HR Operations

Cognition

San Francisco, US

On-siteVisa sponsorshipCareer-pivot friendly

Who this role is best for

Best suited to HR generalists with immigration expertise working in fast-growing AI startups.

Best fit for

HR generalists who thrive in scaling operations from scratch
— “build and run our core HR functions from the ground up”
Professionals with hands-on US immigration case management experience
— “Practical experience managing US immigration cases”

Things to consider

Immigration program ownership requires coordination with outside counsel
— “Manage US immigration end to end in close coordination with outside counsel”
Role includes flexing into broader people ops as needed
— “Flex into broader people ops work as needed”

How to stand out

Showcase specific examples of scaling HR systems in startups
— “Design the systems that make this scalable”
Highlight direct experience with multiple visa types beyond H-1B
— “H-1B, O-1, PERM, green cards”
Demonstrate ability to create documentation that prevents process gaps
— “playbooks, checklists, and documentation so nothing falls through the cracks”

Pace · SteadyCollaboration · MediumAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · TeamLevel · Mid Level

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

Built scalable HR systems
Managed US immigration end-to-end

Typical background

HR operationsimmigration law

Skills & requirements

Required

HR OperationsImmigration ManagementOnboarding/offboarding ProcessesBenefits Administration

Preferred

US Immigration LawPeople Operations

Stack & domain

People OperationsHr ProcessesBenefits AdministrationImmigration Program ManagementComplianceEmployee RelationsImmigration LawCoordination With Outside CounselLeadershipCommunicationProblem-solvingProject ManagementTeamworkAttention To DetailHrImmigrationBenefits

About the role

Original posting from Cognition via Ashby

WE ARE AN APPLIED AI LAB BUILDING END-TO-END SOFTWARE AGENTS.
We're the makers of Devin, the first AI software engineer, and Windsurf, the AI-native IDE. Together, they represent our vision for collaborative AI teammates that enable engineers to focus on more interesting problems and empower teams to strive for more ambitious goals.
Our team is small and talent-dense. Among our founding team, we have world-class competitive programmers, former founders, and leaders from companies at the cutting edge of AI including Scale AI, Palantir, Cursor, Waymo, Tesla, Lunchclub, Modal, Google DeepMind, and Nuro.
Building Devin and Windsurf is just the first step—our hardest challenges still lie ahead. If you’re excited to solve some of the world’s biggest problems and build AI that can reason on real-world tasks, apply to join us.
ABOUT THE ROLE
We're growing fast and bringing in world-class talent from around the globe, and we're doing it differently than most. That kind of momentum doesn't run itself. We're hiring someone to build the engine behind it: the HR processes, playbooks, and systems that can scale as fast as we do. This is a rare chance to own real scope early. You'll help build and run our core HR functions from the ground up, including onboarding, benefits, compensation, compliance, and employee relations. You'll also own our immigration program end to end. Along the way you'll solve hard problems, work cases that actually matter to people's lives, and watch the things you build become how the company runs.
In this role you will:
Help build and own core HR operations, including onboarding, offboarding, benefits administration, and employee relations, and keep them running well
Design the systems that make this scalable: tracking, playbooks, checklists, and documentation so nothing falls through the cracks
Manage US immigration end to end (H-1B, O-1, PERM, green cards) in close coordination with outside counsel.
Be the steady point of contact for employees navigating visa sponsorship, renewals, and status questions
Make sure managers are informed before they act, on immigration timelines, compliance requirements, and people processes
Flex into broader people ops work as needed at a company of our size
Requirements for this role:
3+ years in people operations or HR at a fast-growing startup or tech company
Solid generalist foundation across core HR: onboarding, benefits administration, compliance, employee relations, and policy
Practical experience managing US immigration cases (H-1B, O-1, PERM, green cards), including direct coordination with outside counsel
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
Cognition is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities throughout the hiring process - please let us know if you need any.

Source: Cognition careers (Ashby)