SVP, People

About the Role

We are at a pivotal transition with our new CEO, Katy Keim, a seasoned C-Level leader seeking a Senior Vice President, People to help take LeanData to the next level. This People leader will partner with Katy and the executive team to build a strong focus on talent and culture, accelerating growth, expanding into the enterprise, and reinventing the business with AI. The role involves rounding out the executive team with world-class leaders and ensuring the team operates as a highly effective "One Team."

The mission is to build and lead a high-performing, values-driven People function that scales with the company’s growth, fosters an inclusive culture, and empowers employees to do their best work while having fun.

Who We Are Searching For

A business and strategically minded People leader with experience as a CPO or VP of HR in a high-tech company in Silicon Valley. This individual should exude confidence, strong communication, and conviction about the importance of people and culture to positively impact the business. Key areas of focus include:

• Supporting change management in LeanData’s transition, including AI adoption, enterprise go-to-market motion, customer-led innovation, and empowered decision-making.
• Creating a culture of empowerment and drive, partnering with the CEO and leadership team as "One Team" to build the company of the future.
• Understanding and supporting the CEO’s team orientation, akin to a champion-level sports organization, where employees are driven by shared goals and a competitive edge.

We seek a progressive thinker who:

• Is not constrained by traditional HR systems and leverages AI to enhance HR work.
• Is a business-oriented leader accountable for establishing the People Vision and Talent Strategy, scaling the company from $50M to $100M.
• Is a culture champion with high empathy and compassion, bringing the voice of employees to strategic decisions.

Responsibilities

Outcomes (What Success Looks Like in 12–18 Months)

Strategic People Roadmap

• Develop and execute a people strategy aligned with LeanData’s business goals.
• Build a 12–18 month roadmap covering talent acquisition, employee experience, performance, change management, and organizational design.
• Set the tone for diversity and inclusion, aligning with LeanData’s values and amplifying employee-led initiatives.

Leadership Development & Culture

• Launch and embed a leadership development program for first-line and mid-level managers.
• Establish a culture of feedback, accountability, and trust through scalable programs.
• Streamline decision-making frameworks to accelerate execution.
• Inspire a learning culture leveraging AI to maximize employee potential.
• Maintain and cultivate a culture of belonging, targeting a 76% favorable response to "I feel comfortable sharing opinions at work."

Hiring and Onboarding

• Equip managers with a consistent framework to identify and hire top talent.
• Improve quality-of-hire metrics across key roles.
• Design a high-impact onboarding experience with a 90%+ employee satisfaction rating.

Performance & Compensation Systems

• Design, align with the E-Team, and implement a transparent, competitive, and internally aligned compensation philosophy.
• Enhance the performance management framework to support accountability and rewards.
• Review job leveling efforts to evaluate pay equity.
• Implement a fair, consistent, and transparent promotion philosophy aligned with market practices.

Employee Engagement & Retention

• Achieve an employee engagement score of 80%+, building from a baseline eNPS of 55.
• Introduce action-oriented goals for bi-annual eNPS surveys and track follow-through.
• Foster connection and engagement among remote employees, including those in EMEA, ensuring they feel integrated into LeanData’s culture.

Skills

• Strategic Thinking: Anticipates future trends, aligns people initiatives with business goals, and leverages AI and emerging technologies.
• Exceptional Communication: Communicates clearly and compassionately across all levels, facilitating difficult conversations with empathy.
• Compassion & Emotional Intelligence: Balances business imperatives with genuine care for people, creating a culture of respect and support.
• Execution & Bias for Action: Moves quickly and pragmatically, driving progress in resource-constrained environments.
• Change Leadership: Leads through ambiguity, building alignment during transformation and scale.
• Data-Driven Insight & Analytical Rigor: Uses data to influence strategy, challenge assumptions, and present actionable insights to leadership and the Board.

Requirements

• 10+ years in progressive HR or People leadership roles, including experience in a scaling tech company.
• Proven success leading People strategy at a company of 50–500 employees.
• Deep knowledge of HR Business Partnering, HR operations, Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, and DEI best practices.
• Experience working closely with executive teams and advising at the strategic level.
• Comfortable using HRIS, people analytics tools, and other systems to drive decisions.

Values Alignment

• Believes people are the core driver of company success.
• Prioritizes transparency, compassion, humility, and continuous learning.
• Is innovative in approach and builds programs for scale.
• Champions inclusion, equity, and belonging as essential to team performance.
• Balances urgency with a clear strategic roadmap to execute long-term goals.

Location: Santa Clara, CA, USA