SOPs, checklists, and workflows that keep our knowledge bases current and accessible for both employees and the People team
• Establish consistent employee record management practices that ensure we're audit-ready and compliant with internal policies and external requirements
• Drive improvements to our HR ticketing system by implementing tagging, tracking, and reporting processes that support consistent service levels
• Contribute strategically to People Ops projects such as policy updates, system transitions, vendor evaluations, and program enhancements by identifying issues early and proposing thoughtful solutions
• Build cross-functional trust through reliable execution, proactive problem-solving, and professional communication
• Bring structure and clarity to complex or changing processes that enhance the employee experience
• Help evolve our People Ops function by sharing insights, raising concerns early, and implementing practical improvements

What you’ll need to be successful:

• 5–7 years of experience in HR/People Operations, preferably in high-growth or regulated environments where you've developed a comprehensive understanding of HR processes
• Advanced knowledge of HRIS and People platforms like Paylocity, Lattice, and Greenhouse that you can apply to optimize our systems and solve complex issues
• Strong Excel/Google Sheets capabilities that enable you to create insightful HR reports and metrics that drive decision-making
• A proven track record of documenting processes and building clear, user-friendly SOPs, checklists, and internal knowledge bases that others can easily follow
• Exceptional attention to detail that ensures accuracy when working with employee data, configuring systems, and managing compliance requirements
• Experience supporting audits, compliance tracking, or working in a public company or government contractor context that you can leverage to strengthen our practices (this is a plus)
• Communication skills that allow you to explain complex systems simply and effectively to colleagues at all levels
• The ability to stay highly organized and self-directed, with strong follow-through and problem-solving instincts that help you navigate challenges independently
• Comfort with ambiguity and a talent for managing shifting priorities while maintaining focus on what creates the most impact