Associate, People Operations

A little bit about us!

Sandbox is a boutique, associate-led, partner-backed consulting firm that supports venture-backed and venture-minded companies to help them launch, grow, and scale with intention. Our clients span industries and stages, but they all have one thing in common: big ideas and bold ambitions. Whether it’s hiring your first team, building a budget that actually works, or untangling your back office, we help organizations put the right systems in place. We operate at the intersection of people, process, and numbers, building what is needed behind the scenes so leaders can stay focused on what’s next.

Our team? A loveable crew of repeat founders, former consultants, recovering corporates, and rogue college grads who take their work seriously, but never ourselves. We get our hands dirty, we problem solve in real-time, and we care deeply about the people behind the business. Sandboxers bring structure without rigidity, expertise without ego, and heart to everything we do.

A little bit about the job!

As our client list grows, so does our need for smart, resourceful team members who enjoy solving problems and getting things done. We are looking for someone who cares about people, takes initiative, and is excited to support HR work across a variety of growing companies. Nestled under our Business Operations vertical, the Associate, People Operations will help manage key parts of the employee experience, including benefits, policies, compliance, performance, and internal systems. No two days will look the same. On any given day, week, or month, you might play the following roles:

• Benefits Coordinator: You will help clients navigate the world of benefits, from enrollments and plan comparisons to explaining deductions and fielding employee questions. You will support open enrollment, keep brokers on track, and make sure nothing slips through the cracks.
• Compensation Advisor: You will assist clients in building compensation programs that are fair, consistent, and aligned with company goals. This includes organizing pay bands, supporting comp review cycles, preparing benchmarking data, and helping implement bonus and incentive plans.
• Compliance Expert: You will ensure clients stay compliant with employment laws by maintaining up-to-date policies and handbooks, supporting HR audits, and tracking legal requirements across multiple states. You make sense of the fine print so clients can focus on the big picture.
• Payroll & Tax Admin: You will manage end-to-end payroll processing across multiple clients using tools like Gusto, Rippling, or JustWorks, ensuring timely, accurate runs and a smooth experience for employees. This includes employment-related tax work, including state and local tax registrations, quarterly filings, year-end reporting, and workers’ comp audits, which often means tracking down answers, coordinating with state agencies, and navigating complex requirements to keep everything compliant and audit-ready.
• HR Systems Specialist: You will implement and manage core HR systems for clients, like Gusto, Rippling, and JustWorks, setting up workflows, cleaning up data, and providing training and support to make sure teams are set up for success.
• Performance Management Partner: You will support clients in running smooth and effective review cycles, from scheduling and templates to feedback tracking and goal setting. You build systems that encourage consistent communication and employee development.
• Policy & Documentation Builder: You will draft, edit, and organize key HR policies, employee handbooks, and internal documents that can scale as the company grows. You’ll help ensure clients’ materials are clear, up to date, and reflect both compliance requirements and company culture.
• Onboarding & Offboarding Organizer: You will deliver a consistent, well-run experience for employees joining or leaving client teams. That includes managing documentation, coordinating checklists, and ensuring transitions are smooth, professional, and people-first.
• Flexible Project Teammate: You will jump into client projects as needed, often with little notice and lots of moving parts. Whether supporting a short-term need or building something from scratch, you bring a collaborative mindset and positive energy to whatever comes your way.

We are excited about you because…

• You have 2-4 years of experience in an HR, People Operations, or generalist role, with exposure to areas like benefits, compliance, payroll, performance, and employee relations.
• You have strong communication skills and enjoy building clear, people-first processes that make teams work better.
• You are familiar with core HR functions, such as onboarding, policy development, leave management, and supporting employee programs, and ready to deepen your expertise across multiple clients.
• You know your way around HRIS systems and are comfortable navigating tools that support payroll, benefits, or performance workflows (bonus points if you are familiar with Gusto!)
• You are organized, responsive, and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage competing priorities without letting anything slip through the cracks.
• You possess good judgment, strong critical thinking skills, and the ability to work independently and meet deadlines.
• You have a demonstrated willingness to learn new skills on the fly and apply these unmastered/unrefined/not perfect skills for company executives, management, and other leaders.

You will love playing in the Sandbox if our core values resonate with you:

• Curiosity | Be insatiably Curious. | Sandboxers demonstrate a relentless appetite for the pursuit of understanding - we never settle for surface level knowledge, but strive to dive deeper, uncover insights, and explore new possibilities.
• Scrappy & Nimble | Startuper’s understand, speak, and think like a Founder. | Sandboxers are resourceful, creative, and resilient professionals who possess an entrepreneurial spirit, understand how to do more with less, and have a bias for action when it comes to solving startups' greatest challenges.
• Growth | Growth is universal. | Sandboxers fail forward through experimentation, innovation, and calculated risk-taking to challenge ourselves, push the boundaries, and constantly evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of our team, our clients, and our communities.
• Welcoming & Authentic | Come as you are, we choose you! | Sandboxers celebrate and value our employee and clients’ authentic selves to build strong foundations of trust, foster diversity, and create vibrant and inclusive relationships.

Reasons it pays to work at Sandbox (in addition to the pay itself):

• Buzzing, start-up work environment. We are deeply woven into the Richmond startup scene and love being part of a community that builds, experiments, and grows together.
• Comprehensive health benefits with employer contribution. It pays to keep your employees healthy.
• Family friendly, flexible work schedule with generous PTO and mental wellness days. Work life integration is a thing and we are here to support.
• Paid sabbatical and parental leave. We believe in stepping away to show up stronger, whether you are growing your family or recharging your spirit.
• Employer-matched 401K. No time delays & no vesting schedules. Enroll and keep all money on day one.
• Ongoing professional development and networking opportunities.
• Monthly team events. We sure know how to host a happy hour and we are never too busy to break for a volunteer opportunity.
• Bragging rights that you are part of something BIG!
• Most importantly, you get to go to sleep each night knowing you are helping savvy, driven entrepreneurs achieve their goals - how awesome is that??

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every. single. qualification. At Sandbox, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and just workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with 100% of the qualifications listed, we encourage you to still apply. Our hiring philosophy looks to weed people INTO our process, not weed them out! Who knows, you may be just the right candidate for a future role inside or outside of the Sandbox. Just go for it... submit your resume!