HR Generalist

Summary

GrayMatter Robotics is a well-capitalized Physical AI company headquartered in Los Angeles, building Factory SuperIntelligence (FSI) through systems that learn, adapt, and develop genuine process intelligence across every part they touch. Our robots take on the tedious, hazardous, and ergonomically demanding work that has kept manufacturing dependent on a shrinking skilled workforce, delivering superhuman performance. Robotics has a demo problem. GMR doesn't. Our systems are in active production today, adapting autonomously to real geometries, real materials, and real process variation without reprogramming. We deliver our system through a Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) model that converts capital expenditure into an operating subscription, making Physical AI accessible to the manufacturers who need it most. We hire people who want to solve hard physical problems at an industrial scale.

Role & Responsibilities

This role will own and shape the entire employee experience at GrayMatter Robotics, from onboarding to off-boarding and everything in between. This is a tactical and hands-on position ideal for someone excited to build people systems from the ground up while ensuring compliance and driving culture. Aspects of this role include:

Employee Relations & Engagement

• Lead employee engagement efforts, including surveys, recognition, and internal communications.
• Plan company events, offsites, and culture-building initiatives.
• Oversee employee on-boarding, off-boarding and exit processes.
• Partner with cross-functional partners to ensure employees have the required tools, software access and devices for their role.
• Optimize new hire orientation and onboarding, and automate processes where possible.

Payroll & Benefits Administration

• Run payroll end to end each cycle, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance across hourly, salaried, and contractor populations.
• Reconcile benefits enrollment and billing against carrier invoices, catching and resolving discrepancies before they compound.
• Administer and track all types of employee leave (e.g., FMLA, parental, PTO, disability), ensuring compliance and clear communication.

HR Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with employment laws across multiple states, with fluency in the distinct rules governing hourly, contractor, and salaried classifications.
• Pull and prepare reports and documentation to support internal and external audits.
• Maintain employee handbook and update HR policies as needed.
• Lead investigations and handle employee relations issues responsibly.
• Manage audit readiness and required documentation.

HR Operations & Systems

• Serve as GMR's UKG power user and other HRIS tools: own system configuration, workflow automation, and reporting.
• Build and maintain UKG email templates (welcome emails, manager reminders, and other lifecycle communications) so the system runs itself.
• Own and maintain our HRIS system; ensure data integrity and analytics.
• Optimize people processes for scale (onboarding, transitions, documentation).
• Deliver HR metrics and insights to support decision-making.
• Use AI and automation tools to streamline reporting, audits, and repetitive HR workflows, freeing up time for higher-judgment work.
• Assist with other HR-related tasks and projects, including but not limited to interview scheduling, hosting candidates onsite, employee events, and other initiatives as needed.

This role is based onsite in our Carson HQ 4 days a week.

Minimum Qualifications

• 6+ years of industry experience in HR, people operations, or similar roles.
• 2+ years building company-wide processes from scratch within the same company.
• 2+ years working at a technology startup or technology company.
• Proven knowledge of multi-state employment compliance (especially California) and risk mitigation, including the distinct rules governing hourly, contractor, and salaried employees.
• Power-user level proficiency in UKG or a comparable HRIS (e.g., ADP, Paylocity, Workday), including system configuration, reporting, and email/workflow template management.
• Demonstrated fluency using AI tools (e.g., Claude) to accelerate day-to-day HR work, from reporting to communications.
• Demonstrated ownership of payroll administration and benefits reconciliation.
• Proven track record guiding managers through terminations, layoffs, and other difficult personnel decisions.
• Excellent communication, project management, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to build relationships and collaborate effectively with stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Proven ability to think strategically and develop innovative solutions to HR challenges.
• Must have authorization to work in the United States and maintain ongoing work authorization from time of hire through the duration of employment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Psychology, Business Administration, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Organizational Development, Human Resources, or a related field.
• Experience in both startup and enterprise environments, ideally having transitioned from enterprise to startups most recently.
• HR certification (e.g., PHR, SHRM-CP).
• Experience using WEX, Ashby, Ethena, ClickUp, and other HR/project management tools.
• Strong expertise in leveraging efficiency and automation tools (e.g., Notion, Scribe, Airtable, Slack integrations, HR automation platforms) to streamline workflows and scale operations.