The role

The People & Operations Lead is a proactive, resourceful member of the Kanopi team who helps keep the company running smoothly and actively makes it run better over time.

You will be the kind of person who makes things happen without needing to be asked twice. You take a task and own it. You notice gaps and close them. You are digitally savvy in the practical sense: before you do something the slow way, you look for the smarter way. You are comfortable working across multiple domains — people, compliance, finance, culture — and you are drawn to the challenge of building good systems rather than just maintaining existing ones.

AI tools are increasingly part of how we work at Kanopi, and we expect this role to grow with that. You don't need to be an expert, but you should be genuinely curious, willing to experiment, and open to building new habits as the tools evolve.

The role can be full-time or part-time (min 32 hours per week, to be agreed), and is Melbourne-based, with Tue/Wed/Thu in our office in Melbourne CBD.

Our Head of Operations is based in the Netherlands, so this role comes with a high degree of day-to-day autonomy — you will be the operational presence on the ground in Melbourne. We have a standing weekly check-in (with an occasional second call as needed), and given the time zone difference, these will typically fall outside standard Melbourne business hours. We schedule them with everyone's availability in mind, but some regular flexibility is part of the role.

Responsibilities

People operations and HR

• Coordinate end-to-end employee onboarding and offboarding — tasks, system access, hardware, welcome, and documentation

• Manage Employment Hero: payroll checks, leave administration, and record accuracy

• Draft and maintain HR policies, keeping them current with legislative changes (Australia and UK)

• Coordinate performance review cycles and support team rituals and check-ins

• Track employment legislation changes and flag anything requiring Head of Ops attention

Recruitment coordination

• Manage job postings across all boards and keep listings current

• Handle candidate communications — acknowledgements, rejections, and scheduling

• Run first-pass application screening (including intro calls) against criteria set by the hiring manager

• Coordinate interview scheduling across multiple interviewers

• Maintain recruitment pipelines and run fortnightly pipeline catch-ups

• Liaise with external recruiters and agencies as engaged

Finance and commercial operations

• Follow up on outstanding invoices and debtor communications

• Track vendor contracts, subscriptions, and renewal dates

• Coordinate NDA reviews — sending, tracking signatures, and filing

• Support RFP submissions — deadline tracking, document collation, logistics

• Provide board meeting logistics support: materials preparation, action register maintenance, and follow-up tracking

Systems and process improvement

• Proactively identify gaps in internal processes and build solutions — automations, templates, workflows

• Own and maintain ClickUp task management across ops functions

• Build and iterate on automation (e.g. onboarding triggers, offboarding checklists, recurring task management)

• Use AI tools and automations to improve efficiency and scale output — we value curiosity and willingness to learn over existing expertise

Compliance and audit support

• Maintain compliance records and documentation across ISO 27001, CPS230/231, and GDPR

• Coordinate audit logistics, evidence gathering, and corrective action tracking

• Support tabletop exercises and incident response testing

• Keep the sub-processor register and data processing documentation up to date

• Monitor for regulatory updates (EU GDPR, EDPB, ASIC) and flag relevant changes
  

Culture and internal communications

• Coordinate quarterly team meetups (Sydney and Melbourne), Town Halls, and team lunches

• Manage logistics for offsites, all-hands events, and company gatherings

• Support employer branding activities — podcast scheduling, awards submissions, industry events

• Contribute to onboarding experience and new starter culture

Office and physical operations

• Manage laptop procurement, asset tracking, and hardware returns — ISO 27001-compliant

• Administer access cards for Melbourne and Sydney offices

• Maintain the visitor policy and sign-in system

• Coordinate onboarding kits and swag

• Manage office supplies and orders

Required experience / knowledge / skills

Experience

• 5–6+ years in operations, people ops, or EA/coordinator roles, ideally in a startup or high-growth environment

• Proven track record running HR and people operations processes end-to-end

• Experience coordinating recruitment: scheduling, screening, agency and candidate management

• Familiarity with finance operations: invoice follow-ups, vendor management, payroll checks

• Exposure to compliance-adjacent work: records management, audit support, policy maintenance

• Some experience with commercial operations (NDAs, RFPs, board support) is a bonus

Skills and approach

• Resourceful and self-directed; you work things out and follow through without prompting

• Strong attention to detail and the discipline to maintain it under pressure

• Excellent written communication: clear, professional, and calibrated to the context

• Able to manage competing priorities and adapt quickly when things change

• Digitally savvy; you naturally look for smarter ways to approach a task before defaulting to manual effort, and you know how to get the most out of the tools and platforms in front of you

• Comfortable using AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or similar) to improve efficiency, or genuinely curious and motivated to learn

• Comfortable with task management platforms (ClickUp, Asana, Notion, or equivalent)
  

Attitude

• Motivated and curious, with a positive and professional approach

• Takes ownership and cares about team outcomes

• Values inclusivity and a people-first culture

• Thrives in a fast-paced, evolving environment

• Comfortable working autonomously and managing up across time zones

Don’t stop reading yet

If you’re excited about this role but aren’t sure if you tick all our boxes, please send in your application anyway. We know from research that women and other people from underrepresented, minority, or marginalised backgrounds often only apply if they think they meet all the criteria, but please don’t let that stop you from applying. We’d really love to hear from you and to see what unique skills and experience you’d bring to the role, even if it is not everything we have listed above.

Benefits

Things you might want to know about us:

• We offer a warm and collaborative work culture with big time vision. Our aim is to create an environment in which everyone is included in decisions and opportunities, regardless of your role, age, or how long you've been with the company. Everyone's opinion is welcome, and we're firm believers in discussions and radical candor.

• We trust our people. This means we focus on outcomes and provide a flexible workplace. So if you need some time to go to the gym on a WFH day or feel like going for a walk around that 3pm slump, it’s all fine. We have team members around the globe, so you may need to attend an early morning or early evening meeting occasionally.

• You will work alongside an experienced team who will challenge you everyday (and expect you to challenge them back).

• We’re big fans of learning new things, which is why we give you the support and professional development to help you achieve your career goals, learn and grow. We offer time and support to take courses, read books, or attend events, and we have a career development framework in place.

• We value flexible work and healthy boundaries. That’s why we support the right to disconnect. While some after-hours availability is required - for example, to meet with the Head of Operations - we aim to keep this to a minimum and always prioritise balance.

• We offer a hybrid working model, with time split between remote work and 3 regular days together in our CBD-based office. These in-person moments are a key part of how we stay connected, collaborate well and build a strong team.

Apply now

Interested in joining? Then we’d love to hear from you directly. A short note/letter about what draws you to this role and what you would bring to Kanopi matters more to us than a polished template.