About Aalo Atomics

Aalo Atomics is pioneering a new era in clean energy with factory-fabricated microreactors designed to deliver affordable, scalable, and reliable nuclear power. Our mission is to make nuclear energy globally accessible, starting with the Aalo-1, a 10 MWe reactor leveraging cutting-edge safety, modularity, and efficiency. Based in Austin, TX, we’re rapidly growing as we work to deploy the world’s first fleet of advanced microreactors. Join us and help revolutionize energy for a sustainable future.

About the role

Aalo Atomics is hiring its first dedicated people‑operations professional to own payroll, benefits, and core HR administration for our rapidly growing, on‑site team in Austin, Texas. You will ensure every teammate is paid accurately and on time, manage our benefit programs end‑to‑end, keep us fully compliant with federal, state, and local requirements, and partner with leadership on strategic headcount planning as we scale from roughly 60 employees to more than 120 in the next year.

What you’ll do

Payroll & Tax Compliance

• Process semi‑monthly payroll for salaried employees and bi‑weekly payroll for hourly employees using Rippling, including equity‑based compensation and variable pay
• Maintain and audit payroll data (time records, deductions, gross‑to‑net calculations) to guarantee 100 % accuracy and timely funding
• Register Aalo Atomics for new state and local payroll‑tax accounts as we expand, and maintain existing registrations, notices, and rate changes
• Reconcile payroll liability accounts and coordinate with Accounting for month‑end close

Benefits Administration

• Serve as plan administrator for medical, dental, vision, HSA/FSA, life/AD&D, STD/LTD, 401(k), and any future plans
• Manage open enrollment, mid‑year life‑event changes, carrier file feeds, billing audits, and COBRA/QB events
• Educate employees on benefit options, eligibility, and required actions; resolve escalated claims or carrier issues
• Partner with brokers to evaluate plan design, renewals, and compliance filings (5500, ACA, ERISA)

HR Operations & Systems

• Act as Rippling super‑admin: build workflows, reporting dashboards, and automated notices to minimize manual effort
• Own employee master data, job changes, I‑9/E‑Verify, and document management in accordance with retention laws
• Draft and refine HR policies, handbook language, and standard operating procedures in collaboration with Finance & Legal
• Generate HR metrics (turnover, headcount, compensation analytics) and deliver insights to leadership
• Collaborate with executives on strategic headcount planning, developing forecasts and scenario models to align staffing with budget and growth objectives

Employee Support & Special Projects

• Provide high‑touch, confidential support on pay, benefit, and leave questions (FMLA, PFML, ADA, etc.)
• Coordinate annual compensation review cycles and equity‑grant processing
• Lead or assist with adjacent projects such as workers’‑compensation audits, unemployment claims, and HR‑portal build‑out

Qualifications

Required

• 4 + years hands‑on payroll processing and benefits‑administration experience, including 2 + years in a multi‑state environment
• Expert knowledge of U.S. wage‑and‑hour laws, federal/state payroll‑tax regulations, and pre‑/post‑tax benefit deductions
• Demonstrated mastery of Rippling or comparable HRIS/payroll platform, including workflow automation and reporting
• Proven track record of administering major group‑health and 401(k) plans, including open enrollment and compliance filings
• Advanced Excel skills for reconciliations and analytics; ability to interpret and present HR data
• Unwavering commitment to confidentiality, data security, and precision

Preferred

• Professional certification: CPP, FPC, CEBS, or SHRM-CP
• Experience supporting equity‑compensation taxation (ISO/NSO, RSU, 83(b))
• Background in nuclear, engineering, or other highly regulated industries
• Experience scaling from < 50 to 250 + employees in a venture‑backed startup