Job Description

Founding People & Operations Lead (HR + Admin)

Base Salary with ESOPS | Pre-Seed Startup | India Only

About Us

We are building a next-generation AI-driven trading platform that ingests massive streams of financial, alternative, and sentiment data and transforms them into actionable insights. Our mission is to combine robust data engineering pipelines with Generative AI and advanced ML models to democratize access to sophisticated trading strategies.

As an early-stage startup, we are assembling a founding team of builders who can take ownership of critical functions and operate with agility. This role is for a Swiss Army knife operator who can manage people, compliance, and operations, while partnering with founders to keep the company moving fast.

The Role

We are looking for a Founding People & Operations Lead (HR + Admin) to own the HR and administrative backbone of our startup. This person will be the first point of contact for team operations, HR processes, legal coordination, and compliance. You will partner with a Product Manager based in the U.S., ensuring smooth cross-border collaboration and managing the unique challenges of operating across India and the U.S.

This is a hands-on execution-first role. You will not only design policies and frameworks but also roll up your sleeves to manage day-to-day HR tasks, contracts, and vendor relationships.

What You’ll Do

• HR & People Operations

- Handle hiring processes: job postings, candidate screening, offer letters, onboarding, and documentation.

- Draft and manage employment/contractor agreements, including equity-based agreements in compliance with Indian labor laws.

- Support team culture-building, performance processes, and conflict resolution.

• Administration & Compliance

- Coordinate with CAs, attorneys, and advisors on company compliance, contracts, and filings.

- Support statutory compliance in India (labor law, contractor vs. employee status, PF/ESI if required).

- Assist in equity and cap table management in partnership with founders.

• Operations & Coordination

- Partner with U.S.-based leadership to manage overlapping work hours and ensure smooth India-U.S. operations.

- Support investor-related administration (document preparation, compliance data rooms).

- Manage relationships with third parties (brokers, payroll, accounting, and benefits vendors as the company matures).

• DIY Startup Execution

- Be the go-to operator who ensures nothing falls through the cracks.

- Adapt quickly, take ownership of unstructured problems, and design lightweight processes that scale.

- Balance long hours and ambiguity in exchange for equity ownership in a potential category-defining startup.

What We’re Looking For
• 6–10 years of experience in HR, People Ops, or Admin, preferably in startups.
• Strong knowledge of HR best practices, compliance, and statutory requirements in India.
• Experience drafting contracts and working with CAs/attorneys.
• Comfortable handling end-to-end HR cycles (hiring, onboarding, performance, exits).
• Strong operational capability: can manage multiple admin functions simultaneously.
• Excellent communication skills to work with a cross-border team (India & U.S.).
• A DIY, Swiss Army knife mindset: hands-on, resourceful, entrepreneurial, and execution-driven.
• Willingness to work in an equity-only, pre-funding startup environment.
Why Join Us
• Be the first People & Ops leader in a startup that aims to transform retail trading.
• Build the HR and admin backbone of a company from the ground up.
• Work directly with founders and core product/tech leadership.
• Partial equity-based compensation at pre-angel stage — high risk, high reward.
• Own a broad scope of responsibilities and grow into a leadership role as the company scales.