VSCO · San Francisco, California
People Operations Specialist
ABOUT VSCO For years, we've helped photographers create their work. Now we're building what comes next. VSCO exists for photographers. Not as a side feature, ...
ABOUT VSCO
For years, we've helped photographers create their work. Now we're building what comes next.
VSCO exists for photographers. Not as a side feature, not as an afterthought, but as the whole point. We build the connected
system photographers rely on, and we've spent over a decade earning the trust of a global creative community that takes the craft
seriously.
Photography is at an inflection point. AI is reshaping what's possible for creative work, and that's where our mission shines.
VSCO is building the full photographer's workflow: from creating and editing your work, to delivering it to clients, to running
your business. All of it built thoughtfully, with photographers leading the way. We believe the future of photography tools
creates more space for creativity, handling the busy work so photographers can focus on the craft.
If you care about craft, community, and what technology can unlock for creative people, this is the work. We're a mission-driven
and focused company where your work ships quickly, is meaningful, and reaches tens of millions of people worldwide. You'll have a
real say in what we build and how we build it. We hire people who don't wait to be asked, naturally connect the dots, care about
the quality of what they ship, and believe the best outcomes come from building together.
ABOUT YOU
People Operations is where a company's values become real: in how someone experiences their first day, how people are set up to do
great work, how a compensation change gets communicated, how a policy actually gets followed.
We're hiring a People Operations Specialist who wants to own the systems and processes behind VSCO's employee and contractor
experience, and who gets genuine satisfaction from making things run cleanly at scale. You'll work closely with our CEO and People
Team to build and manage the infrastructure behind our workforce: our HRIS and contractor management systems, onboarding and
offboarding workflows, compliance processes, and the data and reporting that help us make good decisions about our people.
This isn't a generalist HR role. It's built for someone who thinks like an operator and an analyst: someone who sees a manual,
inconsistent process and can't help but turn it into something clean, repeatable, and built for efficiency.
If you're 3-5 years into your career, love building and managing systems that quietly make everything work better, and want to
grow into a broader People or Operations leadership role, this is that opportunity.
This role reports directly to the CEO and is based out of our San Francisco, CA office (minimum 3 days/week in office).
THE DAY-TO-DAY
OWN PEOPLE SYSTEMS & INFRASTRUCTURE
- Own and maintain our HRIS, contractor management platforms, and related systems, ensuring data accuracy and integrity across
the employee and contractor lifecycle
- Evaluate, implement, and improve the tools that support hiring, onboarding, payroll coordination, benefits administration, and
contractor engagement
- Build reporting and dashboards that give leadership visibility into headcount, org structure, contractor spend, and workforce
trends
DELIGHTFUL EMPLOYEE & CONTRACTOR EXPERIENCE
- Manage end-to-end onboarding and offboarding for both employees and contractors, ensuring a smooth, well-documented experience
at every step
- Own contractor classification, agreements, and renewals in partnership with Legal and Finance, keeping VSCO compliant as the
contractor base grows
- Coordinate benefits administration, leave management, and other lifecycle processes with accuracy and discretion
BUILD SMARTER SYSTEMS, DRIVE SHARPER DECISIONS
- Identify where existing people processes are manual, inconsistent, or breaking down, and design scalable systems to replace
them
- Use data to answer questions about the workforce, such as turnover, time-to-hire, and contractor utilization, and in
collaboration with leadership, turn findings into clear recommendations
- Document policies and processes so they're easy to follow, easy to audit, and easy to hand off as the team grows
AIRTIGHT COMPLIANCE & PAYROLL OPERATIONS
- Keep VSCO compliant with employment and contractor regulations across the jurisdictions we operate in
- Own recurring compliance workflows, including onboarding documentation, I-9/employment eligibility processes, required employee
notices, and employee file maintenance
- Partner with Finance and external vendors to coordinate payroll inputs, audits, employee changes, contractor payments, and
related reporting
ELEVATE VSCO’S CULTURE
- Partner with the CEO and leadership team on policy updates, handbook maintenance, and internal communications about people
programs
- Support culture-building efforts, including team offsites, all-hands logistics, employee appreciation, and the operational
backbone of a great employee experience
QUALIFICATIONS
- 3-5 years of experience in People Operations, HR Operations, People Systems, or a related operational role
- Hands-on experience with HRIS platforms such as Sapling and Lattice, and contractor management systems
- Strong systems thinker: you build processes that scale, not workarounds that hold
- Enjoy working with data: you can build a report, spot a trend, and turn data into clear insights that leadership and managers
can use to support decisions
- Working knowledge of core employment and contractor compliance fundamentals, or the ability to get there quickly
- Excellent written communicator: clear, concise, and precise, especially when documenting policy or process so that employees
clearly understand
- High discretion and judgment: you handle sensitive employee and contractor information with care
- Fluent using AI tools: you use them to work faster and think better, not as a substitute for creativity or judgment
- Continuously evaluate emerging AI tools and workflow automation opportunities that improve the employee experience while
reducing manual administrative work.
WHAT MAKES YOU STAND OUT
- You've built or overhauled a people system or process before, taking it from messy to reliable
- You’re great at organizing and documenting company policies ensuring they are effectively understood by everyone
- You're naturally analytical, and default to data over gut feel when making recommendations
- You're excited to grow: you see this role as a launchpad into broader People, Operations, or business leadership
- You take ownership without waiting to be asked, and you sweat the details that others miss
- You've worked with both employees and contractors and understand the practical differences between them
- You're energized by the idea of shaping how VSCO's people function operates as the company scales
COMPENSATION
The base salary range for this role is $120,000 - $150,000. Salary is one component of our total compensation package. This
position also qualifies for bonuses and equity (i.e. stock options). The benefits available for this position include flexible
time off, a 401K retirement plan, insurance (medical, dental, vision, life/AD&D, short and long term disability), and 11 paid
holidays. We also provide paid sick time as required by state and local law. Additional benefits and perks are also offered for
this position.
The application window for this role will be open until at least August 28th. This opportunity will remain online based on
business needs which may be before or after the specified date.
Role
People Operations Specialist
Category
Other
Location
Published
July 22
Deadline
August 22
Source