VP, People

Job Summary

We have grown from a founding team into an organization of almost 600 employees, and we are on a path of more growth over the next several years. The complexity of that journey - across multiple sites, safety-critical operations, and a deeply technical workforce - demands a People function that enables employees to do their best work and our organization to achieve its mission.

This role is for someone who wants to build: the systems, the bench, the culture, and the capabilities that will carry Kairos through its next substantial growth phase. The VP of People will be a genuine executive partner - at the table when strategy is set, trusted when things are hard, and deeply invested in our mission for the long term.

If you are energized by building in a high-stakes, technically rigorous environment where the mission is bigger than ourselves, we want to talk.

Responsibilities

People Strategy & Executive Partnership

• Serve as a trusted thought partner to the CEO and executive team on talent strategy, leadership effectiveness, and scale readiness
• Translate business strategy into People programs that move the organization forward
• Lead, develop, and empower the People leadership team across Talent, People Operations, and Learning & Development
• Establish clear priorities, success metrics, and operating cadence for the People function

Talent & Workforce Strategy

• Own enterprise talent strategy: workforce planning, hiring strategy, and succession planning at scale
• Build and maintain systems that support attraction, development, and retention of critical talent
• Oversee leadership development, performance management, and career progression frameworks
• Ensure strong leadership capability at all levels - with particular focus on manager effectiveness and VP/Sr. Director bench strength

People Operations & Risk Management

• Ensure compliant, consistent, and fair People Operations across all locations
• Own policy governance, employee relations strategy, investigations, and escalation decisions
• Partner closely with Legal, Finance, and Compliance in a regulated, safety-critical environment

Culture & Employee Experience

• Steward company culture in alignment with business needs and mission
• Use data and diagnostics - engagement, feedback, metrics - to inform decisions and interventions
• Lead change management efforts tied to workforce growth, transformation, or major initiatives

Experience

• 10+ years of progressive People leadership experience
• Prior ownership of multiple functions within a People organization (TA, Comp, HR, L&D, etc)
• Experience partnering directly with a CEO in a scaling environment
• Demonstrated success leading through high-growth phases
• Deep fluency in employee relations and employment risk management
• Experience designing and governing compensation systems at scale
• Experience leading multi-site or geographically distributed organizations

Leadership Expectations

We have thought carefully about what it takes to lead People effectively at Kairos. The right person brings:

• Strong situational judgment in ambiguous, high-stakes matters
• Energized by building systems for the next stage of growth
• Calm under pressure; holds boundaries without escalating
• Comfortable formalizing what was previously relationship-driven
• Sees second- and third-order impacts before acting
• Empathetic and direct - without being permissive or rigid
• Designs durable solutions rather than reactive fixes
• Data-informed but genuinely people-centered

Physical Demands

• Remaining in a stationary position, often standing, or sitting for prolonged periods
• Moving about to accomplish tasks or moving from one worksite to another
• Adjusting, moving, transporting, installing, positioning, or removing objects up to 10 pounds in all directions
• Communicating with others to exchange information

Environmental Conditions

• General office environment

Safety and PPE

• Reading and interpreting hazardous warning signs
• Wearing proper PPE, to include face mask, safety shoes, etc.

Travel

• Some travel may be required up to 15%

Certification

• SHRM-CP or PHR preferred but not required

Additional Requirements

• Requires working weekends occasionally
• Requires schedule flexibility occasionally
• Requires extended hours to support launch and critical project timelines occasionally

The salary range for this position is $265,000 to $325,000 for employees working onsite at our Alameda, CA headquarters. The range provided in this job posting represents the typical range or starting rate of candidates hired in California. Factors that may be used to determine your actual salary may include your education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, the market data for your work location, and a comparison to other employees already in the role.

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