Lead People & Talent at a fast-growing AI-native company. Develop a scalable people function, build hiring workflows, and manage benefits and operations. Ideal for someone with experience in scaling startups.
Key Highlights
Technical Skills Required
Benefits & Perks
Job Description
I’m partnering with a YC-backed, AI-native company that’s moving from early-stage intensity into real scale. They’re ~30 people today, recently signed a term sheet, and are planning to grow to 75-100 people over the next 12-18 months.
This is the first true People & Culture hire. Not a pure recruiter. Not a back-office HR role. This is about building the people function that can actually keep up with a fast-moving, high-bar business.
What this role actually is:
You’ll own People end-to-end:
- Talent strategy and hiring execution as volume increases
- Partnering closely with founders and recruiters to build pipeline and close
- Putting real structure around people ops as the company matures
This role exists because the current setup is starting to break under growth. You’re the person who fixes that.
Scope and responsibilities:
People & Talent
- Own recruiting strategy and process as headcount ramps
- Build consistent, founder-grade hiring workflows
- Ensure high-signal, high-velocity hiring without quality dropping
People Operations/HR Fundamentals
- Set up and manage benefits and group health
- Handle employment fundamentals with appropriate legal awareness
- Avoid early-stage compliance mistakes (wage/hour, contracts, policies)
- Own expense policies and internal people processes
Operational Ownership
- Manage housing/relocation logistics (company-run housing with multiple leases)
- Be the central point of accountability for people operations as the org scales
- Move the company from “scrappy and fragmented” to “structured but still fast”
Ideal background:
- Previously led People / Talent at a scaling startup (Seed → Series A → Series B, or similar)
- Has personally supported hiring 10-20+ people during a growth phase
- Comfortable operating with ambiguity and building from zero
- Pragmatic, commercial, and founder-aligned
- Not afraid to roll up sleeves early, but capable of designing for scale
Working environment:
- In-person, San Francisco
- Standard start time around 5:00am
- High-intensity Monday-Friday, typically finishing early evening
- No mandated weekend culture, but ownership is expected
- Strong internal focus on health and sustainability
This is a rare chance to define the people function before things get messy, not after.
If this sounds like you (or someone you know), feel free to reach out directly.