About Alaffia & Our Mission

Every year, U.S. health plans lose billions to improper payments and administrative waste. That wasted spending ultimately trickles down across the healthcare ecosystem, driving up costs for plans, providers, and patients alike. We’re here to change that paradigm.

Alaffia is a new kind of claims operations partner for health plans. Using expert clinicians and transparent AI, we deliver deeper insights, smarter automation, and consistently better outcomes across the entire lifecycle of claims. With Alaffia, health plans can cut wasted spending more effectively than ever — and provide their members the most affordable care.

We’re a high-growth, venture-backed Series B healthtech startup based in NYC and are actively scaling our company. Join us in helping to build a healthcare system that works better for everyone.

About the Role & What You’ll Be Doing

As Director of People Operations, you’ll be tasked with building out Alaffia’s HR function as we scale from a Series A company to a growth stage company. This is a high-impact, high-visibility role that partners directly with the founders and functional leaders to ensure we have the systems, standards, and management capability required to scale responsibly and perform at a high level. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys rolling up their sleeves and collaborating with others for meaningful work that will impact every employee. 

You will be responsible for building and operationalizing our core people systems (performance management, promotion frameworks, compensation structures, payroll and benefits processes, compliance, and reporting). A major focus of this role will be strengthening our management layer and fostering a culture of accountability and high performance. That includes designing manager training programs, coaching leaders through performance conversations, and ensuring expectations are clear and consistently upheld across the organization.

You will also serve as a trusted advisor on employee matters, navigating sensitive situations with sound judgment while ensuring we remain compliant with state and federal requirements as we scale. This role will partner closely with external brokers, 401(k) providers, insurance carriers, payroll partners, and legal counsel when necessary, and will act as the internal subject matter expert on benefits, payroll troubleshooting, and employee-related questions.

If you’re motivated by building the systems that help teams win — turning data and structure into leverage for both people and business performance — and want to shape a company where employees are deeply supported to do their best work, this is your opportunity.

What You’ll Own

• Scalable People Infrastructure: Build and continuously improve scalable systems and processes across HR operations, payroll, benefits, compliance, and people analytics. Ensure our infrastructure evolves as we grow in a structured, proactive, and built to last way.

• Employee Lifecycle & Automation: Lead and drive automation across the full employee lifecycle, including onboarding, performance management, feedback, engagement, and leadership development. Ensure these programs are structured, measurable, and aligned to a culture of high performance.

• Performance Management & Accountability: Design and operationalize performance frameworks, promotion processes, and feedback systems that reinforce clarity, ownership, and consistent standards. Strengthen documentation practices and ensure performance conversations are handled effectively and fairly.

• Management Development & Coaching: Elevate our management layer by designing structured training programs and coaching managers to build strong, accountable, and effective teams. Provide tools and frameworks that enable managers to lead with confidence and clarity.

• Organizational Design & Workforce Planning: Partner closely with departmental leaders, the Executive Leadership Team, and Finance on org design, team structures, headcount planning, and workforce strategy to support sustainable, disciplined growth.

• Talent Strategy & Retention: Design and execute strategies to attract, retain, and grow top talent in alignment with Alaffia’s mission and values. Ensure we are building a team capable of performing at a high level as we scale.

• Culture at Scale: Own and reinforce our culture as we grow, ensuring our values are consistently lived across teams. Foster a high-performance environment where accountability and support coexist.

• Employee Relations & Compliance: Handle complex employee relations matters with sound judgment and discretion. Ensure full compliance with federal, state, and multi-state employment laws, partnering with external legal counsel when necessary.

• Payroll, Benefits & Total Rewards: Oversee payroll and benefits administration, troubleshoot issues proactively, and manage vendors across benefits, compensation, and total rewards. Partner closely with brokers, 401(k) providers, insurance carriers, and other third parties to ensure competitiveness, compliance, and operational excellence.

• People Metrics & Reporting – Build clarity around key people metrics — from engagement and retention to hiring velocity and performance outcomes — and use data to inform leadership decision-making.

What We’re Looking For

• 8–10+ years of progressive HR/People experience, with meaningful leadership experience in high-growth, venture-backed B2B SaaS and/or services companies (Series A through Series C+).

• Formal HR training, including certifications such as SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR. Working understanding of federal and multi-state employment law and compliance requirements as companies scale.

• Demonstrated experience building and scaling People functions across performance management, compensation and leveling, employee engagement, leadership development, workforce planning, and total rewards.

• Proven ability to design and implement performance systems that reinforce accountability, clarity, and high standards.

• Strong experience partnering with executive leadership on org design, management capability building, and headcount strategy. Comfortable advising founders and senior leaders through complex people decisions.

• Deep operational expertise across HRIS and people systems (Rippling experience a plus), including workflows, automation, analytics, reporting, configuration, and integrations. Strong technical fluency in Google Workspace and/or Microsoft Office, particularly Sheets/Excel and Slides/PowerPoint.

• Exceptional judgment and discretion handling sensitive employee relations matters. Calm, structured, and solutions-oriented under pressure.

• Strong communicator and influencer, able to partner effectively across all levels of the organization — from individual contributors to C-level leaders.

• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and energized by creating structure, process, and scalable systems from the ground up.

• Detail-oriented, disciplined, and highly accountable — able to manage multiple priorities without sacrificing quality or follow-through.

Our Culture

Alaffia was born out of our founders’ personal connection to the inefficiency of the U.S. healthcare system. We are deeply mission-driven, with an abiding belief that technology can help create a better future for everyone — and we’re looking for others who share our passion for change to join the team.

What Else Do You Get?

• Competitive compensation package (cash + equity)

• Medical, Dental and Vision benefits

• Flexible, paid vacation policy

• Work in a flat organizational structure — direct access to Leadership