About the RoleWe're hiring our first Director of People & Talent to own our People function end to end: how we hire, onboard, develop, and compensate our team, and how a fully remote company stays connected.
We've grown quickly this year, adding new leaders and team members across several countries. Now we need someone to shape how that team works together, and you'll be building much of it from scratch. That means putting more structure around how we onboard employees, manage performance, make compensation decisions, and support our managers. Just as important, we need to define and reinforce the values and cultural norms that keep a distributed team aligned, so that people in different countries and time zones share the same expectations for how we work, communicate, and make decisions.
This is a hands-on role with a lot of ownership. You'll oversee day-to-day People operations and internal communications, develop the programs and processes we need as the company grows, and lead recruiting as roles open across Engineering, Bioinformatics, Product, Customer Success, and Marketing. You'll also be an ambassador for our culture, turning our values into everyday practices, from how we hire and onboard to how we give feedback and recognize great work. You'll work closely with our COO and leadership team, balancing immediate priorities with longer-term planning. As the company grows, so will this role, including the chance to build out the People team.
We're looking for someone who has done this before, enjoys building, and knows how to keep processes simple and practical. You should have a track record of building strong culture in a remote environment, where norms have to be set deliberately.
What You'll DoOnboarding, Culture & Employee Experience- Own the onboarding process from offer acceptance through an employee's first month, coordinating with Finance, IT, and hiring managers.
- Build on our existing onboarding processes and tools, including AI-powered workflows, to create a consistent experience for new hires.
- Partner with managers to ensure new employees have clear expectations, the right resources, and a strong start.
- Build the rhythms that keep a remote team connected as we grow, including off-sites, meetups, and virtual events.
- Lead a refresh of our company values with leadership, and build them into onboarding, feedback, and recognition.
- Own internal communications, including all-hands meetings, company announcements, and the messaging around org changes.
Performance Management & Manager Development- Lead our annual feedback cycle, beginning with our first formal cycle in early 2027.
- Create a culture that encourages meaningful feedback, recognizes strong performance, and identifies opportunities for development.
- Coach managers to build regular feedback and development conversations into their day-to-day management practices.
- Develop our managers, particularly first-time managers, through coaching, training, and practical tools.
People Operations & Compensation- Own our compensation processes, including market benchmarking, salary bands, equity guidelines, and annual compensation reviews.
- Evaluate and improve our existing People systems and processes, including employee records, headcount tracking, payroll coordination, and equity administration.
- Select and implement an HRIS, and help determine when additional systems or tools are needed as the company grows.
- Own our employee policies, handbook, and People documentation.
- Manage employee relations, performance concerns, role changes, and offboarding, including the related communications, with professionalism and discretion.
- Be the first point of contact for employees and managers on People questions, so day-to-day issues are handled quickly and consistently.
Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning- Own full-cycle recruiting across technical and non-technical functions.
- Partner with leadership and hiring managers to prioritize open roles, plan future hiring needs, and make thoughtful headcount decisions.
- Manage external recruiters and agencies as needed.
- Run a structured hiring process in Ashby, from sourcing and scorecards through reporting, so hiring managers make strong decisions.
- Coach hiring managers on scoping roles, setting criteria, and giving structured feedback.
- Use AI and recruiting tools to improve efficiency while maintaining a thoughtful, personal candidate experience.
- Partner with leadership on compensation benchmarking, offers, and closing candidates.
People Strategy & Organizational Development- Set the People roadmap with the COO and leadership team for the next stage of growth.
- Advise leadership on org design, leveling, retention, and manager effectiveness.
- Establish a consistent leveling and title framework, along with career paths, as the organization grows.
- Use recruiting and employee data to identify trends, improve processes, and inform decisions.
What You Bring- 8+ years of experience in People, HR, and/or Talent Acquisition, ideally including experience at an early-stage or high-growth startup.
- Experience building or leading a People or Talent function, preferably in an environment where you've had to create processes and programs from scratch.
- Experience developing and managing People programs, including onboarding, performance reviews, compensation, and employee development.
- Experience running internal communications, such as all-hands meetings and company-wide announcements.
- Strong full-cycle recruiting experience across both technical and non-technical roles. Experience hiring for AI, data, or scientific positions is a plus.
- AI fluency: you already use AI in your day-to-day work and can show how it has made recruiting or People processes faster or better.
- Experience supporting fully remote teams and building culture without a shared office, ideally with employees and contractors across multiple countries.
- Sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to navigate sensitive employee matters.
- Clear, direct communication and the credibility to build trust with employees, managers, and senior leadership.
- Comfort working independently, managing competing priorities, and moving between strategic projects and day-to-day execution.
- A proactive approach: you notice what's missing and fix it without waiting to be asked, and you know when to bring leadership in.
Most importantly, we're looking for someone who is practical, resourceful, and genuinely enjoys the work. You should be just as comfortable advising leadership on an organizational decision as you are running a candidate interview, improving an onboarding process, or helping a manager work through a challenging situation.
Success in Your First 90 Days- You've assessed our People systems and onboarding processes and developed a prioritized roadmap with leadership.
- You've taken ownership of any open roles and recruiting processes.
- You've taken the lead on our first formal feedback cycle and given managers the guidance they need.
- You've taken over all-hands planning and internal communications.
Benefits- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage
- 401(k) with company match
- Paid time off
- Paid volunteer time off
- Fully remote work, with equipment provided and internet and cell reimbursements
- Parental bonding leave
- Private, confidential clinical-grade whole genome sequencing for you and your immediate family
Join us in helping build the interface between humanity and its DNA!
