Senior People Operations Specialist

About the California Academy of Sciences

The California Academy of Sciences is a globally renowned scientific and cultural institution located in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Home to a world-class planetarium, aquarium, research center, and natural history museum—all under one living roof—our mission is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration.

Our extensive collections span plants, animals, fossils, and cultural artifacts from across the globe and throughout history. We are a diverse team of leading biodiversity scientists, educators, storytellers, designers, and communicators who work collaboratively to advance knowledge and inspire action through science and storytelling.

When you join the California Academy of Sciences, you become part of a mission-driven community that values curiosity, collaboration, and innovation. Whether you're working behind the scenes in research or engaging the public on the museum floor, your work will help connect people to the natural world and empower them to protect it.

About the Opportunity

The People Systems & Operations Senior Specialist reports to the Manager, People Systems & Analytics, with a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Total Rewards Manager as needed. This role supports the People Systems & Analytics function by executing HR systems operations, maintaining data integrity, and supporting compliance and benefits administration. As a key operational partner, this role ensures People systems run smoothly and accurately while supporting critical People programs, Total Rewards initiatives, and reporting needs

This role will serve as the operational backbone of the People Systems function, dedicated to the tactical execution of HR technology and data integrity across all people systems. The Senior Specialist is responsible for maintaining the "single source of truth" for workforce data through all people systems, HR technology and data integrity. Beyond daily administration, this role drives system adoption by creating user training materials and maintaining the People Operations process library. This position acts as the first line of defense for system issues, monitoring integrations, troubleshooting technical tickets, and ensuring accurate reporting for compliance and decision-making.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys systems, process execution, and behind-the-scenes work that enables scale and compliance.

Organizational Culture
Join a team dedicated to the Academy’s mission, vision and values! Currently, the Academy has a new strategic plan including three initiatives – Hope for Reefs, Thriving California, and Islands 2030 – that leverage biodiversity science, environmental learning, and collaborative engagement to regenerate fragile ecosystems around the world. Learn more at https://www.calacademy.org/about-us/major-initiatives.

We hope you are inspired by what we do and are excited to contribute to our mission. The mission of the California Academy of Sciences is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration. The Academy is looking for candidates who do great work, and we know they may come from a number of different backgrounds and experiences. We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every qualification for the position.

This position is based in San Francisco, California. The specific onsite/hybrid schedule for this position is listed below. 

Key Responsibilities

HRIS & Systems Administration

• Execute day-to-day HRIS transactions, including job changes/, transfers, benefits changes, LOAs, and separations.
• Serve as a primary Dayforce power user and first point of contact for HRIS-related issues
• Maintain accurate employee data and documentation across systems. Perform regular audits of employee data to ensure accuracy and completeness
• Partner with Talent Acquisition on onboarding handoffs and system readiness.  Ensure accurate completion of post-onboarding HRIS setup, including benefits eligibility, job data, and employee records after Day 1.
• Support system testing, updates, and process improvements
• Troubleshoot system errors, workflow issues, and data discrepancies
• Partner with Dayforce vendor support and internal stakeholders to resolve system tickets
• Partner with Talent Acquisition on onboarding handoffs and system readiness.  Ensure accurate completion of post-onboarding HRIS setup, including benefits eligibility, job data, and employee records after Day 1.
• Create and update end-user training materials, 'how-to' guides, and FAQ documentation 
• Support the rollout of new features and promote Manager Self-Service adoption

Benefits & Annual Programs

• Partner with the Total Rewards Manager to support benefits administration and employee inquiries at an operational level
• Support benefits-related corrections, audits, measurement periods, and payroll adjustments as needed
• Complete monthly benefits-related reporting
• Assist with Open Enrollment execution and follow-up
• Partner with vendors and internal stakeholders as needed on employee account corrections and employee education activities
• Create purchase requisitions for benefits vendors

Compliance Support & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Assist with ACA reporting, recordkeeping, and other regulatory requirements
• Maintain process documentation and standard operating procedures for compliance-sensitive populations
• Partner with Payroll, Finance, and IT on People systems operations
• Prepare and validate recurring People Operations compliance reports and standard data pulls
• Partner with the Manager, People Systems & Analytics to ensure data accuracy and consistency in reporting

Qualifications: A successful candidate will have the following:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience preferred
• 4-6  years of experience in HR Operations, People Systems, or similar roles
• Hands-on HRIS experience (Dayforce or comparable systems strongly preferred)
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy and integrity
• Hands-on experience supporting benefits administration, Open Enrollment, or ACA-related processes
• Experience supporting audits or regulatory reporting in a multi-employee-type or unionized environment preferred
• Experience working with Payroll and external vendors to resolve data discrepancies, corrections or retroactive changes
• Ability to manage multiple tasks, deadlines, and system-driven workflows
• Collaborative, dependable, and process-driven approach, with the ability to troubleshoot and resolve issues independently

Physical Environment:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. 

Compensation and Benefits:
The hourly range for this position is $38.46 - $48.08. Actual compensation will be commensurate with the final candidate's qualifications and experience, including skills, knowledge, relevant education, certifications and aligned with the internal peer group. We believe in fair and equitable compensation practices and are committed to providing competitive salaries within the industry and market standards. The Academy offers a total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits based on the hours per week worked. Further details regarding compensation and benefits will be discussed during the interview process.

Schedule: Full-time, 40 hours per week; hybrid schedule with three days onsite.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates should submit a resume and application through our Careers Page portal.

The California Academy of Sciences will give full consideration for employment to all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (SF Police Code, Article 49).