Head of People

Exa

$150K — $200K *
Enterprise Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years of progressive experience in People, Talent, or HR functions
  • Proven experience leading People teams in high-growth technology settings
  • Demonstrated success in building and scaling people programs
  • Strong knowledge of recruiting, compensation, benefits, and employee relations
  • Ability to influence and advise executive leadership
  • Excellent communication and relationship-building skills
  • Strong analytical skills for data-driven People decision making

Responsibilities

  • Develop and execute a people strategy in alignment with Exa's mission
  • Lead the People function across various HR disciplines
  • Advise leadership on organizational design and workforce planning
  • Build and improve people systems, policies, and programs
  • Develop compensation and rewards philosophies for talent attraction
  • Create and implement leadership development and performance management programs
  • Drive employee engagement initiatives and enhance company culture
  • Coach managers on performance and organizational challenges
  • Manage immigration processes related to employee sponsorships
  • Utilize people analytics for informed decision-making
  • Ensure compliance with employment laws and regulations
  • Mentor and develop a high-performing People team

Benefits

  • Opportunity to shape people strategy during a pivotal growth stage
  • Work closely with founders and leadership to influence company culture
  • A role that balances strategic oversight with operational execution
  • Engagement in building a high-performing organizational infrastructure
  • Potential for professional growth in a fast-moving environment
Full Job Description


We're looking for a Head of People to build and scale Exa's people function during a pivotal stage of growth. You'll partner closely with our founders and Chief of Staff to shape our organizational strategy, attract world-class talent, and create an exceptional employee experience that enables our team to do the best work of their careers.

About the Role

As Head of People, you will own and evolve Exa's people strategy, systems, and programs as we continue to scale. You will lead our people function across talent acquisition, employee experience, performance management, compensation, benefits, organizational development, and culture.

This is a highly strategic and deeply operational role. You'll be responsible for building the infrastructure, processes, and leadership practices that allow a high-performing organization to grow while maintaining the speed, ambition, and culture that make Exa unique.

You'll serve as a trusted advisor to the founders and leadership team on organizational design, talent strategy, leadership development, workforce planning, and employee engagement. At the same time, you'll be comfortable rolling up your sleeves to solve day-to-day challenges, improve processes, and support employees and managers directly.

The ideal candidate has experience building and scaling people organizations in high-growth technology companies and is energized by creating systems from the ground up. You combine strong business judgment with exceptional emotional intelligence and understand how to balance rigor, performance, and employee experience.

You thrive in fast-moving environments, value direct feedback, and are excited to help build a category-defining company.

What You'll Do
  • Partner with founders and leadership to develop and execute a people strategy that supports Exa's mission, values, and business objectives
  • Lead and scale the People function across recruiting, onboarding, compensation, benefits, employee experience, performance management, and talent development
  • Serve as a strategic advisor to leadership on organizational design, workforce planning, succession planning, and talent strategy
  • Build and continuously improve people systems, policies, and programs that enable employees to do their best work
  • Develop compensation and rewards philosophies that support attracting and retaining exceptional talent
  • Create and implement leadership development, performance management, and career growth programs
  • Lead employee engagement initiatives and strengthen Exa's culture as the organization scales
  • Coach managers and leaders on performance, employee relations, team effectiveness, and organizational challenges
  • Oversee employee relations matters and ensure thoughtful, consistent resolution of workplace issues
  • Manage immigration programs, including visa sponsorship and related processes
  • Drive data-informed decision-making through people analytics, reporting, and workforce insights
  • Ensure compliance with all applicable employment laws and regulations
  • Build, mentor, and develop a high-performing People team


What We're Looking For
  • 10+ years of progressive experience across People, Talent, or Human Resources functions
  • Experience leading People teams within a high-growth technology company; startup experience required
  • Demonstrated success building and scaling people programs and organizational infrastructure
  • Strong understanding of recruiting, compensation, benefits, talent management, employee relations, performance management, and organizational development
  • Proven ability to influence and advise executive leadership
  • Excellent communication, interpersonal, coaching, and relationship-building skills
  • Strong analytical skills and experience using data to inform People decisions


Bonus
  • Experience at a top-tier startup or scale-up
  • Experience building people teams from scratch
  • Deep knowledge of U.S., European, and Singapore employment law and HR compliance
  • Experience supporting international employees and immigration programs

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