Senior People Operations Generalist - Story, Wizard

Great stories start with extraordinary people.

We’re bringing together exceptional creative talent to tell the stories of people shaping the future. Work alongside people who raise your standards, champion your ideas, and give you room to do the best work of your career.

Story inspires science. Science makes story real.

People · Full time · In person, San Francisco · Reports to Head of Finance

Story & Science makes films, original IP and brand work for the companies building the future, including BLADE, our embedded marketing team for deep-tech companies. Wizard, our sister company, is a venture-backed startup building creative tools for the next generation of storytellers. Both are early and hiring fast. You would be our first dedicated people operations hire.

ABOUT THE ROLE

You will run people operations for two companies, from signed offer to last day. Recruiting sits with our Head of Talent; everything after the offer is yours. You will build the systems and policies that let both teams grow without anything falling through.

WHAT YOU'LL OWN

• Onboarding and offboarding at both companies: offer letters, Gusto setup, I-9s, accounts on day one; clean exits with final pay and access closed out.

• Gusto as the system of record: employee data, comp changes, PTO and clean payroll inputs.

• Benefits and 401(k) administration, open enrollment, and carrier bills reconciled with Finance.

• Compliance: California employment law, handbook, leave, postings, workers' comp audits, and employee vs. contractor classification.

• Comp and leveling: salary bands, review cycles, comp changes and equity grant paperwork.

• Employee experience: every people question, performance cycles, and a culture that holds up as we grow.

YOUR FIRST 90 DAYS

• Own Gusto for both companies and every start, change and exit that runs through it.

• Run every start and exit from a standard checklist, with accounts on and off the same day.

• Lead a review of our handbook and people policies with employment counsel.

YOU'LL THRIVE HERE IF YOU

• Have 3+ years in people operations or HR at a high-growth startup, and are ready to own the function end to end.

• Know California employment law, benefits and payroll well enough to catch a mistake before it ships.

• Keep sensitive information private and records exact.

• Build the process and the template once, then automate it.

STRONG CANDIDATES MAY ALSO HAVE

PHR, SHRM-CP or similar · Gusto, Carta and Ashby experience · A production or contractor-heavy team.

HOW WE WORK

We work in person at our San Francisco HQ. This is a high-intensity role, not a steady 9-to-5; hiring waves and payroll deadlines mean some long weeks. We move fast, expect precision anyway, and give real ownership from day one.

COMPENSATION

The base salary range for this role is $125,000 – $155,000, plus equity. Your final offer will depend on your experience, skills and level.

Story & Science and Wizard are equal opportunity employers. We consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in line with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.