Head of People
At a glance
Director-level HR Business Partner & Generalist role at Exa. San Francisco · full-time · $200,000–$350,000 base.
hrroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Set people priorities with the founders and leadership, tying the work to organizational and business needs
- Run the People function across hiring, onboarding, pay, benefits, employee experience, performance, and talent development
- Advise leaders on team structure, workforce plans, succession, and talent decisions
- Build people processes and programs, including career growth, leadership development, engagement, and rewards
- Coach managers, handle employee relations and immigration processes, and use workforce data to guide decisions
What you bring
- At least ten years in progressively broader People, Talent, or Human Resources roles
- Experience leading People teams at a fast-growing technology company, including work in a startup
- A record of creating people programs and organizational systems that can scale
- Strong command of recruiting, compensation, benefits, talent management, employee relations, performance, and organizational development
- Executive-level influence, strong coaching and communication skills, and the ability to use data in People decisions
Who this fits
This director-level role suits a senior People leader who can advise executives and also handle employee and manager issues directly. The job is onsite in San Francisco.
From the employer
About Exa
We raised a $250M Series C to build the search engine for AIs. Led by a16z, with existing investors Benchmark, Lightspeed, and YC doubling down, the round brings Exa's valuation to $2.2 billion.
Exa is building a search engine for the AI era. Our Search API currently powers Agents, Fortune 500s and AI labs as we transform an industry that hasn’t been disrupted since the 90s. We're a largely SF-based team of ~100 from Harvard, MIT, Meta, Google Research, ex-founders & dropouts alike.
We are rapidly building the most intelligent search engine in history. We’re high agency, low-ego, and united by the feeling that this is one of the last problems worth getting right.
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
Exa is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related conditions, criminal histories consistent with applicable law, or any other basis protected by applicable law.