Head of People

What You'll Do

• Build and own our people strategy - performance management, compensation, employee development, and culture

• Partner with leadership on organizational design, headcount planning, and talent decisions

• Evolve HR infrastructure - refine policies, ensure compliance, optimize benefits programs

• Design and implement performance management frameworks - goal-setting, reviews, promotion cycles, career development

• Lead compensation strategy - maintain equitable pay bands, manage equity grants, conduct market benchmarking

• Drive culture and engagement initiatives - team events, values definition, employee feedback loops, DEI programs

• Manage employee relations - coach managers on difficult conversations, resolve conflicts, handle sensitive situations

• Build manager enablement programs - training on feedback, performance management, hiring decisions

• Ensure compliance with employment laws and regulations across all locations

• Partner with recruiting lead on hiring strategy and process improvements

What We're Looking For

Must-Haves:

• 5-8+ years in People/HR roles at high-growth startups, with at least 2 years in leadership

• Experience scaling people functions at early-stage companies (50-200 employees)

• Track record designing and implementing people processes (performance management, compensation, onboarding, career frameworks)

• Business partner mentality - you advise leadership on strategic decisions, not just execute HR tasks

• Strong coaching skills - you develop managers and help them navigate people challenges

• Comfort with ambiguity - you build infrastructure without waiting for perfect clarity

• Excellent judgment on sensitive employee matters

Nice to Have:

• Experience in fintech, lending, or regulated industries

• Background in AI/ML or technical product companies

• Previous experience scaling a company through hyper-growth (50→200+ employees)

• Knowledge of multi-state employment compliance

What Makes This Role Interesting

• Take the people function from foundational to strategic as our first people leader

• Direct partnership with CEO and leadership team on all people decisions

• Shape company culture during critical growth phase

• High impact - your work directly affects every employee and shapes our trajectory

At Salient, we’re building at the edge of AI - fast, focused, and with real ownership. Sprints and major launches move quickly, and we look for people who are energized by that pace and ready to collaborate in person 4 days a week in our San Francisco office.

We also offer a benefits package designed to support our full-time employees: medical, dental, and vision coverage , a generous 401(k), and catered lunches.