People & Culture Coordinator

OVERVIEW: The People & Culture Coordinator role represents an exceptional opportunity for a thoughtful, organized, and service-oriented professional to join LightEn North Carolina in its start-up phase. LightEn’s team is collectively working to deliver on an ambitious and world-changing mission, providing a world-class culture through a purpose-driven lens. This one-of-a-kind project offers an opportunity to help shape the systems, practices, and employee experience of a growing organization. The Coordinator will report directly to the Director of People & Culture and will provide broad operational and program support across the employee lifecycle. the Coordinator will translate people practices into reliable day-to-day operations. This generalist role will coordinate and support onboarding and orientation, team-building activities, learning and development programs, employee benefits support, recruiting processes, HR data, and day-to-day employee inquiries. The ideal candidate brings sound judgment, attention to detail, warmth, discretion, curiosity, clear and kind communication and the flexibility to help build practical people systems in a rapidly evolving environment. Success in this role requires a hands-on generalist who can balance detail-oriented administration, with relationship building, protect confidential information, and adapt thoughtfully as priorities and systems evolve. This person will collaborate across teams, create clear and welcoming experiences, maintain accurate records, and identify opportunities to strengthen processes as the organization grows. All team members are expected to model LightEn’s approach and values of reflection, collaboration, and soul-infused action and are encouraged and supported to do so throughout their own practices. Specific job responsibilities include but are not limited to: Coordinate preboarding, new-hire paperwork, orientation schedules, welcome communications, and follow-up activities that help team members integrate successfully. Partner with hiring managers to post roles, coordinate candidate communications and interviews, maintain applicant records, and support an equitable and welcoming recruitment process. Support benefits administration by assisting with enrollment communications, responding to routine questions, connecting employees with appropriate resources, and coordinating with benefit partners. Coordinate learning and development programs, including scheduling, participant communications, materials, space preparation, feedback collection, and vendor or facilitator logistics. Help plan and deliver team-building, recognition, culture, and engagement activities that strengthen relationships across a growing team. Build trusted relationships across the organization and provide warm, responsive, and inclusive service to candidates, team members, managers, and partners. Collaborate with colleagues to meet collective goals, take on emerging priorities, and continually improve the employee experience. Maintain accurate and confidential employee records, organizational charts, job descriptions, templates, calendars, and People & Culture files. Enter, validate, and reconcile data in HR systems and spreadsheets; prepare recurring dashboards and reports on hiring, headcount, turnover, onboarding, learning, benefits, and engagement. Analyze people data for trends, summarize findings clearly, and support the Director of People & Culture with timely insights. Serve as an approachable first point of contact for routine employee questions, escalating sensitive, complex, or policy-related matters appropriately. Support HR administration by gathering information, monitoring deadlines, and coordinating accurate and timely submissions with internal and external partners. Assist with employee lifecycle processes, including status changes, leave and return-to-work coordination, offboarding, employment verifications, and records retention. Track required trainings, acknowledgments, and documentation; support audit preparation and consistent application of organization policies and procedures. Document and improve People & Culture workflows, checklists, and standard operating procedures as the organization’s needs and systems mature.

SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS: High integrity, discretion, and sound judgment when handling confidential or sensitive information. Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines. Clear, warm, and professional written and verbal communication skills. Service orientation and the ability to build trusted relationships with people at all levels of the organization. Ability to exercise initiative, work independently, ask thoughtful questions, and escalate issues appropriately. Comfort working in a start-up environment where priorities, processes, and responsibilities may evolve. Working knowledge of core HR practices across onboarding, recruiting, benefits, learning and development, employee records, and employee support. Strong data and organizational skills and comfort organizing, validating, analyzing, and presenting people data; experience with HR information or applicant tracking systems is beneficial. Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, and PowerPoint. Commitment to inclusive, consistent, and respectful people practices and resonance with LightEn’s mission and vision.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE ROLE: Ability to work at a computer and communicate in person, by phone, and through virtual platforms for extended periods. Ability to move throughout the campus and occasionally lift or carry materials weighing up to 25 pounds. Ability to perform the essential functions of the role with or without reasonable accommodation.

TIME REQUIREMENTS: Ability to work a regular full-time schedule, with occasional flexibility for orientation sessions, team events, benefits activities, or other time-sensitive needs. Availability to adjust priorities and provide additional support during periods of rapid hiring, program launches, or organizational growth.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE: Two to four years of progressively responsible experience in human resources, people operations, recruiting coordination, benefits administration, learning and development, or a related field. Experience supporting a growing, changing, or start-up organization is preferred. Experience preparing HR reports or dashboards and working with HR systems, applicant tracking systems, or benefits platforms is preferred. Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business, organizational development, psychology, or a related discipline is helpful but not required. SALARY + BENEFITS: The starting salary for this role is $60,000 dependent on experience. LightEn also offers employer paid health benefits, paid time off, paid sick time, parental leave, retirement savings match, long and short-term disability coverage, life insurance, professional and personal learning and development opportunities and fresh, vegetarian lunches provided daily. AAP/EEO Statement LightEn NC provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, LightEn NC complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation. and training. LightEn NC expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of LightEn NC’s team members to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.