People Operations Specialist
ABOUT POOLSIDE
In this decade, the world will create Artificial General Intelligence. There will only be a small number of companies who will achieve this. Their ability to stack advantages and pull ahead will define the winners. These companies will move faster than anyone else. They will attract the world's most capable talent. They will be on the forefront of applied research, engineering, infrastructure and deployment at scale. They will continue to scale their training to larger & more capable models. They will be given the right to raise large amounts of capital along their journey to enable this. They will create powerful economic engines. They will obsess over the success of their users and customers.
poolside exists to be this company - to build a world where AI will be the engine behind economically valuable work and scientific progress.
ABOUT OUR TEAM
We are a remote-first team that sits across Europe and North America. We come together once a month in-person for 3 days, always Monday-Wednesday. We also do two longer off-sites twice a year.
Our team is a combination of more research and more engineering oriented profiles, however everyone deeply cares about the quality of the systems we build and has a strong underlying knowledge of software development.
Everyone we bring on board has a clearly defined mission and this role plays a vital part in our journey - you will lead our talent acquisition efforts and play a key part in building the team that will win the AGI race.
ABOUT THE ROLE
This role is a key builder within the People function, owning and evolving the systems, tools, and processes that power our global teams. You’ll partner closely with the People Operations Manager and own core People platforms, drive automation, and continuously improve how People Ops works at scale — using technology (and AI) as a force multiplier rather than layering on process. This is a role for someone who enjoys making things work better, not just keeping them running.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Own and continuously improve People systems and platforms (e.g. HRIS, payroll tools, EOR platforms), ensuring they are automated, scalable, and fit for a global workforce
Drive the delivery of core people operations across the employee lifecycle, with a strong focus on process efficiency and system-led workflows
Own and manage global payroll operations across Europe, the UK, and the US, working closely with external providers and ensuring accuracy, compliance, and continuous improvement
Own relationships and day-to-day execution with EOR (Employer of Record) providers, optimising how we employ and support talent across countries
Partner on global mobility and complex visa processes, coordinating with immigration providers and improving how these workflows are managed internally
Lead and deliver people operations projects, such as HRIS implementation or optimisation, automation initiatives, benefits rollouts, or scaling People infrastructure into new regions
SKILLS & EXPERIENCE
Hands-on experience in a People Ops or HR Tech–leaning role within a rapidly growing startup or scaleup
Strong experience implementing, improving, or owning HR systems and platforms (HRIS, payroll, EOR tools, automation workflows)
Experience supporting European, UK, and US employment markets
Practical experience with global payroll and payroll vendors
Direct experience working with EOR providers in a multi-country environment
Comfortable owning systems, driving improvements, and making decisions in fast-moving, ambiguous environments
PROCESS
Intro call with Jag, our People Operations Manager
Interview with Beatriz, our Head of People
Panel Interview with Jag, Beatriz and another appointed interviewer
Final Interview with Margarida, our COO
BENEFITS
Fully remote work & flexible hours
37 days/year of vacation & holidays
Health insurance allowance for you and dependents
Company-provided equipment
Wellbeing, always-be-learning and home office allowances
Frequent team get togethers
Great diverse & inclusive people-first culture
Data Retention
Except as otherwise permitted or required by applicable law or regulation, we will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes we collected it for, as required to satisfy any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements, or as necessary to resolve disputes. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider our statutory obligations, the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes we process your personal data for, and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means. We specify the retention periods for your personal data in our data retention policy. Under some circumstances we may anonymize your personal data so that it can no longer be associated with you. We reserve the right to use such anonymous and de-identified data for any legitimate business purpose without further notice to you or your consent. If you are offered and accept employment with Poolside, the personal data we collected during the application and recruitment process will become part of your employment record, and we may use it in connection with your employment consistent with our employee personal data policies. If you do not become an employee, or, once you are no longer an employee of Poolside, we will retain and securely destroy your personal data in accordance with our document retention policy and applicable laws and regulations.
Rights of Access, Correction, Erasure and Objection
It is important that the personal data we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal data changes during the recruitment process. By law you may have the right to request access to, correct, and erase the personal data that we hold about you, or object to the processing of your personal data under certain circumstances. You may also have the right to request that we transfer your personal data to another party. If you want to review, verify, correct, or request erasure of your personal data, object to the processing of your personal data, or request that we transfer a copy of your personal data to another party, please contact us at legal@poolside.ai . Any such communication must be in writing. We may request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and your right to access, and to provide you with the personal data that we hold about you or make your requested changes. Applicable law may allow or require us to refuse to provide you with access to some or all of the personal data that we hold about you, or we may have destroyed, erased, or anonymized your personal data in accordance with our record retention obligations and practices. If we cannot provide you with access to your personal data, we will inform you of the reasons why, subject to any legal or regulatory restrictions.
Right to Withdraw Consent
Where you have provided your consent to the collection, processing, and transfer of your personal data, you may have the legal right to withdraw your consent under certain circumstances. To withdraw your consent, if applicable, contact us at legal@poolside.ai
Changes to this Privacy Notice
We reserve the right to update this Privacy Notice at any time, and we will provide you with a new Privacy Notice when we make any updates. If we would like to use your previously collected personal data for different purposes than those we notified you about at the time of collection, we will provide you with notice and, where required by law, seek your consent, before using your personal data for a new or unrelated purpose. We may process your personal data without your knowledge or consent only where required by applicable law or regulation.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about our processing of your personal data or would like to make an access or other request, please contact us at legal@poolside.ai