People Operations Analyst & Total Rewards

Lightmatter is a photonic computer company that is redefining what computers and human beings are capable of by building the engines that will drive discoveries and progress sustainably. With modern human progress relying heavily on computers, the world has hit a dead end with traditional transistors, and the prospect of constantly building data centers is an environmental nightmare. Lightmatter builds chips for artificial intelligence computing. Our architecture leverages the unique properties of light to enable a fast and efficient compute platform. We created a solution in photonic computing: using photons instead of electrons to take advantage of their higher bandwidth.

We are seeking a People Operations and Total Rewards professional to support the scaling of critical people infrastructure during a period of rapid global growth. The ideal candidate brings strong execution capability, comfort operating autonomously, and the ability to translate data and process into a high-quality employee experience.

Responsibilities: 

This person is responsible for making sure the core People Operations and Total Rewards processes run smoothly, stay compliant, and scale with the business. This includes: 

• The employee lifecycle from onboarding (including contractor onboarding) through offboarding, leave management, benefits operations, compliance tracking, audits, and people data reporting, including analytics that support hiring and workforce decisions.
• Support work across HR systems, compensation analyses, and global workforce administration to ensure our programs run cleanly and consistently as the company grows.
• Manage onboarding logistics, maintain accurate employee data, coordinate leaves, and act as a point of contact for benefits administration. You will help keep us compliant, prepare materials for audits, and make sure documentation and reporting are in order. This role also builds and maintains the reporting that helps us understand headcount, hiring activity, and workforce trends, partnering closely with Talent Acquisition and Finance.
• On the Total Rewards side, assist with compensation benchmarking, survey participation, and maintaining salary structures, as well as supporting the operational side of our HRIS and related systems. You will help identify process improvements, keep integrations working, and make sure the data behind our decisions is reliable.

Qualifications:

• At least 2 years of experience in People Operations or Total Rewards support, ideally in a high growth or technology environment.
• 1-2 years of experience administering benefits, working in HR systems, handling sensitive information, and producing accurate analysis in Excel or similar tools.
• Organized, practical, and able to manage multiple workstreams with minimal oversight.
• Demonstrates strong ownership and accountability, proactively driving tasks to completion and ensuring alignment across stakeholders.
• Maintains high execution velocity, translating priorities into actionable deliverables and ensuring consistent progress across projects.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• Vendor management experience

About You:

• Strong attention to detail and pride in producing accurate, reliable work.
• Takes ownership of responsibilities and follows through, operating with an accountable, get it done mindset.
• Able to work effectively in a fast paced environment and adapt as priorities evolve.
• Earns trust through consistency, responsiveness, and careful handling of sensitive employee information.
• Brings a practical, people focused approach while keeping work moving forward.
• Collaborative and service oriented, with clear communication and the ability to work well across teams and functions.