Chief People Officer

Location: 100% Remote (US Based Only)

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Estimated salary range: $275,000 to $350,000, based on experience and skill demonstrated during interviews and evaluations.

About the Role

The Chief People Officer is a C-suite executive and key architect of Ocient’s people strategy during a defining growth phase. Reporting directly to the CEO, the CPO will build the talent infrastructure, culture, and leadership capability needed to scale from a high-velocity startup into a durable, high-performance organization. This is a hands-on, highly visible role for an operator who thrives in ambiguity, moves fast, and knows how to build people programs that accelerate the business. The right candidate has been a senior people leader at a growth-stage technology company, understands the pace and complexity of scaling through rapid headcount growth, restructuring, or M&A, and brings the credibility and judgment to counsel the CEO and executive team on all people matters.

Responsibilities

• Executive Partnership & People Strategy
  • Serve as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to the CEO and executive team, translating business strategy into a forward-looking people roadmap with clear priorities, owners, and milestones — revisited quarterly as conditions shift.
  • Bring a founder’s mindset to people strategy: think in systems, move with urgency, and build for scale without over-engineering.
  • Champion company culture — internally and externally — preserving the high-ownership, high-trust values of a startup while professionalizing the organization for the next stage of growth.
  • Serve as a visible advocate for Ocient’s people brand in recruiting markets, investor conversations, and the broader tech ecosystem.
  • Lead workforce planning, org design, and headcount modeling in close partnership with the CEO and functional leaders — anticipating growth needs 6–12 months out.
• Organizational Development & Leadership
  • Design and implement leadership development, onboarding, and performance frameworks that build a high-performance culture without bureaucracy.
  • Build and mentor a lean, high-performing HR/People team — leveling up existing talent and making targeted hires as the business scales.
  • Drive org design decisions that improve accountability, reduce friction, and enable the company to move faster.
• Total Rewards & People Operations
  • Own total rewards strategy, including competitive compensation benchmarking, benefits, incentive programs, and equity — with deep expertise in pre-IPO equity structures (options/RSUs).
  • Oversee the full employee lifecycle: onboarding, development, performance, retention, and offboarding.
  • Implement and optimize HRIS and people analytics tools to drive data-informed decisions; define and report on key people metrics to the CEO and Board.
  • Manage employee relations, investigations, and conflict resolution with speed and discretion.
• Compliance & Risk
  • Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws across multiple jurisdictions, developing scalable policies that meet legal requirements without unnecessary process.
  • Partner with legal counsel on employment matters, contractor classification, and risk mitigation.
  • Oversee regulatory reporting and filings (EEO, FMLA, ADA, FLSA, etc.).

Requirements

• 12–18+ years of progressive HR/People experience, with at least 5–7 years at the VP, SVP, or CPO level.
• Proven growth-stage operator: you’ve been a senior people leader at a high-growth technology company — ideally through a period of 2x–5x+ headcount scaling, restructuring, or M&A — and you know what it takes to build people infrastructure at speed.
• Player-coach profile: you’ve operated at C-suite or VP level and still do the work yourself — writing JDs, running interviews, managing ER cases, pulling comp analyses. You don’t wait for a team.
• Data-driven mindset: you use people metrics to make decisions, communicate business impact, and prioritize your team’s work.
• Total rewards expertise: deep experience in compensation benchmarking, benefits strategy, and pre-IPO equity (options/RSUs).
• Multi-state and/or global HR experience: comfortable managing people programs across multiple jurisdictions and regulatory environments.
• Executive-level credibility: proven ability to partner with CEOs, Boards, and investors on sensitive people matters and organizational decisions.
• Business and financial acumen: experienced with headcount planning, budgeting, and making the financial case for people investments.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field; Master’s or MBA preferred; or equivalent experience.

Ideal Qualifications

• Experience at a company that has navigated a significant inflection point: Series C+ fundraise, pre-IPO readiness, acquisition, or rapid geographic expansion.
• Background in data infrastructure, enterprise software, or deep tech — you understand what it takes to hire and retain rare technical talent.
• Experience in a company selling into government, defense, or intelligence sectors (familiarity with clearance considerations a plus).
• Executive HR certification such as SHRM-SCP or SPHR.