Talent and People Operations Generalist

WHO WE ARE Serval http://serval.com is an AI-native automation platform transforming how enterprises operate. We build intelligent agents that understand real-world workflows and execute them end-to-end — replacing manual processes and rigid legacy systems with adaptive, learning software. Founded in early 2024, Serval is already trusted by companies like Fox, Notion, Perplexity, Vercel, and Brex to automate high-volume, high-friction operational work across their organizations.

At the core of Serval is an agentic AI platform that turns natural language into production-grade workflows. Our agents don’t just respond to requests — they reason, take action across systems, and continuously improve with usage. What began with operational use cases has quickly evolved into a horizontal AI automation layer used across IT, HR, Finance, Security, Legal, and Engineering.

Our mission is to eliminate repetitive, manual work across the enterprise and give teams leverage through intelligent automation. Long term, we’re building the universal AI operations layer — a system of agents that sits across business functions and runs the workflows that keep modern companies moving. We’re backed by leading investors including Sequoia Capital, Redpoint Ventures, Meritech, First Round, General Catalyst, Elad Gil, and others.

As Serval's first Talent & People Operations hire, you'll build the systems, automations, and programs behind how we hire and how we take care of our team. On the Talent side, you'll make every recruiter and sourcer a super-IC who spends their time on what they do best: finding, assessing, and closing great people. On the People side, you'll create a standout employee experience from signed offer to last day and help us raise talent density as we grow.

You'll report to our Head of Talent and own both Talent Operations and People Operations to start, shaping how each function grows as we scale across the US and into London. You'll run it all on Serval's own platform, automating the manual work before our customers do. This is a foundational role, and the right person will leave their fingerprints on how Serval operates for years to come.

What You'll Do

Talent Operations

• Own Ashby end to end: job and interview plans, scorecards, stages, permissions, integrations, and the data hygiene that keeps our hiring reports trustworthy
• Build automations and AI agents across sourcing, the ATS, and offers and approvals, so recruiters, sourcers, and coordinators spend their time with candidates and hiring managers instead of on admin
• Own the offer process end to end, from comp approvals and offer letters to the handoff into onboarding
• Administer the rest of our recruiting stack, including Wrangle and Juicebox, and own how it connects to our HRIS, Slack, and Serval
• Manage recruiting vendor and agency relationships, including contracts and spend Recruiting Enablement
• Build the training, playbooks, and templates that make great recruiting repeatable, from screening call training for recruiters to interviewer training and reference check guides for hiring managers
• Onboard new recruiters, sourcers, and coordinators onto our tools and processes so they're productive within their first few weeks
• Find the bottlenecks in our hiring process (slow stages, late feedback, dropped handoffs) and fix them with better process, tooling, or automation People Operations
• Own new hire onboarding from signed offer through the first 90 days (paperwork, I-9/E-Verify, benefits enrollment, and day-one readiness), partnering with Recruiting, IT, and Finance
• Run offboarding with the same care, coordinating access removal, final pay, benefits continuation, and exit interviews
• Run our performance review cycles and compensation changes (promotions, merit increases, and adjustments), from timelines and tooling to approvals, letters, and HRIS updates
• Automate onboarding, offboarding, comp changes, and recurring People requests with Serval agents and workflows
• Own our HRIS and employee records, keeping data accurate, secure, and audit-ready Benefits
• Partner with our broker to select, benchmark, and renew our benefits, including health, dental, vision, life, disability, 401(k), and commuter
• Lead open enrollment and qualifying life events, and serve as the primary point of contact for employee benefits questions and escalations Compliance
• Keep us compliant with US employment and benefits requirements, including COBRA, ACA, ERISA, EEO reporting, and California and multi-state wage-and-hour rules, partnering with outside experts as needed
• Set up payroll, benefits, and employment compliance for hires outside the US as we expand, starting with London
• Coordinate visa and immigration support with outside counsel for candidates and employees What You'll Need: - 3-6 years in Talent Operations, Recruiting Operations, People Operations, or a similar systems-heavy role, ideally at a high-growth startup
• Hands-on experience administering an ATS (Ashby preferred), including configuration, integrations, and reporting
• An AI-native way of working: you use AI tools every day and have built automations, integrations, or agents that saved a team hours each week
• Hands-on experience running core People programs, such as benefits, onboarding and offboarding, and performance or compensation cycles
• Working knowledge of HRIS platforms such as Rippling, Gusto, Workday, or similar
• Working knowledge of federal and California employment and benefits requirements, with the judgment to spot compliance issues and escalate them appropriately
• High attention to detail and sound judgment with confidential information
• Based in or willing to work from our San Francisco HQ five days a week Nice to Have:
• Experience as an early or first Talent Operations or People hire at a startup
• Comfort with APIs, scripting, or SQL, or experience building with automation tools like Zapier or Workato
• International employment experience, such as global payroll, EOR setups, or visa processes
• Experience building recruiting training or enablement programs WHAT WE OFFER
• Impact: Be a key player in shaping the success of our product and company.
• Growth: Build a fundamentally new AI product offering with the support of our experienced team and investors. Grow rapidly with the company.
• Culture: Join a culture that values innovation, ownership, accountability, and fun.