People Operations Coordinator

ABOUT NOOKS

Nooks is pioneering Classified-Infrastructure-as-a-Service (CIaaS) — designing, building, and operating Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs) and other secured, classified environments for the defense and national security community. We work with the agencies, contractors, and mission-driven organizations that keep the nation safe, delivering the physical infrastructure that makes classified work possible. We’re growing fast, operating across multiple markets, and building a company that takes both the mission and the business seriously.

About the Role

You’ll own the operational core of the Nooks People function: payroll and payroll tax compliance, benefits, leave administration, policy compliance, and the records behind all of it. You’ll report to the Senior People Partner and run the systems this work depends on, including payroll and benefits in Rippling, retirement in Guideline, and support equity management in Carta. As Nooks adds locations, you’ll keep multi-state employment tax and employment law obligations current. This is a full-time, individual contributor role.

At Nooks, we move fast. While you’ll have clear ownership over your core responsibilities, startup life means priorities can shift. We’re looking for a proactive problem-solver who is comfortable with ambiguity and ready to lean in wherever the team needs them most to drive us forward.

Key Responsibilities

Payroll & Tax Compliance

• Own end-to-end payroll processing in Rippling for all Nooks employees, ensuring accuracy across wages, deductions, and adjustments every cycle.
• Manage federal, state, and local payroll tax filings and remittances, keeping registrations current as Nooks adds locations.
• Respond to tax notices and agency correspondence, and update withholding configurations as payroll tax law changes.
• Reconcile payroll against the general ledger with Finance, resolving discrepancies before close and preparing documentation for audits.

Benefits, Leave & Retirement Administration

• Administer benefits enrollments, changes, and terminations in Rippling, keeping carrier feeds and eligibility data accurate.
• Execute annual open enrollment under the Senior People Partner’s direction, from system configuration through election accuracy.
• Administer leave cases end to end, tracking eligibility, pay coordination, and return-to-work under the Senior People Partner’s direction.
• Reconcile broker and carrier invoices against enrollment records, resolving billing discrepancies before payment.
• Own 401(k) contribution reporting in Guideline and equity records in Carta, keeping both reconciled and audit-ready.

Policy & Employment Law Compliance

• Maintain the employee handbook and policy library, keeping both current as Nooks adds jurisdictions and headcount.
• Monitor multi-state employment law changes across wage and hour, leave, and pay transparency, and bring policy updates forward.
• Maintain required employment notices, labor law postings, and Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) records across every Nooks location.
• Audit adherence to People policy across the company, surfacing gaps and recommending corrective action before they become liabilities.

Employee Relations Support & Records

• Provide administrative support on Employee Relations (ER) matters, including scheduling, documentation, and case tracking, while the Senior People Partner holds decision authority.
• Maintain personnel and ER records to a defensible retention standard, controlling access to confidential and protected material.
• Process employment verifications, unemployment claims, and related agency correspondence.
• Serve as the first point of contact for employee payroll and benefits questions, resolving issues without escalation.

The Skillset

Required

• 4+ years of payroll administration experience, including multi-state payroll tax compliance
• Hands-on benefits and leave administration experience, including open enrollment and broker or carrier coordination
• Working knowledge of federal and multi-state employment law, including wage and hour and leave requirements
• Experience maintaining policy documentation and handling confidential employee relations records
• Hands-on experience with Rippling or a comparable payroll and Human Resource Information System (HRIS) platform
• Experience managing 401(k) contribution reporting and reconciliation, ideally with Guideline or comparable
• Strong Excel and data-reconciliation skills, with sound judgment operating in a lean team

Preferred

• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP), Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC), or Professional in Human Resources (PHR), a plus
• Familiarity with equity administration platforms such as Carta, a plus
• Experience scaling payroll and people operations through a headcount growth phase, a plus

Eligibility & Clearance

You must be authorized to work in the United States. No security clearance is required for this role.