People and Talent Operations Manager

People and Talent Operations Manager LocationTorontoEmployment TypeFull timeLocation TypeOn-siteDepartmentOperationsHighbeam is building the future of business banking and cash management.Our platform combines AI agents, automated financial workflows, and integrated financial products that save brands time and money.Customers have generated billions in sales and include well-known brands such as Cuts, Tushy, NYON, Sabah, Still Here, Alice Mushrooms, Original Grain, birddogs, and more.Our team includes alumni of Shopify, Square, Toast, Rippling, and McKinsey.We’ve raised $42M in equity from Acrew, FirstMark, Mayfield, and Two Sigma Ventures.About this roleWe're looking for a People & Talent Operations Manager to own the full people function at Highbeam. This is a hands-on role: you’ll run the day-to-day across people operations, recruiting coordination, payroll, and compliance, refining the processes and controls we already have in place and bringing more rigor to them as the team grows. You’ll help sharpen the policies that govern how we run by enforcing and embedding them into our internal AI agents, flag exceptions, and surface issues before they hit the team.This role is based in our Toronto office.What you’ll doPeople OperationsRun payroll, contractor payments, and bonus cycles across the US and Canada, sharpening the cycles we already operateOwn employee onboarding end-to-end: offer letters, I-9s, payroll setup, and option grant coordination with outside counselManage employee lifecycle transitions (onboarding, role changes, offboarding) with care and professionalismAdminister 401(k), parental leave, and other benefits programs, refining enrollment and rollover workflows as we growReview and process employee expenses in line with company policy, tightening controls where they’re looseMaintain and iterate on HR policies and employment contracts as the team scalesStay ahead of state, federal, and tax compliance (multi-state payroll, business registrations, insurance), modernizing the controls that protect the companyRecruitingOwn the candidate experience from first touch to offer, ensuring every interaction reflects the Highbeam brandOwn the ATS: maintain job postings, manage candidate pipelines with hiring managers, and keep hiring moving efficientlyCoordinate recruiting logistics including onsite schedules, candidate communications, and follow-up with external recruitersManage agency relationships, including contracts and paymentsSource candidates directly, building out our pipeline for key rolesQualifications3 - 5 years in people operations, HR, business operations, or a related cross-functional role, ideally at a startup or high-growth companyExperience running multi-jurisdiction payroll (US and Canada for us)Comfortable working with employment lawyers, payroll tools, and ATS tools (Ashby a plus)High attention to detail and discretion with sensitive information; pragmatic about when to keep things simpleSelf-directed; you can identify what needs to get done without being toldExcellent communication skills, especially around sensitive topics like compensation and complianceExperience supporting H-1B or other immigration processes is a plusFamiliarity with Canadian employment law and ROE filings is a bonusInterest in using AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, or similar) to encode policies, build agentic workflows, and automate operational work is a plusYou'll thrive at Highbeam if...You love working in-person with a high-performing teamYou enjoy working in an idea-meritocratic, low-ego environmentYou are proactive and self-directed, and you excel in ambiguous, fast moving environmentsYou care about delivering a polished customer experienceBonus: You have experience working in fintech, AI or early-stage startupsWhat we offerChance to join the founding team of a well-funded startup chasing a huge opportunityCompetitive salary and meaningful equityGreat location: Our NYC office is in NoHo, a short walk from the A,C,E · B,D,F,M ·...