People Operations Manager
Job Description
About the Role
Firebird is growing fast. We manage and invest in artists across five portfolio companies, operating in three countries, with roughly 200 employees and contractors who depend on a People function that actually works. This role exists to scale with us.
We're looking for a People Operations Manager who will own and continuously improve the operational backbone of our People function: the systems, processes, and day-to-day experiences that make every Firebird employee feel supported from day one through every milestone of their time here. Payroll, benefits, leave, compliance, onboarding, offboarding, recruiting coordination.
The person who thrives at Firebird doesn't need a lot of hand-holding. You see a messy process and can't rest until it's clean and humming. You care as much about how something feels to the employee on the other end as you do about whether it works.
Key Responsibilities
Employee Lifecycle & Support
Build and maintain onboarding and offboarding workflows in Rippling — covering automated access provisioning, equipment coordination with our outsourced IT team, pre-boarding communications, and every step in between — so nothing falls through the cracks.
Constantly evaluate and improve these workflows; if there's a smarter way to do something, find it and build it.
Track contractor engagement timelines and proactively ensure clean offboarding when contracts end.
Support performance management and compensation cycles, including Rippling workflow administration.
Partner with the Head of People on employee relations matters with discretion and empathy.
Recruiting
Conduct initial candidate screens — assess for role fit, communicate Firebird's story compellingly, and move the right people forward with speed and clarity.
Coordinate interview scheduling across hiring managers and candidates in Ashby, keeping pipelines organized and candidates informed at every step.
Ensure job postings are consistent, well-formatted, and live across the right platforms (LinkedIn, industry job boards).
Support hiring process documentation and help train hiring managers on recruiting tools and workflows.
Bring a genuine systems mindset to recruiting operations — don't just manage the process, improve it.
HR Operations & Compliance
Own end-to-end payroll processing in Rippling, serving as the trusted point person for all payroll matters across Firebird — accuracy and confidentiality are non-negotiable.
Administer benefits programs through Rippling, including open enrollment and employee inquiries, with patience and clarity.
Manage leave administration (FMLA, state leaves, parental leave, medical leave) end to end, ensuring employees feel supported and informed throughout.
Maintain employee records, HR data, and personnel files in Rippling, keeping our system of record clean and current.
Draft and manage HR documentation: offer letters, separation agreements, contractor agreements, and policy updates.
Office Management & Team Operations
Facilitate a pleasant guest experience for visitors and clients.
Provide coordination support for the New York office, including vendor relationships and day-to-day logistics.
Support company culture initiatives and team events in partnership with cross-functional colleagues.
Qualifications
3-5 years of experience in an HR Generalist or People Operations role, ideally in a high-growth or startup environment.
Hands-on Rippling experience is required. You should know the platform well enough to build workflows, troubleshoot issues, and train others on it.
Strong working knowledge of payroll processing, benefits administration, and leave management.
Substantive communicator. You translate complex topics clearly at every level, and you know the difference between a fast reply and a real answer. You sit with complexity, work through it, and come back with a resolution — not three follow-up questions.
You own problems, not just tasks. You're resourceful, you figure things out without being told, and you bring recommendations rather than raw issues. When something's broken, the fix is already in your head before it reaches your manager.
Systems thinker with strong critical judgment. You spot inefficiency and treat it as a problem worth solving — automating, templatizing, and reducing friction while keeping the human touch. You understand why work matters, not just what needs to get done, and you make calls that account for downstream impact.
Tech-savvy and fast to ramp. You pick up new tools quickly and go deep on them; familiarity with Ashby and Lattice is a bonus.
Exceptional attention to detail, strong prioritization, and unwavering discretion with confidential information.
Experience supporting multi-entity organizations is a plus.
Based in the New York City area with the ability to work in-office 2 days a week.
About Firebird
Firebird is a next generation music company providing career and brand guidance to over 1,000 artists worldwide to help them develop and grow broader global audiences and build longer lasting, higher impact, more profitable careers. Redefining the intersection of music, technology and finance, Firebird has rich expertise across the spectrum of artist management and intellectual property creation, from traditional endeavors like touring and recording, to cutting edge marketing and consumer product development, to emerging digital platforms from gaming to AI. Firebird’s roster of partners includes some of the most important companies across the various aspects of the music landscape today including Red Light Management, Mick Management, Transgressive, Defected, Ntertain, Tape Room, Easier Said and many more.
Join us!
We're a team of ~40 music industry veterans, data nerds, operators, and builders who really love music. We put artists first because when they win, we all win. That simple principle guides everything we do.
We have teams in New York, Los Angeles, and London supporting artists around the world. We're at that exciting growth stage where what you build and who you help break will shape the next era of this company and the industry.
How We Take Care of the Flock
Ownership: Equity participation for everyone
Health & Wealth: Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plus 401(k) with company match
Performance Rewards: Annual bonuses tied to results
Flexibility: Flexible PTO and hybrid in-office schedules for those in NYC
Access: Live shows, festivals, and the music community you're helping create
Growth: Learn from people who've built careers at majors, independents, and startups
Who We Hire
We hire based on talent, passion, and potential. We don't discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.