HR & Operation Intern

College Circle AI is a student-led, student-first company building technology for the future of learning. We are working toward Academic Intelligence for the New Era, with the belief that curiosity should never die in a classroom.
We are building a real product for real students, working across technology, research, learning, product, growth, business and people. This is not a college club or a simulated project. People joining College Circle AI are expected to work on real responsibilities, contribute to real outcomes and grow with the organisation.
About the People & Culture Role
People & Culture at College Circle AI is responsible for building the people system behind the company.
This role is not limited to recruitment, attendance or administrative HR work. The person will help build how people join, work, communicate, learn, contribute, take ownership and grow inside an early-stage company.
You will work closely with department heads, team members and the Founder’s Office to understand what the organisation needs and create systems that help people perform better.
The goal is simple:Build a culture where the right people can contribute, learn, take ownership and build something meaningful together.
What You Will Work On
1. People & CultureUnderstand how people work inside College Circle AI and continuously improve the employee/team experience.You will help establish:Team culture and working principles
Communication standards
Collaboration practices
Employee engagement
Team bonding and community initiatives
Feedback mechanisms
Recognition and appreciation systems
Internal communication
Conflict-resolution processes
People-related documentation and systems
You are expected to understand why people behave in a certain way, not simply record what they do.
2. Hiring & Talent
People & Culture plays an important role in bringing the right people into the organisation.You may work on:Job descriptions
Candidate sourcing
Application screening
Candidate communication
Interview coordination
Screening processes
Candidate evaluation
Interview documentation
Selection coordination
Onboarding
Maintaining candidate records
Building future talent pipelines
The objective is not to hire the maximum number of people.It is to identify people who can actually contribute to the role they are applying for.
3. Onboarding
Once someone is selected, People & Culture helps them understand how College Circle AI works.You will help ensure that every new member understands:Their role
Their responsibilities
Their department
Their reporting structure
Their working expectations
Their communication channels
Their targets
Their evaluation process
Their documentation requirements
Their growth opportunities
A person should not join College Circle AI and spend their first few weeks trying to understand what they are supposed to do.
4. People OperationsYou will help maintain the basic operating structure required for people to work effectively.This includes:Attendance and participation tracking where applicable
Leave coordination
Working commitments
Team records
Appointment and onboarding documentation
Internal policies
Performance records
Role changes
Exit and handover processes
Maintaining people-related information
People Operations should make the organisation more organised, not more bureaucratic.
5. Performance & Growth
People & Culture should help people understand whether they are actually contributing.You will work with department heads to understand:What was expected?
What was delivered?
What was learned?
What problems were encountered?
What ownership was demonstrated?
What should improve?
What should the person take ownership of next?
The objective is not simply to evaluate people.It is to help people become better contributors.
6. Learning & Development
College Circle AI is a learning-oriented organisation.People & Culture should help create opportunities for team members to develop through:Internal workshops
Mentorship
Learning resources
Skill development
Cross-functional exposure
Founder/team interactions
Practical startup experience
Peer learning
The culture should encourage people to learn by doing, not only through courses or theory.
7. Team Communication
You will help create a healthy communication environment across departments.This includes helping teams communicate:What they are working on
What they completed
What they need help with
What is blocked
What they learned
What needs to change
What decisions have been made
People & Culture should help prevent information from getting lost between departments.
8. Employee Experience
You should continuously ask:What does it actually feel like to work at College Circle AI?You may collect feedback through:One-on-one conversations
Team discussions
Surveys
Exit feedback
Informal conversations
Department reviews
Then convert that feedback into actionable improvements.
How People Are Expected to Work
College Circle AI operates with flexibility, but flexibility comes with ownership.
People are expected to:
Take ownership → communicate clearly → meet commitments → document work → participate actively → ask for help when needed → learn → improve.You are not expected to wait for someone to tell you every small thing that needs to be done.
If you see a problem within the people system, you are expected to:Identify → understand → investigate → propose → discuss → implement → measure.
The Culture We Are BuildingOwnership over instructionsWe value people who ask:“What needs to be done?”rather than only:“What task have I been assigned?”Learning over hierarchyEveryone should be able to question an approach respectfully, regardless of their position.Evidence over assumptionsPeople decisions should be supported by conversations, observations, records or data wherever possible.Transparency over confusionIf there is a problem, communicate it early rather than allowing it to become larger.Responsibility over excusesMistakes are part of building. Hiding mistakes or avoiding responsibility is different.People-first, performance-consciousWe care about people, but we also care about whether the organisation is actually moving forward.
What We Look ForWe are looking for someone who is:People-oriented
Observant
Organised
Empathetic
A strong communicator
Comfortable speaking with different types of people
Curious about organisational behaviour
Able to handle difficult conversations
Comfortable with ambiguity
Proactive
Responsible with confidential information
Interested in building systems
Willing to challenge inefficient processes
Able to balance people needs with organisational requirements
This Is Not a Conventional HR RoleAt an early-stage company, People & Culture cannot operate only as an administrative function.You may be asked to work on hiring one day, culture the next, performance systems after that, and an entirely new people problem the following week.You will need to understand the business, the departments and the people working inside them.You are building the people infrastructure of a growing company.
Working With Other DepartmentsPeople & Culture works across the organisation and may coordinate with:Founder’s Office Strategy, leadership and organisational prioritiesTechnology Technical hiring, team structure and developer experienceResearch & R&D Research talent, research culture and team developmentLearning & Academic Team Learning culture, training and academic initiativesProduct Product talent and cross-functional collaborationGrowth & Business Development Growth hiring, partnerships and team coordinationMarketing & Community Brand, community and people engagement
Growth at College Circle AI
Your responsibilities can evolve as the organisation grows.You may begin with:Recruitment → People Operations → Culture → Performance → People Strategy → Organisational LeadershipPeople who demonstrate strong ownership and consistent contribution may receive opportunities to take larger responsibilities.
Important Disclaimer
College Circle AI is an early-stage organisation. Roles, responsibilities, structures, processes and priorities may evolve

Work arrangement
Hybrid