People Operations Lead

People Operations Lead

Department: Operations
Reports to: COO
Location: Paris / Remote
Working pattern: Three days per week to start, flexing up or down with business needs

About the role

About Us:
We are an AI-driven startup pioneering the development of a universal foundation model for biology. Our mission is to revolutionize biological research and innovation through cutting-edge technology.

We operate at the cutting edge of AI and biology, and we're looking for a dynamic, versatile, and ambitious professional to join our journey. If you're ready to roll up your sleeves, embrace challenges, and shape a company at the forefront of breakthrough technology, this role is for you.

About the Role:
We are looking for an experienced People Lead to own and run the day-to-day People function at Bioptimus, hands-on and working closely with the COO. We are c30 people heading to 50, working in a hybrid, distributed environment, and we want one excellent person to be the go-to for everything People.

The role centres on three things.

First, owning all People administration: contracting, payroll, answering employee questions, and fixing the issues that come up. You will be the person everyone at Bioptimus turns to, and the approachable, trusted face of People.

Second, designing and running our key HR initiatives: performance reviews, onboarding and probation, policies, employee surveys, salary grids, and compensation strategy. We do not want only an implementer. We want someone with real ideas and the experience to know what good looks like, ideally fresh approaches suited to a startup in a hybrid environment rather than playbooks lifted straight from large corporates.

Third, being the people partner the company relies on for its hardest moments. You will quickly take ownership of coaching managers through difficult conversations, managing underperformance, and leading exit and termination processes, working with Legal where needed. Over time, you will also identify and develop new managers, coaching them to become more effective leaders.

It is a broad role that moves between the groundwork and the high-level thinking. You will own the People function day to day, shape it as your own, and quickly become the person the team relies on for its most difficult people matters.

The role will report into the COO.

Key Responsibilities:

1. People Administration (the go-to person):
• Own contracting, payroll coordination, employee records, and the day-to-day questions and issues that arise.
• Be the first and trusted point of contact for everyone at Bioptimus on anything People, and the approachable face people feel comfortable coming to.
2. HR Initiatives, Design & Delivery:
• Own both the design and the running of our core People initiatives: performance reviews, onboarding and probation, company policies, employee surveys, salary grids, and compensation strategy.
• Bring fresh, well-judged ideas suited to a startup in a hybrid environment.
3. People Partnering & Difficult Conversations:
• Quickly take ownership of the company's hardest people moments: coaching managers through underperformance and leading exit and termination processes. Work closely with Legal where needed.
• Be the steady, trusted partner managers come to when conversations are hard.
• Over time, identify and develop new and emerging managers, coaching them to become more effective leaders.

Working Pattern & Flex:

• Around three days per week. This is currently a part-time task most weeks.
• Some weeks will need a little more, occasionally a fourth day during busy periods such as hiring, reviews, exits, or policy work. Others will need a little less.
• As the company grows, the role is likely to grow in days too, with a genuine path toward a broader and more senior mandate, if this is desired.
• Well suited to someone building a portfolio career or working across a small number of companies, though we would love someone able to be genuinely invested in Bioptimus.

What We're Looking For:

• End-to-End Experience: You have owned these areas end to end before, with enough experience under your belt to make wise judgment calls without needing a rulebook.
• Proven on the Hard Stuff: You have personally managed underperformance and led terminations and exits, and are ready to own these from early in your tenure.
• Startup Background: You have worked in a startup or scale-up and understand how People works when resources are lean and the environment is hybrid and fast-moving.
• Ideas, Not Just Execution: You have a clear point of view on how to do performance, onboarding, compensation, and policy well, and bring modern, fit-for-purpose approaches rather than corporate defaults.
• Excellent Communicator: Careful, clear, and considered in how you communicate, especially on sensitive and difficult matters.
• The HR Face People Trust: Approachable and warm, with the personality and judgment to be the person staff and managers feel comfortable turning to, even in hard moments.
• Happy in the Detail and the Big Picture: Prepared to do the groundwork as much as the high-level thinking, and genuinely comfortable moving between the two.
• Full-Cycle Compensation: You have personally run at least one full compensation and review cycle, start to finish.
• Appetite to Grow: You want to grow the people-partnering and manager-development side over time, and to be genuinely invested in Bioptimus and its people, even in a part-time arrangement.

Why Join Us?

• Impact: Shape the future of biology and AI by building and running the People engine behind groundbreaking work.
• Flexibility: A high-ownership role designed around a focused, flexible working pattern.
• Growth: A genuine path to expand your days and mandate, up to and including a full-time leadership seat, as the company scales.
• Innovation: Build and run a modern People function, using the best tools to handle a broad remit efficiently.
• Culture: Join a collaborative, mission-driven team that values creativity, ambition, and a sense of ownership.