Associate Human Resources Generalist

About the job

ABOUT US

Quartermaster is building the world's most comprehensive maritime intelligence platform. Our SmartMast™ system transforms commercial and civilian vessels into a persistent, distributed sensing network—combining HD video, AI, radar, RF sensing, and AIS to deliver real-time maritime domain awareness at global scale. With 600+ sensors deployed across 25+ countries and more than 400,000 vessels identified outside of AIS, we are setting a new standard for what ocean surveillance and safety can look like. We are a mission-driven, high-velocity team building dual-use technology for defense agencies, coast guards, and commercial maritime operators.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Quartermaster is seeking a proactive, highly organized Associate HR Generalist to support our rapidly scaling team and help build out our core People operations. In this role, you will work across the entire employee lifecycle—driving seamless onboarding, managing day-to-day HR administrative operations, maintaining HRIS systems, and supporting employee relations, benefits, and compliance initiatives.

You will serve as a primary point of contact for employee inquiries, ensuring our team members experience high-touch, reliable support as we scale. The ideal candidate thrives in fast-paced startup environments, brings meticulous attention to detail, and excels at building scalable HR processes without sacrificing the personal touch that makes a great workplace culture.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the end-to-end employee onboarding and offboarding processes, coordinating with IT, Recruiting, and hiring managers to deliver a seamless team member experience.

• Maintain data integrity and manage records within our HRIS, keeping employee profiles, organizational charts, and compensation tracking accurate and up-to-date.

• Serve as the first point of contact for employee inquiries regarding benefits, HR policies, leave requests, and general HR processes.

• Assist in administering company benefits programs, including open enrollment, broker coordination, leave of absence management, and worker's compensation.

• Support compliance initiatives by monitoring federal, state, and local labor law requirements, updating employee handbooks, and managing personnel files.

• Coordinate performance management cycles, employee feedback touchpoints, and training initiatives across cross-functional teams.

• Partner with the Talent Acquisition team to streamline the transition from candidate offer acceptance to Day 1 onboarding.

• Drive culture initiatives, employee recognition programs, team events, and office experience projects to maintain high team engagement.

QUALIFICATIONS (PREFERRED):

• 1–3 years of hands-on HR experience (as an HR Assistant, Coordinator, or Junior Generalist), preferably in a venture-backed tech startup, engineering, or fast-growing environment.

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, or equivalent practical experience.

• Hands-on experience with modern HR platforms (e.g., Rippling, Gusto, BambooHR, Sequoia, or similar HRIS tools).

• Solid understanding of HR fundamentals, labor laws, benefits administration, and compliance best practices.

• High degree of discretion, maturity, and judgment when handling sensitive, confidential information.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with a customer-service mindset toward supporting team members.

• Strong organizational skills and the ability to multitask, prioritize, and drive projects independently in a fast-changing environment.

• Bonus: HR certification (SHRM-CP or PHR) or prior experience supporting distributed/hybrid engineering teams.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Hybrid environment with regular time at our Arlington, VA office.

• High-velocity startup atmosphere with high autonomy and opportunities for rapid career growth.

• Flexible working hours with occasional deadline-driven projects.