Operations Associate

Location: Remote (must be based in the United States)

Reports To: HR and Operations Specialist

Team: Operations

Salary Range: USD 75K to 85K depending on geography and experience

About Earth Species Project

Earth Species Project (ESP) is a non-profit using frontier AI to decode animal communication. We believe the exponential progress we’re seeing in AI offers new ways of looking at the world and expanding the ability of human beings to learn from other species. Our hope is that this will make a significant contribution to altering human perspective on how we relate to the rest of nature.

ESP partners with biologists and machine learning researchers at leading universities and institutions around the world, and we are honored to be supported by many forward-looking philanthropists and groups, including Reid Hoffman, Waverley Street Foundation, Allen Family Philanthropies, McGovern Foundation, and the National Geographic Society. 

Purpose of Role

The Operations Associate helps create an exceptional employee experience by ensuring the day-to-day operations that enable our globally distributed team to run smoothly and consistently. From welcoming new hires to coordinating onboarding and offboarding, payroll and benefits administration, and day-to-day employee support, this role enables our people to focus on advancing ESP's mission while helping build operational systems that scale with the organization.

Reporting to the HR and Operations Specialist and working closely with the Head of Operations, you'll execute established processes, provide exceptional day-to-day support to employees, and identify opportunities to improve how we work. You'll play an important role in ensuring our people operations remain thoughtful, accurate, and human-centered while keeping the systems that support our growing organization running smoothly.

This role includes an initial period of expanded responsibility while covering the HR and Operations Specialist during a planned leave (December through May) before transitioning into its long-term focus on onboarding, offboarding, payroll and benefits administration, and day-to-day employee support.

Key Responsibilities

Core Responsibilities

Onboarding & Offboarding

• Coordinate new hire onboarding, including paperwork, equipment, system access, and welcome logistics

• Coordinate employee offboarding, including access removal, equipment returns, and exit documentation

• Keep onboarding and offboarding checklists and trackers current

Payroll & Benefits Support

• Process routine payroll inputs each cycle (new hires, changes, terminations) for review and approval by the HR and Operations Specialist, as applicable

• Support employee benefits enrollment, changes, and terminations

Employee Support

• Serve as the first point of contact for routine employee questions on policies and procedures

• Maintain accurate employee records across HR systems, ensuring data quality and timely updates

• Support leave administration by tracking requests, maintaining records, and helping employees navigate established leave processes

• Handle employee information with discretion, maintaining confidentiality and data privacy in all aspects of the role

Operations Support

• Maintain HR documentation, templates, and operational playbooks to ensure processes remain current and consistent

• Coordinate with Employer of Record (EOR) partners and other people operations vendors on routine administrative tasks and inquiries

• Support employee recognition programs (anniversaries, birthdays, etc.)

• Coordinate logistics for employee programs, team events, and other organizational initiatives

• Provide administrative and operational support for cross-functional people operations initiatives

• Identify opportunities to improve operational processes and documentation, bringing recommendations to the HR and Operations Specialist

Expanded Responsibilities During Leave Coverage (December–May)

• Serve as the primary point of contact for routine employee relations matters during the leave coverage period, escalating sensitive or complex issues to the Head of Operations

• Serve as a responsive point of contact for day-to-day questions on policies, benefits, and procedures

• Administer leave requests according to established policies and country-specific requirements, escalating complex or non-standard situations to the Head of Operations

• Maintain accurate employee records and support compliance with labor regulations across our distributed team, including our France entity

• Coordinate employee appreciation and engagement initiatives

• Process employee changes tied to raises and promotions, updating HRIS and payroll records accordingly

• Support end-of-year budget reporting by compiling headcount and compensation data

• Support the launch of the annual performance review cycle by introducing goal-setting to managers and employees, following the framework established by the HR and Operations Specialist

• Support the annual benefits renewal process for our EOR and US-based staff, coordinating with vendors and the Head of Operations

Qualifications & Skills

You are an organized, detail-oriented operations professional who enjoys helping others, thrives on keeping things running smoothly, and is excited to grow into a broader People Operations career. As a small, fast-growing organization, we value people who combine exceptional attention to detail with curiosity, adaptability, and a desire to continuously improve the way we work.

You will bring

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, or related field; or equivalent experience

• 1+ years of experience in operations, HR, administration, or a related field

• Strong organizational skills with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail

• Comfort serving as a responsive first point of contact for employees across time zones

• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion and professionalism

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate thoughtfully across cultures and time zones

• Comfort learning new systems and technology, with the ability to quickly adapt to new tools and processes

Preferred

• Experience with an HRIS or HCM platform

• Experience onboarding or offboarding employees on a remote or distributed team

• Exposure to international HR operations, Employer of Record (EOR) models, or multi-country payroll

• Experience working cross-culturally or internationally, comfortable adapting to different communication styles and workplace norms across a global team

• Experience working in a nonprofit, research, or mission-driven organization

• Professional HR certification (e.g., PHR, SHRM-CP) is a plus

Essential Qualities

• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to maintain accuracy in a fast-moving environment

• Strong communicator and collaborative partner across employees, leadership, and external partners

• Flexible, adaptable, and collaborative, with a willingness to take on new challenges as the organization evolves

• Openness to feedback, willingness to learn, and curiosity

• Comfort with ambiguity and a proactive mindset toward improving processes and supporting organizational growth

Benefits

• Equivalent of USD 75K to 85K depending on geography and experience

• Medical insurance, dental insurance, and vision insurance – ESP covers 100% of the premium

• 401k plan with match 

• 2,000 USD home office stipend

• 1,000 USD professional development stipend

• 1,400 USD co-working stipend

• Unlimited paid time off, with a recommended minimum of three weeks per year

• Flexible working hours

• Regular team retreats around the world

This is a fully remote role, and candidates must be based in the United States. We offer flexible working hours, with the expectation of occasionally participating in virtual meetings outside your typical working hours.

ESP is committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, sexual orientation, marital status, ancestry, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, and criminal history, consistent with legal requirements. We encourage folks of all backgrounds and perspectives to apply.