Head of People

A growing, founder-led organization in a highly regulated, service-oriented environment is hiring a Head of People to build, strengthen, and lead the full People function through its next stage of growth.

This is a rare opportunity for an HR leader who can operate at two levels at once: serving as a trusted strategic thought partner to a dynamic founder/CEO while also personally executing the work required to build a disciplined, compliant, scalable People infrastructure. The right person will not be looking for a policy-only role or a narrowly advisory seat. This role is for a builder, operator, coach, risk spotter, communicator, and steady hands-on leader.

The organization is mission-driven, growing, and operationally complex. It needs a People leader who can bring structure without bureaucracy, judgment without rigidity, empathy without avoidance, and urgency without sacrificing compliance or quality.

The Opportunity

The Head of People will own the full HR ecosystem, including recruiting, onboarding, employee relations, performance management, retention, payroll, HR operations, compensation practices, compliance, manager support, and organizational development.

This leader will assess the current People infrastructure and team, identify what needs to be built or improved, and create practical systems that support growth, consistency, and risk mitigation. They will partner closely with the Founder/CEO and senior leaders on organizational design, workforce planning, communication, culture, leadership effectiveness, and employee experience.

This is a highly visible role with real impact. Success will require both strategic range and a willingness to roll up your sleeves.

What You’ll Build and Lead

You will create and strengthen a People function that supports a growing, multi-site, regulated organization. Key priorities include:

People strategy and infrastructure

Build a practical People roadmap aligned with business growth, compliance needs, employee experience, and operational realities. Establish clearer workflows, service standards, escalation paths, documentation practices, and reporting.

Compliance and risk mitigation

Own HR compliance, with particular attention to California wage-and-hour requirements, exempt/non-exempt classification, meal and rest breaks, overtime, leaves, accommodations, final pay, recordkeeping, wage statements, policies, and manager guidance. The ideal candidate has strong risk radar and knows how to identify issues before they escalate.

Employee relations and manager coaching

Serve as a trusted resource to employees and managers. Handle sensitive employee relations matters with sound judgment, balanced communication, appropriate documentation, and an eye toward both fairness and risk mitigation. Coach managers on performance, accountability, communication, feedback, and employee development.

Talent acquisition and retention

Lead recruiting strategy and improve the systems that support hiring quality, hiring manager alignment, candidate experience, onboarding, retention, and early success. Partner with managers to clarify roles, improve job descriptions, strengthen selection practices, and compete effectively for talent.

Payroll, HR operations, and systems

Oversee payroll accuracy, controls, and coordination across HR, finance, operations, and managers. Build or refine processes for onboarding, offboarding, employee data, personnel files, benefits administration, payroll changes, leaves, policy acknowledgments, reporting, and HR systems.

Performance, compensation, and communication

Create practical performance management and compensation practices that are clear, consistent, compliant, and financially responsible. Help managers communicate expectations, provide feedback, address issues early, and support employee growth.

Who Will Thrive

You will be a strong fit if you are an experienced HR leader who enjoys building in real time. You are comfortable advising a founder in one conversation, resolving a sensitive employee issue in the next, then tightening a process, reviewing documentation, improving a workflow, or coaching a manager before the day is done.

You are likely energized by this role if you:

• Have built or significantly upgraded HR infrastructure in a growing organization.
• Know California employment law and wage-and-hour compliance well enough to spot risk and guide practical decisions.
• Communicate clearly, calmly, and credibly across executives, managers, and employees.
• Can balance mission, empathy, accountability, and compliance.
• Are comfortable in a founder-led or entrepreneurial environment where priorities move quickly.
• Create structure without over-engineering.
• Are willing to personally execute while building the team, systems, and cadence for scale.
• Bring strong judgment, high integrity, emotional intelligence, and operational discipline.

Ideal Background:

• Significant HR leadership experience, ideally including ownership of the full HR function.
• Strong California employment law and wage-and-hour knowledge.
• Experience overseeing recruiting, payroll, HR operations, employee relations, compliance, performance management, and retention.
• Experience building People infrastructure in a growing, multi-site, multi-entity, regulated, service-oriented, or founder-led organization.
• Experience managing direct reports and developing team capability.
• Strong employee relations judgment, including investigations, documentation, performance issues, accommodations, and manager coaching.
• Comfort partnering directly with a founder/CEO and senior leadership team.
• Experience in healthcare, behavioral health, human services, social services, professional services, or another regulated environment is helpful but not required.

Why This Role Matters

This is a chance to build the People function a growing organization needs for its next chapter. The work will be strategic, tactical, human, complex, and highly consequential. The organization needs a leader who can help it grow responsibly, communicate more effectively, strengthen compliance, support managers, improve the employee experience, and build scalable People practices that last.

Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience, scope, and market factors.