Senior People Operations Generalist

Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at applied.co.

We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that full-time employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments. This in-office expectation does not apply to contractor positions

About the role

The Sr. People Generalist builds the operational backbone of the People team: the processes, systems, data, and policies that let us scale without adding complexity. This is a builder role, not an administrator role. You will turn work that runs on tribal knowledge and one-off fixes into documented, measured, repeatable programs with clear owners and controls.

You will be helping define the center of excellence model on the People team: the escalation point for employee matters, a data connoisseur that owns data fidelity , and the person who decides where work should live as the team matures from reactive support to a proactive shared-services model. You will lead cross-functional projects and use AI to shape the employee experience.

At Applied Intuition, you will:

• Define the People Ops operating model: what is standardized and centralized, what stays with People Partners or other COEs, and how work transitions with continuity and measurement built in

• Assess the maturity of each core People process (onboarding, offboarding, job changes, comp cycles, leaves, time off, rotations) and run a roadmap to move each from ad hoc to documented, measured, and automated

• Be the operational partner to People Business Partners: execute reorgs, promotions, performance actions, and exits they drive; supply the data and process support behind their work

• Set standards for process design, documentation, SLAs, and handoffs; own the SOP library and knowledge base so answers live in a system

• Support the build of audit-ready controls (recurring data audits, approval trails, segregation of duties) for SOX

• Define service-quality metrics (ticket volume, resolution time, error rate, employee satisfaction) and use them to decide what to fix next

• Run proactive audits across Workday and connected systems to catch errors before they reach payroll, equity, or board reporting

• Serve as a functional Workday owner: business process design from requirements through configuration, testing, and post-launch iteration

• Use AI and low-code tools to prototype and ship People Ops automations; know when a gap needs a lightweight internal tool versus a technical build with IT or Systems

• Resolve the hardest cases in benefits, leaves, time off, rotations, and sensitive org changes with precision, empathy, and clear written communication

• Partner with Finance, Legal, IT, Recruiting, and Payroll on projects that mature processes and policies for the business

• Lead change management for process redesigns and new tools: communication, training, adoption tracking, and feedback loops

• Identify gaps in our operational cadence before they're pointed out to you, and drive the fixes

We're looking for someone who has:

• Bachelor's Degree and 5+ years of practical experience experience in a People or HR-related role

• Hands-on use of AI and low-code tools (Claude, Lovable, Zapier, Apps Script, SQL) to build People Ops automations or lightweight internal tools

• Experience with Carta, Ashby, and Jira help desk, or comparable equity, ATS, and ticketing systems

• Experience partnering with IT or HRIS teams on integrations and translating business needs into requirements and test plans

• Background in Lean, Six Sigma, or service design applied to HR processes

• Experience supporting compliance audits (SOX, EEO-1, benefits-plan) and immigration programs

Nice to have:

• Experience in high-growth technology companies, particularly automotive or autonomous vehicle industries

• Direct experience scaling People Ops functions from early-stage to larger organizational structures

• Experience with HRIS systems, people analytics tools, and large datasets

• Prior experience informally leading or mentoring teammates in an Ops or HR function

Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Base salary is a single component of the total compensation package, which may also include equity in the form of options and/or restricted stock units, comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance coverage, 401k retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment.

Applied Intuition pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum intended target base salary for new hire salaries for the position. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, interview performance, and the level and scope of the position.

Don’t meet every single requirement? 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 anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.

FOR US-BASED ROLES: Applied Intuition is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive application and interview experience to applicants who are disabled veterans and other applicants with disabilities or medical conditions. Reasonable accommodations are available, requesting an accommodation will not affect your candidacy in any way, and you are not required to disclose the nature of your disability or medical condition in order to make a request. If you require an accommodation please contact [email protected]. We will work with you!