Director, People

The Nuclear Company

$178K — $204K *
Business Services
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 7+ years of progressive HR experience including generalist/business partner work and HR systems ownership.
  • Demonstrated experience managing or implementing HR technology like Workday, ADP, or BambooHR.
  • Direct experience with AI/automation applications in HR operations.
  • Strong stakeholder management skills and ability to represent HR for both the office and specific customer groups.
  • Excellent judgment handling sensitive and confidential employee matters.
  • Experience managing people and/or non-human resources toward measurable outcomes.
  • SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or equivalent certification is a plus.

Responsibilities

  • Serve as primary HR contact for the DC office and assigned internal customer groups.
  • Advise managers on performance management, employee relations, and talent planning.
  • Interpret and apply company policy and manage sensitive employee relations matters.
  • Drive engagement, retention, and culture initiatives for the DC office.
  • Own the end-to-end HR technology stack, including HRIS and people-analytics tools.
  • Set the roadmap for HR systems and manage vendor relationships and contracts.
  • Develop and own the AI strategy to supplement HR work, determining task delegation and oversight.

Benefits

  • Competitive compensation packages.
  • 401k with company match.
  • Medical, dental, and vision plans.
  • Generous vacation policy, plus holidays.
Full Job Description
About the role

We're looking for an Director of People who can operate on two levels at once: as the trusted, on-the-ground HR partner for our DC office and designated client/customer groups, and as the architect of how our HR function scales - including how we responsibly integrate AI agents into our org structure to extend our team's capacity. This is a hybrid role for someone who is equally comfortable coaching a manager through a difficult conversation and defining the guardrails an AI agent operates within.

Responsibilities

HR Business Partnership
  • Serve as the primary HR point of contact for the DC office and assigned internal customer groups
  • Advise managers and leaders on performance management, employee relations, organizational design, and talent planning
  • Interpret and apply company policy consistently; manage sensitive employee relations matters with sound judgment and appropriate confidentiality
  • Drive engagement, retention, and culture initiatives specific to the DC office
  • Partner with Talent Acquisition and Legal on cross-functional initiatives affecting your client groups

HR Technology Ownership
  • Own the HR technology stack end-to-end: HRIS, ATS, payroll integration, LMS, and any people-analytics tooling
  • Set the roadmap for HR systems, evaluate and select new tools, and manage vendor relationships and contracts
  • Ensure data integrity, system security, and compliance across all HR platforms
  • Partner with IT/Security on access controls, integrations, and data governance

AI Strategy & Agent Management
  • Develop and own the strategy for how AI agents supplement HR work - identifying which tasks are appropriate to delegate to agents versus which require human judgment
  • Design the operating model for AI agents as part of the org structure, including scope of authority, escalation paths, and performance oversight
  • Act as the accountable human owner for AI agent(s) reporting into this role: setting objectives, reviewing output quality, and course-correcting behavior
  • Establish guardrails for data privacy, bias mitigation, and compliance in any AI-supported HR process
  • Build change management plans to help the broader team adopt AI-supported workflows with confidence rather than anxiety
  • Continuously evaluate new AI tools/agents and make build-vs-buy-vs-expand recommendations

Experience
  • 7+ years of progressive HR experience, including generalist/business partner work and HR systems ownership
  • Demonstrated experience managing or implementing HR technology (e.g., Workday, ADP, BambooHR, Greenhouse, or similar)
  • Direct experience with, or strong point of view on, applying AI/automation to HR operations
  • Excellent judgment handling confidential and sensitive employee matters
  • Strong stakeholder management skills - comfortable being the HR face for both an office and specific customer groups
  • Experience managing people and/or non-human resources (workflows, vendors, or agents) toward measurable outcomes
  • SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or equivalent certification a plus

Benefits
  • Competitive compensation packages
  • 401k with company match
  • Medical, dental, vision plans
  • Generous vacation policy, plus holidays

Estimated Starting Salary RangeThe estimated starting salary range for this role is $178,000- $204,000 annually less applicable withholdings and deductions, paid on a bi-weekly basis. The actual salary offered may vary based on relevant factors as determined in the Company's discretion, which may include experience, qualifications, tenure, skill set, availability of qualified candidates, geographic location, certifications held, and other criteria deemed pertinent to the particular role.

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