--- title: 'Senior Manager, HR Operations at Semafor' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-hr-operations-semafor-new-york-03wa01wbtz2a' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-10' --- # Senior Manager, HR Operations at Semafor - **Company:** Semafor - **Location:** New York, NY - **Posted:** 2026-08-07 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-10 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/semafor/jobs/4722436005 ## Job description ## Who we are Semafor is a global news platform for an increasingly complex world in which consumers are overwhelmed by too many news sources and unsure what to trust. We are building Semafor to enable world-class journalists to deliver reporting and insights with rigor in journalistic forms that ensure a new level of transparency. Our editors and reporters distill the most important stories from all over in formats that uncover the forces shaping the stories, explain the interests behind polarizing narratives, and replenish the stock of shared facts. As a global platform, Semafor recognizes that smart people can disagree and that informed readers need to understand alternative points of view from competing centers of power and culture in a multi-polar world. Want to join us? Read on. ## About this Role We're looking for a Senior Manager of HR Operations who combines strong people-operations expertise with hands-on office management skills and sharp project management instincts. This is a hybrid role: part of your time will be spent running the systems, processes, and compliance work that keep our employee lifecycle running smoothly, and part will be spent as the operational backbone of our physical workspace — including leading our upcoming office move from planning through execution. You'll report directly to the CFO and work closely with Finance, HR, IT, and department leaders across the company to ensure our people operations are efficient, accurate, and aligned with broader business systems. ## What You'll Do HR Operations & Employee Lifecycle - Own the end-to-end onboarding and offboarding process, ensuring a smooth, compliant, and well-documented experience for new hires and departing employees - Manage and maintain our HR systems and technology stack — including Rippling (HRIS), ChartHop (people analytics/org data), and Greenhouse (ATS) — ensuring data integrity and system optimization - Identify opportunities to optimize workflows, automate manual processes, and improve the employee and manager experience through HR technology. - Maintain and update personnel files in accordance with legal and company recordkeeping requirements - Own the employee handbook and policy documents, keeping them current with employment law and company practice - Manage the PTO approval process and ensure accurate tracking and reporting of time off - Produce regular HR reporting and analytics for leadership, including headcount, turnover, and compliance metrics - Provide operational support across key People initiatives, including talent management, annual performance reviews, compensation planning, promotions, organizational changes. - Develop, document and continuously improve People Operations processes and standard operating procedures to support scalability. Cross-Functional & Systems Alignment - Partner with Finance to align Rippling/ChartHop data, tagging conventions, and terminology with the Finance ERP system, ensuring consistency across systems - Coordinate with IT on device inventory management and equipment provisioning/deprovisioning tied to employee onboarding and offboarding in Rippling - Design and configure workflows in Rippling, ChartHop, and Greenhouse to support key people initiatives, including annual performance reviews and employee engagement/feedback surveys - Serve as a key point of contact across departments for people-related process questions and improvements Workplace Operations& Project Leadership - Lead the planning and execution of the company's upcoming NYC office move, partnering with Finance, IT, building management, and external vendors to deliver the project on time and within budget. Responsibilities include project planning, timeline management, vendor and building coordination, budget tracking, furniture/equipment logistics, risk management, and employee communications to ensure a seamless transition with minimal business disruption. - Act as the day-to-day office manager for a fast-paced, open office environment, overseeing supplies, vendor coordination, equipment, and general office operations - Apply strong critical thinking and project management skills to anticipate risks, solve problems proactively, and keep cross-functional stakeholders aligned throughout the move - Coordinate with building facilities teams on repairs, security, and general office upkeep - Support the setup and execution of company events, all-hands meetings, and employee recognition programs as needed What Makes You Qualified - Bachelor's degree preferred, or equivalent professional experience - 5+ years of experience in HR operations, people operations, or a related field, ideally with some office management or facilities exposure - Demonstrated experience managing a project with significant logistical complexity (e.g., office move, systems implementation, event at scale) is a strong plus - Hands-on experience with Rippling, ChartHop, and Greenhouse strongly preferred; comfort configuring, troubleshooting, and optimizing HR technology tools - Strong understanding of core HR processes: onboarding/offboarding, personnel recordkeeping, leave/PTO administration, and policy documentation - Excellent project management skills — able to build a plan, manage a timeline, track a budget, and drive multiple workstreams to completion - Strong critical thinking and proactive problem-solving skills; comfortable making decisions independently and escalating judiciously - Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly across all levels of the organization - Highly organized and detail-oriented, with strong follow-through on deadlines and deliverables - Proficiency in Google Workspace and Slack - Professional demeanor with the ability to maintain strict confidentiality - Comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving environment and wearing multiple hats Additional Job Details Salary Range: Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, etc. Base: $130,000 - $145,000 per year. Additional job details Semafor offers a Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) policy to our full-time, salaried employees who may take paid time off as-needed without a prescribed limit or defined balance. Semafor, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and enthusiastically encourages people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. Semafor, Inc. will consider all applicants without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical and/or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. ## About Semafor ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Semafor is an intelligent, transparent global news platform that delivers original reporting, analysis, and high-level live journalism convenings for global decision-makers. - **Entity Type**: Private (Venture-backed) - **Headquarters**: Washington, D.C., United States - **Founded**: 2022 - **Founders**: Ben Smith, Justin B. Smith ## Core Business - **Industry**: Digital news media, live journalism events - **Target Customers**: B2B primarily (C-suite executives, global leaders, policymakers) and B2C (curious, informed global audience) - **Mission**: To provide an unparalleled level of journalistic transparency through innovative new forms, cutting through the noise of the news cycle with smart, distilled views and exploring competing perspectives across borders for a curious, new global audience. [Semafor About Page](https://www.semafor.com/about) ## Products & Services - **Semafor Daily News Briefings**: A suite of paid and free email-first publications covering key verticals, including: - **Semafor DC**: A daily guide to power and policy in Washington (publishing twice daily starting March 2026). - **Semafor Business**: A daily first-read for global business leaders. - **Semafor Gulf**: A daily first-read covering the Gulf region. - **CEO Signal**: An invitation-only newsletter with 75% of Fortune 500 company CEOs as engaged subscribers. - **Flagship News Website**: Original reporting, analysis, and features from global reporting hubs. - **Semafor Live Journalism & Events**: High-level global convenings connecting public and private sector leaders, including: - **Semafor World Economy Summit**: The largest annual gathering of CEOs in the United States. - **The Next Three Billion**: A platform focused on emerging economies. - **Future Products**: Semafor plans to launch a new **CEO-focused China news briefing** and new **audio and video products** in 2026. [Semafor Press Release](https://www.semafor.com/article/01/07/2026/semafor-marks-record-growth-and-profitability-for-global-news-media-launches-major-editorial-and-live-journalism-expansion) ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: Not publicly available - **Key Metric**: **Annual Revenue of $40 million** (2025), achieving full-year **profitability** with **$2 million in EBITDA**. - **Total Funding**: **$74 million** across 3 rounds (Pre-Seed, Seed, and a recent Venture round closed in early 2026). - Pre-Seed Round (June 2022): $25 million from 7 investors. - Seed Round (May 2023): $19 million from 6 investors. - Venture Round (January 2026): $30 million from 5 investors. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not explicitly named in public sources, but backed by venture capital. - **Growth Signals**: - **Workforce**: 129 employees (+37.3% year-over-year). [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/semaformedia) - **Subscribers**: Over 1 million email subscriptions, heavily concentrated among C-suite leaders. - **Recognition**: Named to Fast Company’s Annual List of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in 2024 for "rewriting the story" on international reporting. - **Geographic Expansion**: Reporting hubs in Washington DC, Wall Street, Silicon Valley, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Gulf. Plans to expand into Asia in 2026. ## Competitive Advantages - **Innovative "Semaform" Format**: The platform’s journalistic structure explicitly separates facts, analysis, opinion, and counter-narratives to rebuild trust with audiences. [Semafor About Page](https://www.semafor.com/about) - **High-Value Audience**: A highly concentrated, engaged subscriber base of global C-suite leaders and policymakers, creating a premium B2B brand for both news and events. - **Founding Team**: Led by two veteran media executives: Justin B. Smith (ex-CEO of Bloomberg Media, co-founder of Quartz) and Ben Smith (ex-Editor-in-Chief of BuzzFeed News, media columnist for The New York Times). - **Profitable Business Model in Digital Media**: Achieving profitability within three years is a significant differentiator in the current media landscape. ## Strategic Focus - **Scale Editorial Operations**: Expanding the frequency of key newsletters (Semafor DC, Business, Gulf) and launching new ones (China briefing). - **Expand Live Journalism**: Growing flagship events (World Economy Summit from 3 days to 5) and scaling global convenings in new markets (Asia, Gulf, Africa). - **Product Expansion**: Developing new audio and video products for decision-makers. - **Hiring for Growth**: Actively adding to its team of beat-defining journalists and commercial staff in key markets globally. ## Why Work Here - **High-Impact, High-Profile Work**: Opportunity to build a next-generation global news platform from a growth-stage startup that is already profitable. - **Growth Trajectory**: The company is aggressively expanding its editorial team, events, and product lines, offering significant career growth potential. - **Culture of Transparency**: The company’s entire product mission is built on journalistic transparency and rebuilding trust, which likely permeates the internal culture. - **Workplace Policy**: The company has a hybrid presence with offices in New York, Washington D.C., and London, as well as staff in hubs like the Gulf and Africa. - **Notable Perks**: Working with a high-caliber team of journalists and a strong leadership team with deep media industry experience. The company appears to have a high-performance culture focused on results and growth. ## Sources 1. [Semafor About Page](https://www.semafor.com/about) 2. [Semafor Press Release (Record Growth)](https://www.semafor.com/article/01/07/2026/semafor-marks-record-growth-and-profitability-for-global-news-media-launches-major-editorial-and-live-journalism-expansion) 3. [Semafor LinkedIn Company Page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/semaformedia) 4. [Semafor Careers Page (Greenhouse)](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/semafor) 5. [Semafor Website](https://www.semafor.com/) ## Other roles at Semafor - [Event Coordinator, Live Journalism](https://feeny.ai/job/event-coordinator-live-journalism-semafor-washington-ansm654chhzj) — Washington, DC - [Editorial Event Producer - Contract Opportunity](https://feeny.ai/job/editorial-event-producer-contract-opportunity-semafor-remote-q5m4xeqk7xgf) - [Spend Management Lead (Accounts Payable & T&E)](https://feeny.ai/job/spend-management-lead-accounts-payable-t-e-semafor-new-york-sndvfc5x2v49) — New York, NY - [Flagship Lead Editor](https://feeny.ai/job/flagship-lead-editor-semafor-london-england-xgb08txz375q) — London England, United Kingdom - [Digital & Social Platform Editor](https://feeny.ai/job/digital-social-platform-editor-semafor-new-york-0307tzhkmskg) — New York, NY - [Video Producer Fellowship](https://feeny.ai/job/video-producer-fellowship-semafor-new-york-8tnvtw2vq57w) — New York, NY - [Senior Producer, Video & Live Journalism](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-producer-video-live-journalism-semafor-new-york-2b149xkn4thq) — New York, NY / Washington, DC - [Senior Accountant](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-accountant-semafor-new-york-b05tph3d63tv) — New York, NY - [Senior Product Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-product-designer-semafor-new-york-vm2s8fnfhnjn) — New York, NY - [Asia Editor](https://feeny.ai/job/asia-editor-semafor-remote-0yw83jz53cx0)