Head of People

Remote (United States)

Job Details

Location: United States; Berkeley, California option available

Workplace: Remote in the US or onsite/hybrid in Berkeley, CA

Employment Type: Full-time, 40 hours per week

Experience: 7+ years of progressive HR or People experience, including 3+ years leading a People team or major sub-function

Core Areas: People Operations, Talent Acquisition, Performance Management, Compensation & Benefits, Employment Compliance, HRIS, Organizational Design, International Employment

Compensation: $150,000–$200,000 annually

About the Role

This opportunity is for a Head of People to build and lead the People function through a period of significant organizational growth. The role owns the systems, processes, team, and practices supporting the full employee lifecycle, including talent acquisition, onboarding, HR operations, performance management, compensation, benefits, compliance, employee engagement, retention, and offboarding.

The position works closely with executive leadership and department leaders on organizational design, compensation, leveling, succession planning, and sensitive personnel matters. It also leads HRIS, payroll coordination, ATS operations, immigration processes, international employment through EOR arrangements, hiring infrastructure, and the development of a growing People team across multiple geographies.

What You'll Do

• Build and lead the People function, creating scalable systems, processes, policies, and infrastructure that support significant headcount growth.
• Own HRIS, payroll coordination, ATS administration, immigration processes, and the employee lifecycle from onboarding through offboarding.
• Lead full-cycle talent acquisition, including pipeline strategy, sourcing, candidate experience, employer branding, interview design, offer processes, and partnership with hiring managers.
• Analyze recruiting data and relevant market trends to inform future hiring strategies and improve talent acquisition effectiveness.
• Develop and maintain performance management practices, including quarterly performance reviews, professional development processes, manager effectiveness practices, and structured approaches to underperformance.
• Own compensation philosophy, job leveling, compensation benchmarking, and benefits administration across the United States and other geographies.
• Manage international employment considerations, including employment through Employer of Record arrangements.
• Own employment compliance across applicable jurisdictions, including US federal and state requirements and requirements in other countries where employees are located.
• Develop and maintain practices, feedback processes, and organizational rituals that support employee engagement, retention, inclusion, and a high-performance work environment.
• Coordinate quarterly team events, including offsites, team-building activities, and social gatherings.
• Resolve People Operations questions and employee issues with sound judgment, efficiency, and appropriate sensitivity.
• Advise senior leadership on organizational design, compensation, leveling, succession planning, and sensitive personnel decisions.
• Hire, develop, and manage the People team as the function expands.

Qualifications

Required Experience

• 7+ years of progressive experience in HR or People functions.
• At least 3 years of experience leading a People team or a major People or HR sub-function.
• Proven experience managing full-cycle recruiting and successfully filling difficult roles, preferably including technical positions.
• Demonstrated experience scaling a People function during significant organizational and headcount growth.
• Hands-on experience owning or substantially building at least three of the following: HRIS implementation, performance management systems, compensation frameworks, hiring infrastructure, or international employment through an Employer of Record.

Required Skills

• Ability to independently build and operate People systems, processes, and teams in an environment with changing requirements and organizational growth.
• Strong practical judgment when handling sensitive personnel matters and the ability to communicate directly, candidly, and respectfully.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust and work effectively with candidates, managers, executives, and other internal stakeholders.
• Ability to develop thoughtful and effective candidate communications and clearly present organizational opportunities during the recruiting process.
• Ability to design practical People processes while avoiding unnecessary administrative complexity.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in startups, nimble nonprofit organizations, high-growth teams, or other fast-paced environments.
• Technical acumen or familiarity with AI or related technical fields sufficient to work effectively with technical candidates, employees, and leadership.
• Direct experience employing staff internationally, including through Employer of Record arrangements.
• Experience developing or managing a global compensation philosophy across multiple countries.
• Experience building People systems, processes, and organizational culture in hybrid or remote environments.
• Experience contributing to an impact-driven organization or a demonstrated interest in AI safety.

Benefits

• Health insurance with 94% of the insurance premium paid, beginning within one month after the start date.
• 401(k) retirement plan with up to a 2% match.
• 25 days of paid time off per year, accrued weekly.
• Up to 10 days of paid sick leave per year.
• Paid bereavement, family, medical, and pregnancy disability leave.
• Work-from-home stipend and work computer for eligible employees.
• Catered lunches and dinners on workdays for employees working from the Berkeley office.