Director, HR Operations (Biotech) - Vertex Ventures HC

The Company

Septerna is a biotechnology company based in South San Francisco, CA, with a vision to become the industry-leading G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-focused drug discovery company and a mission to develop life-changing medicines for patients. The company’s Native Complex Platform recapitulates GPCRs with their native structure, function, and dynamics outside the cellular context. This approach enables access for the first time to modern structural and screening technologies used in industrial-scale drug discovery for the entire class of GPCRs. Septerna has an emerging pipeline of GPCR-targeted small molecule programs with growth potential to reach many GPCRs that have been undruggable and unexploited to date.

Join a multidisciplinary team of colleagues focused on creating revolutionary medicines to address the significant needs of patients. Bring your real self to work daily; grow and learn from a talented team of drug hunters, scientists, and business professionals, and contribute your passion, creativity, and energy to our mission. At Septerna, we embrace diversity of thought, expertise, and background. We share a fearless pursuit of ground-breaking innovations, and our employees learn from each other and succeed as a team.

Location: South San Francisco, CA

The Role:

Reporting to the Chief People Officer, the Director of People Operations will play a pivotal role in implementing, managing, and optimizing various initiatives within the People & Culture (P&C) team. This role requires a proactive and versatile individual with a strong continuous improvement and execution mindset in areas related to processes, policies, systems, benefits, compensation, reporting, and training. The ideal candidate is not only a broad thinker and planner but also a hands-on executor, capable of ensuring seamless collaboration and operational efficiency across teams. This position offers the opportunity to lead operational evolution, making it ideal for someone who thrives in dynamic environments and values people-centricity while making an impact.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and focus on continuous improvement for People & Culture’s infrastructure, processes, policies, and workflows to ensure they are compliant, efficient, and scalable.
• Implement, oversee, and optimize the People & Culture tech stack, enhancing system integration and data integrity.
• Drive metrics and analytics to facilitate robust business insights in collaboration with colleagues.
• Administer employee surveys and provide data analysis to maintain and enhance a positive employee experience.
• Develop and evolve policies, documentation, and templates while ensuring compliance with legal and internal guidelines.
• Complete and submit timely and detailed compensation Aon survey data requests to maintain data access.
• Generate and provide first-line compensation data reporting and analysis for CPO and CEO review during performance and promotion cycles.
• Partner with People & Culture colleagues to support the annual and midyear compensation transactions and documentation, including collaboration with Finance.
• Manage all aspects of benefits administration and devise strategies to enhance employee awareness and understanding of benefit programs.
• Manage all employee leave of absence requirements and partner closely with Finance to ensure proper tracking and pay compliance.
• Generate and submit required Human Resource legal compliance filings, primarily for benefits and government grant requirements.
• Manage training operations and serve as a point of contact with the California Employment Training Panel (ETP) and training vendor HandsOn.
• Complete and submit ongoing grant application requests, manage training invoice management for reimbursement, and track spending.
• Implement, administer, and track employment law training curriculum and attendance to ensure compliance.
• Facilitate Insights workshops with the Head of Talent Acquisition to help optimize team style differences and enhance collaboration.
• Manage and facilitate Employee Day 1 Orientation and manage transactions and steps to ensure an effective onboarding and offboarding employee experience.
• Continuously audit, organize, and improve the People & Culture intranet and Egnyte data files and folders.
• Participate in other projects as business needs emerge.

Desired Skills and Qualifications:

• Proven track record as a hands-on learner with a proactive approach and a penchant for challenges.
• Demonstrated intelligence, self-starting attitude, and outcome-driven mindset.
• 15+ years of experience in people operations within high-growth, fast-paced environments, preferably in emerging Biotech or Pharmaceutical companies.
• Bachelor’s Degree, HR certifications preferred.
• Deep expertise in HR functional areas, including systems and people technologies, process development, employment law compliance, reporting, benefits, and training program oversight.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to derive insights from data and integrate various tools effectively.
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills aligned with organizational values.
• Proficiency in project management and partnering with key stakeholders to drive completion.
• Demonstrates a growth mindset and excellence in continuous improvement initiatives.
• Comfortable in fast-paced environments, adept at multitasking, and driven by the opportunity to engage in diverse work.
• Attention to detail and commitment to delivering high-quality results.

The anticipated salary range for candidates who will work in South San Francisco, CA is $220,000 - $240,000. Individual pay may vary based on additional factors, including, and without limitation, job-related skills, experience, work location and relevant education or training. Septerna's compensation package also includes benefits, stock options, and annual target bonus for full-time positions.