Senior People Operations

About AQEMIA

AQEMIA is a next-gen pharmatech company generating one of the world's fastest-growing drug discovery pipeline. Our mission is to design fast innovative drug candidates for dozens of critical diseases, such as immuno-oncology. Our unique approach leverages quantum-inspired physics algorithms to power generative AI in designing novel drug candidates—without relying on experimental data.

We already delivered several drug discovery successes within our internal pipeline and through collaborations with pharmaceutical companies. Our most advanced programs are currently in vivo optimization. We're in the midst of an expansion growth as we aim to double the number of programmes we work on, with the same projection for the size of all our teams.

Your Role :

We are looking for a Senior People Operations (80%) & Office Manager (20%) to lead and elevate AQEMIA's People operations, compliance, and employee experience across France and the UK.

This hybrid role combines operational excellence, HR systems management, legal compliance, and office leadership, ensuring smooth operations and a great employee experience in a fast-growing, international environment.

Your Key Responsibilities :

HR Operations & Systems

- Oversee all employee lifecycle processes: contracts, onboarding, offboarding, amendments, and HR documentation (France & UK).

- Manage and optimize HR tools (HRIS, payroll, benefits, and data accuracy).

- Ensure compliance with local employment regulations in both France and the UK, in collaboration with external legal and payroll partners.

- Partner with HRBP and TA teams to maintain alignment and consistency across People processes.

Legal & Compliance (France & UK)

- Act as the first point of contact for People-related legal topics.

- Maintain and update internal policies and contracts according to French labour law and UK employment legislation.

- Liaise with external counsel (France & UK) for specific cases: contracts, terminations, benefits, mobility, or risk management.

- Monitor regulatory updates and ensure the company's HR practices remain compliant.

- Support the VP People in building a robust and compliant HR framework for both markets.

Employee Experience, Office & Events

- Oversee office operations in Paris HQ and coordinate with UK employees for their workspace needs.

- Be the culture ambassador, ensuring employees feel supported and connected.

- Drive a positive, inclusive and consistent employee experience across locations.

- Organize internal events such as all-hands, team gatherings, offsites, onboarding sessions, and celebrations/promoting team spirit and culture.

- Manage office logistics, supplier relationships, and health & safety.

Process Improvement & People Projects

- Continuously improve and document HR and Ops processes.

- Support implementation of new People initiatives.

- Contribute to People dashboards and KPIs for business visibility.

- Help scale the People Operations function in line with AQEMIA's growth and international expansion.

What We're Looking For

Profile:

- 6–8+ years of experience in People Operations, HR Administration, or Office Management, in high-growth environments.

- Strong knowledge of French employment law and solid understanding of UK labour regulations.

- Proven experience managing cross-border People Ops topics (France & UK).

- Excellent organizational and project management skills; strong attention to detail.

- Comfortable juggling HR, legal, and operational responsibilities.

- Fluent in English and French (both used daily).

- Hands-on, proactive, and collaborative mindset, you like building processes that last.

Mindset & Values:

You are eager to play an active role in contributing to Aqemia's strategy to develop drugs for patients

You are motivated to bring your wealth of knowledge and skills to the table

You are keen to solve tough problems on issues that truly matter, with a proactive and can-do attitude

You are curious and want to learn new things to push yourself outside your comfort zone: learn more about finance, drug discovery and AI

Why Join Us?

At AQEMIA, we work for a mission: joining us means having your own impact on changing the way drugs are discovered, and helping to shape the direction of our fast-growing company and team.

Expanding Drug Discovery Pipeline : Focused on critical therapeutic areas like Oncology, CNS, immuno-inflammation with in vivo proof of concept/patent stage programs.

Collaborations with top Pharma, including a $140M Sanofi deal.

Interdisciplinary Team : brilliant talent from tech and life sciences.

DeepTech Recognition: Part of French Tech 120 and France 2030.

Prime Location : Based in central Paris.

International Environment : The work language is English - relocation support and French lessons granted if needed.

Strong Financial Backing : $100M raised from leading European and International investors.

Our recruitment process

- Screening call with HRBP - 45mn

- Business case with VP People & HRBP (hiring manager) - 1h

- Cultural fit interview with Emmanuelle Martiano, co-founder and COO - 45mn

- Final interview with Maximilien Levesque, CEO - 1h