HR Generalist
Northwood Space
Location
Torrance, CA
Employment Type
Full time
Department
People
Compensation
- Base Salary $85K – $115K • Offers Equity
Compensation at Northwood Space is based on role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary depending on job-related skills, education, experience, and technical expertise. In addition to base salary, Northwood Space offers long-term incentives such as company stock options and discretionary performance bonuses. Benefits include equity, comprehensive health care, flexible vacation, retirement savings plans, and opportunities for professional development.
About Northwood:
Northwood is a modern space infrastructure company focused on connecting space and Earth. The world runs on space. Space will run on Northwood. Our global ground network ensures that missions ranging from national security, to global connectivity, to disaster response can unlock their full potential and operate every day without fail.
Role:
We are hiring an HR Generalist to own and scale Northwood’s core people operations, with a focus on HRIS administration and employee benefits. This role will be a key partner to the People team and the broader organization, ensuring accurate systems, compliant processes, and a great employee experience as we grow.
You will serve as the day-to-day owner of our HR systems and benefits programs, including supporting our transition from Gusto to Rippling, and act as a trusted point of contact for employees and managers on people operations.
Responsibilities:
Own day-to-day administration of Northwood’s HRIS, including employee lifecycle changes, data integrity, reporting, and audits (currently Gusto; transitioning to Rippling)
Lead benefits administration across medical, dental, vision, FSA, and other programs, including open enrollment, renewals, and employee support
Partner on the implementation, configuration, and ongoing optimization of Rippling during and after the HRIS transition
Serve as a primary point of contact for employee questions related to benefits, payroll, policies, and HR systems
Ensure HR processes and data are compliant with applicable federal, state, and local regulations
Assist with the annual performance and compensation review process by coordinating review timelines, preparing manager and employee communications, maintaining tracking tools, and supporting managers and HR partners throughout the full review cycle.
Support broader People initiatives such as onboarding/offboarding, policy updates, and process documentation as the company scales
Basic Qualifications:
3+ years of experience in an HR Generalist, People Operations, or similar role
Hands-on experience administering an HRIS and employee benefits programs
Experience working with HR platforms such as Gusto, Rippling, or similar systems
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience leading or supporting an HRIS implementation or system transition
Strong working knowledge of benefits administration, including open enrollment and vendor management
Familiarity with multi-state employment compliance and HR best practices
Highly detail-oriented with strong systems thinking and process improvement skills
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a service-oriented mindset
Experience supporting fast-growing or startup environments
Additional Information:
To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
Northwood is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Northwood is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
Compensation Range: $85K - $115K