People Operations Manager

About AIRCO

AIRCO™ develops advanced technologies for energy security and global resiliency. The company makes drop-in e-fuels that can power transportation across air, land, sea and space. Its modular MAD Fuel System™ combines the company's proprietary catalysts, compact hardware, and locally available power to produce fuels to spec wherever they’re needed, turning distributed energy into ready-to-use fuel.

Led by co-founder and CEO Gregory Constantine (a 2026 EY Entrepreneur of the Year), the company has been awarded government contracts, including from the U.S. Department of War, NASA and the Department of Energy (DoE), and has investment and commercial partners with groups such as In-Q-Tel, GE Aerospace, Toyota Ventures, Virgin Atlantic, JetBlue and Alaska Airlines among others.

The Position

We are seeking a People Operations Manager to be based at our New Britain, Pennsylvania site. This is a hands-on role responsible for the day-to-day People operations that keep AIRCO running, including payroll, benefits, HRIS, recruiting operations, employee lifecycle, compliance and performance administration.

You will initially report to the Director, Finance & Controller, transitioning to the HR Director once appointed. You will partner closely with Finance, IT, EHS, external employment counsel and business leaders to deliver reliable People operations and a strong employee experience. We are looking for someone who can build reliable systems, solve problems, improve how we work and deliver a strong employee experience across the full employee lifecycle. This is a full-time role based in New Britain, Pennsylvania, near Doylestown.

What you get to do

• Own People data, changes, and payroll preparation and audits; partnering with Finance for control, approvals and funding and benefits administration, including medical, dental, vision and retirement plans, open enrollment, employee changes, audits, reconciliations, vendor management and
• Own the day-to-day administration, accuracy and controls of AIRCO's HRIS and People systems, including employee records, integrations, reporting and self-service workflows. Play a hands-on role in the transition from ADP Workforce Now to Rippling, including data validation, workflow configuration, testing, process documentation and post-implementation improvements. Maintain clear standard operating procedures and recurring People calendars to support continuity and compliance.
• Run the operational side of recruiting in Greenhouse, including interview coordination, candidate workflows, offers, background checks and onboarding handoffs, partnering with hiring managers across corporate, engineering and operations roles.
• Own onboarding, offboarding, employee records, leave administration and other core employee lifecycle processes. Coordinate with IT, EHS, Facilities and managers to ensure each team completes its respective onboarding and offboarding responsibilities..
• Run the operational administration of check-ins, performance reviews, goals, ratings, promotions and compensation cycles, including system setup, communications, tracking and reporting.
• Serve as the initial point of contact for employee relations matters, including receiving concerns, documenting facts, providing routine policy guidance and coordinating follow-up. Escalate investigations, accommodations, protected leave, disciplinary matters and terminations to the designated executive leader and external employment counsel, until the HR Director assumes oversight
• Maintain compliance across federal, state and local requirements, including I-9s, leave, workers' compensation, required training, employment records and recurring compliance deadlines. Coordinate employment-based immigration matters with outside counsel and manage key deadlines.
• Provide leadership with reporting and analysis on headcount, turnover, hiring, compensation and benefits, and support compensation decisions and workforce planning.
• Maintain People policies, employee handbook documentation and clear employee communications. Partner with leadership on AI and automation initiatives by defining People workflow requirements, validating data privacy and access controls, testing automated processes and maintaining appropriate human review and approval checkpoints

What you bring to AIRCO

• 6+ years of progressive experience in People Operations or HR, including hands-on experience with payroll inputs, audits, reconciliations and coordination with FinanceExperience supporting multi-state employee populations and managing multi-state payroll.
• Hands-on experience administering HRIS and payroll systems, managing employee data and supporting system implementations or migrations. Experience with ADP Workforce Now or Rippling is highly desirable, along with an understanding of HR data security, system controls and workflow automation..
• Experience with an ATS such as Greenhouse.
• Strong understanding of U.S. employment compliance and good judgment around when to involve counsel.
• Strong analytical, organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage recurring processes and time-sensitive work accurately.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and a service-oriented approach to supporting employees and managers.
• A builder's mindset: you improve the process rather than repeatedly solving the same problem.

Bonus Points

• Startup or growth-stage experience.
• Manufacturing, operations or EHS-heavy workforce experience.
• Experience leading an HRIS implementation or migration.
• Exposure to employment-based immigration.
• Experience using AI or automation in People Operations.
• PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP certification.

Working at AIRCO - In addition to standard medical and dental benefits that kick in Day 1, we provide

Comprehensive Health Benefits

• Full coverage for employee base premiums on health, dental and vision insurance.
• 70% coverage for spouse and dependent base premiums.
• Choose between base plans or enhanced options to fit your needs.

Health Savings & Flexibility

• Access company-sponsored HSA and FSA accounts to save on healthcare and dependent care expenses.

Income Protection & Insurance

• Company-paid Short-Term Disability insurance.
• Optional Long-Term Disability and Life Insurance plans.

Time Off & Leave

• Flexible and generous paid time off, with opportunities to carry over unused PTO.
• Paid family leave to support you during important life moments.

Retirement Savings

• Tax-deferred 401(k) plan with a 3% company match to help you invest in your future.

Lifestyle & Commuter Benefits

• Monthly Lifestyle Spending Account: Company-funded monthly benefit that can be used toward eligible work-from-home and commuting expenses, including gas, parking and public transit.
• Pre-Tax Commuter Benefits: Access to pre-tax savings through Navia for eligible transit and parking expenses.

Additional Perks

• Ancillary benefits through Sequoia, including pet insurance and financial wellness programs.
• Employee wellness program to support your well-being, inclusive of Wellhub and One Medical.
• Company-sponsored events and programs that promote an inclusive and values-driven workplace.
• Weekly company-funded meal stipend that can be used toward meals from restaurants and food delivery services.

At AIRCO we value employees for their unique perspectives. We are an inclusive affirmative action Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We consider applicants without regard to actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, pregnancy-related conditions, and lactation), gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, present or past history of intellectual, learning, mental, or physical disability (including but not limited to blindness) unless AIRCO determines that such disability prevents performance of the work involved, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws and ordinances.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women, marginalized genders and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At AIRCO we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles

This position requires access to technology, software and other information that is subject to governmental access control restrictions, due to export controls, security classification and/or designation as Controlled Unclassified Information. Employment in this position is conditioned on the candidate’s ability to obtain and maintain appropriate government authorization to access technology or information, to the extent required, including without limitation a security clearance, export license, or other documentation required to establish authorization to receive access to such items technology or information.

We may delay commencement of employment, rescind an offer of employment, terminate employment, and/or modify job responsibilities, compensation, benefits, and/or access to Company facilities and information systems, as we deem appropriate, in order to ensure compliance with applicable government access control restrictions.

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