People & Business Operations Manager

Remote (India-Based) | Full-Time | U.S. Business Hours

About Us:

STEPS Talent is a high-precision staffing firm operating in complex enterprise and consulting environments. We believe operational excellence is a competitive advantage. As we scale, we’re building infrastructure that is disciplined, compliant, and intelligently designed.

We are hiring a People & Business Operations Manager to own and mature our People Operations and core back-office systems.

This role is not clerical. It is operational ownership.

You will operate as a department of one while partnering directly with leadership to ensure our people, payroll, vendors, billing, compliance, and reporting functions run cleanly, efficiently, and predictably.

The Role:

This position blends:

• People Operations
• Compliance & Payroll Administration
• Vendor & Financial Coordination
• Operational Systems Management

You will be responsible for execution and for improving how execution happens.

Recruiting is not a primary responsibility, though occasional coordination may be required.

Core Responsibilities:

1. People Operations & Employee Lifecycle

• Own onboarding and offboarding processes for U.S.-based employees and consultants
• Maintain accurate employee records and documentation
• Manage job changes, compensation updates, and status changes
• Serve as first point of contact for HR-related questions
• Ensure smooth, compliant employee lifecycle management

2. HR Compliance & Governance

• Maintain compliant personnel files and documentation
• Ensure adherence to federal, state, and multi-state U.S. labor laws
• Support audits and regulatory reporting
• Assist with handbook updates and policy rollouts
• Monitor emerging compliance requirements (leave laws, classification changes, etc.)

3. Payroll, Benefits & Vendor Coordination

• Prepare and validate payroll inputs with payroll provider
• Administer benefits enrollment and changes
• Liaise with payroll vendors, workers’ compensation providers, insurance brokers, and retirement administrators
• Support worker’s comp audits and required filings
• Ensure accuracy and timeliness in all payroll-related processes

4. Financial Operations Support

• Support Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable processes
• Manage client invoicing cycles (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly)
• Track payments and assist with reconciliation
• Coordinate with bookkeeping support and CPA as needed

5. Business Operations & Vendor Management

• Manage vendor onboarding, renewals, contracts, and documentation
• Maintain organized records of insurance, contracts, and compliance documents
• Act as operational liaison for business service providers
• Ensure no critical deadlines or renewals lapse

6. Process Optimization & Systems Leverage (Critical)

We are not looking for manual processors.

We are looking for an operator who:

• Identifies repetitive manual processes and simplifies or automates them
• Uses modern tools (including AI tools) to increase speed and accuracy
• Improves documentation clarity and repeatability
• Builds simple dashboards or tracking systems to improve visibility
• Reduces friction before it becomes failure

Examples:

• Using AI tools to draft policy updates or summarize regulatory guidance
• Creating workflow checklists that reduce onboarding errors
• Improving payroll validation through structured review templates
• Designing lightweight dashboards that flag risks before deadlines are missed

This is not a technical role — but it requires strong systems fluency and resourcefulness.

Qualifications:

• 7–12 years of experience in People Operations, HR, Office Management, or Business Operations
• Experience operating autonomously as a department of one
• Strong working knowledge of U.S. HR processes and labor laws
• Experience supporting U.S. payroll and vendor coordination
• Working knowledge of Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and invoicing processes
• Strong documentation discipline and attention to detail
• High discretion and trustworthiness
• Clear, direct communicator

Required Mindset:

• Ownership-oriented
• Structured and methodical
• Calm under pressure
• Proactive in preventing problems
• Comfortable leveraging AI and modern tools to multiply output

We value operators who use technology to increase their effectiveness — not for hype, but for leverage.

Must-Haves:

• Experience supporting a U.S.-based staffing or consulting company
• Direct exposure to U.S. payroll and compliance processes
• Demonstrated ability to improve operational efficiency
• Proven ability to manage business administration processes independently

Nice-to-Haves:

• HR Certification (PHR, SHRM-CP, etc.)
• Lean / Six Sigma exposure
• Experience building dashboards or operational reporting views

Why This Role Matters:

• True ownership across People Operations and Business Operations
• Direct partnership with leadership
• Opportunity to design systems that scale
• Remote-first, high-trust environment
• High-impact, non-political role