Hi, we’re Search Atlas!

We’re a rapidly growing SEO software company and full-service digital agency that helps websites improve their Google performance. From Fortune 500 companies to Silicon Valley startups, our clients trust us to drive results.

Search Atlas is hiring a People Operations Specialist to be the operational backbone of our People team. This is a hands-on, high-ownership role for someone who cares deeply about the employee experience — and has the systems thinking, attention to detail, and hustle to back it up.

You will be at the center of everything our People team touches: onboarding and offboarding, HR administration, compliance, employee relations, and the internal programs that make Search Atlas a place people want to stay and grow. You will help build and maintain the processes and infrastructure that keep a 250+ person, globally distributed team running smoothly.

This is not a "push paper and process tickets" role. This is a builder role with real operational responsibility. You will work closely with the Director of People Operations and cross-functional leadership to create a people function that scales with a company growing fast in a category it's defining.

This role is based in San Francisco (hybrid). We are opening our SF office in the coming weeks — and this person will play a direct role in standing it up, establishing in-person protocols, and shaping the culture of our physical presence from day one.

What You Will Own

1. Onboarding & Offboarding

You will own the full employee lifecycle experience from offer to exit. This means:

Coordinating onboarding logistics for every new hire — system access, equipment, documentation, and orientation scheduling across time zones and entities
Managing our Deel and HubStaff workflows for new hires, ensuring accuracy from day one
Running smooth, compliant offboarding processes and maintaining continuity when people leave
Continuously improving the onboarding experience so every new hire feels set up for success

2. HR Administration & Systems

Maintain accurate, up-to-date employee records across all HR platforms
Process employment changes — new hires, promotions, transfers, terminations — with speed and precision
Own data integrity across our HRIS stack and flag inconsistencies before they become problems
Support payroll coordination and work with Finance to resolve discrepancies

3. Employee Relations & Support

Serve as a first point of contact for employee questions on HR policies, benefits, and general People Ops matters
Respond to employee inquiries quickly and helpfully — you are someone people trust to give them a straight answer
Escalate sensitively when needed; resolve what you can

4. Compliance & Policy

Help maintain and update our employee handbook and internal policies
Ensure compliance with labor laws across all jurisdictions where we employ people
Support internal audits, documentation reviews, and any compliance-related processes
Keep a pulse on evolving regulations that affect our workforce

5. People Ops Projects & Programs

Support broader People Ops initiatives: performance cycles, engagement surveys, culture programming, and process improvement
Help identify gaps in how we operate and bring concrete solutions — not just observations
Support recruiting coordination when needed (scheduling, communications, candidate experience)

6. SF Office Launch

Search Atlas is opening its San Francisco office — and this person will help make it happen. You will:

Coordinate the logistics of setting up our physical office presence
Help establish in-person protocols, norms, and programming that reflect our culture
Be a visible, grounding presence in the office as we transition from fully distributed to hybrid
Partner with leadership and Operations to create an in-office experience employees actually want to show up for

What Success Looks Like

New hires feel genuinely welcomed and set up from day one — onboarding is smooth, systems are ready, and nothing is missing
Employee data is accurate, changes are processed without error, and HR admin runs without firefighting
Employees trust the People team because they get fast, honest, helpful answers
Processes are documented, repeatable, and continuously improving
The Director of People Operations can rely on you to own your areas without hand-holding

Qualifications

Required

2–4 years of experience in People Operations, HR, or a closely related role
Hands-on experience with HRIS and HR tooling (Deel, BambooHR, Rippling, or similar)
Strong organizational skills — you manage competing priorities without dropping the ball
Clear, confident written and verbal communication
High attention to detail and a bias toward getting things right, not just getting them done
Comfortable working in fast-moving environments where priorities shift and ambiguity is normal

Strongly Preferred

Experience supporting a distributed or international workforce
Familiarity with US labor law and multi-state compliance considerations
Background in a high-growth tech or SaaS company
Experience supporting recruiting or talent acquisition operations
Exposure to benefits administration, payroll coordination, or compensation operations

Who You Are

You are a person people trust. Employees come to you with questions they can't answer themselves, and you give them clarity — not runaround. You handle sensitive information with discretion and care.

You are operationally sharp. You build checklists, maintain trackers, catch errors before they escalate, and think two steps ahead. Chaos doesn't slow you down — you reduce it.

You are a builder, not just a processor. You don't just execute the playbook — you look at the playbook and ask how it can be better. You write the SOP when there isn't one. You close the loop without being asked.

You are excited about working in person in San Francisco, being embedded with the team, and being part of building something that matters — not maintaining something that already exists.

You are energized by the blank canvas. We are opening our San Francisco office in the coming weeks, and you will have a direct hand in standing it up — from logistics and setup to establishing the in-person culture, protocols, and presence that will define what it feels like to work at Search Atlas. If the idea of walking into a new space and making it feel like somewhere people actually want to be excites you, this is the role for you.

Compensation & Benefits

Base Salary: USD $90,000 – $110,000
Benefits: Fully covered health, vision, and dental insurance, 401(k), Flexible PTO, Personal development budget, Pet Health Insurance.
Work Model: Hybrid — San Francisco, CA

Our Recruitment Process

Step 1: Initial screening call with our recruitment team
Step 2: Assessment to showcase your skills (if applicable)
Step 3: Final interview with our Hiring Manager
Step 4: Offer extended

Life at Search Atlas Group

We are committed to fostering a healthy work-life balance, innovation, and a collaborative, inclusive culture—no matter where you work. We host monthly virtual game days and events, and our team enjoys the flexibility of contributing to charity initiatives of their choice. We believe in supporting both personal growth and professional success, ensuring that remote work doesn’t mean disconnected work.

Here’s a look into our core values:

Collaborative & Engaged: We’re a tight-knit team that supports each other and shares knowledge.
Excellence Driven: We aim for the highest standards, always raising the bar.
Self-Starter Mentality: We take initiative and problem-solve independently.
Innovative: We embrace change, experiment, and think outside the box.
Student Mentality: We learn from our mistakes and constantly evolve.

Why Join Us?

We’re proud of the recognition we’ve received for our growth and commitment to creating a positive, inclusive work environment. Here are just a few of the accolades that highlight our success and culture:

Nevada’s Top Workplaces - #1 Small Business, Best New Ideas
Best Start-Up Agency (U.S. Search Awards)
Top B2B Companies (Clutch)
Inc’s On The Rise and Best Places to Work (Inc. Magazine)
Great Place to Work Certified (Great Place to Work)

These awards reflect the hard work, dedication, and passion of our entire team, and we’d love for you to be a part of it!

Want to hear more? Here is our Founder, Manick on why you should work with us at Search Atlas.

People Operations Specialist