People Operations Manager
Help us tackle the growing wildfire crisis with the latest advancements in AI and IoT
Who we are
The problem: Every minute matters in fire response. As climate change amplifies the intensity of wildfires—with longer fire seasons, dryer fuels, and faster winds—new ignitions spread faster and put more communities at risk. Today, most wildfires are detected by bystanders and reported via 911, meaning it can take hours to detect a fire, verify its exact location and size, and dispatch first responders. Fire authorities need a faster way to detect, confirm, and pinpoint fires so that they can quickly respond—preventing small flare-ups from becoming devastating infernos.
About Pano: We are a 150+ person growth-stage hybrid-remote start-up, headquartered in San Francisco. We are the leader in early wildfire detection and intelligence, helping fire professionals respond to fires faster and more safely—with the right equipment, timely information, and enhanced coordination—so that they can stop a new ignition before it grows. Pano AI combines advanced hardware, software, and artificial intelligence into an easy-to-use, web-based platform. Leveraging a network of ultra-high-definition, 360-degree cameras atop high vantage points, as well as satellite and other data feeds, Pano AI produces a real-time picture of threats in a geographic region and delivers immediate, actionable intelligence.
Pano AI is on TIME's list of the 100 Most Influential Companies of 2025! MIT Technology Review listed Pano as one of the top 15 climate tech companies to watch in 2024, and Fast Company named Pano AI one of the Top 10 most innovative companies in AI of 2023. We’ve also been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and CNBC News. Pano AI’s dozens of government and enterprise customers span 16 states in the U.S., five states in Australia, and BC, Canada, and we are currently monitoring over 30 million acres of land. Pano AI has raised $89M in venture capital funding from Giant Ventures, Liberty Mutual Ventures, Tokio Marine Future Fund, Congruent Ventures, Initialized Capital, Salesforce Ventures, and T-Mobile Ventures. Learn more at https://www.pano.ai/.
The Role
We’re hiring a People Operations Manager to own and evolve the operational foundation of our People function as we scale. This position reports to the VP of People and has no direct reports. This is a hands-on role responsible for ensuring our People systems, processes, and compliance infrastructure are efficient, scalable, and built to support a growing organization. You’ll combine strong operational discipline with sound people judgment — leveraging technology, systems thinking, and a bias toward action to improve workflows while ensuring employees and managers receive clear, timely, and responsive support.
We’re intentional about building a focused, high-performing, high-impact People team where strong systems and automation enable scale. (This can be a remote role within PST up to MST time zone).
What you’ll do
Own and execute the full employee lifecycle, including onboarding, offboarding, job changes, compensation updates, benefits, leave administration, and employee documentation
Administer and continuously optimize our HRIS (Rippling), ensuring data integrity, thoughtful system configuration, reporting accuracy, and audit readiness
Partner with Finance to coordinate payroll processes, conduct regular audits, and ensure compensation changes are accurately executed
Lead the operational components of performance cycles and support managers with performance management documentation and process consistency
Maintain compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws; proactively evolve policies and practices as the company grows
Manage key People vendors (including benefits partners), ensuring strong service quality and cost efficiency
Build and maintain clear, scalable process documentation and internal knowledge resources
Identify inefficiencies and implement workflow improvements and automation to reduce manual work and increase scalability
Serve as a trusted first point of contact for managers and employees — exercising sound judgment, discretion, responsiveness, and empathy
What you’ll bring
6-8 years of progressive People Operations experience, including end-to-end ownership of employee lifecycle operations in startups or scaling organizations of 100+ employees
Demonstrated track record of building, improving, and automating HR processes to increase efficiency and scalability
Advanced proficiency with HRIS systems (Rippling strongly preferred) and strong technical fluency, including system configuration and reporting
Experience coordinating payroll and administering benefits and leave programs with accuracy and attention to detail
Solid understanding of employment law fundamentals and compliance best practices
High ownership and accountability, with strong documentation discipline and attention to detail
Adaptability and resilience in a growth-stage environment, with the ability to navigate ambiguity while maintaining operational rigor
Sound judgment and discretion when handling sensitive employee matters
Final compensation for full-time employees is determined by a variety of factors, including job-related qualifications, education, experience, skills, knowledge, and geographic location. In addition to base salary, full-time roles are eligible for stock options. Our benefits package also includes comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, a matching 401(k) plan, and flexible paid time off.