Head of People Strategy & Operations

Geomagical Labs is a high-tech AI venture, run by successful tech entrepreneurs, in a close strategic partnership with IKEA. We are inventing exciting products to make home furnishing easier for people around the globe, using 3D AI technologies.

Our first product, IKEA Kreativ, lets people scan photorealistic 3D "digital twins" of their indoor spaces, then design them with new furnishings in life-like 3D, from anywhere, on web & mobile --- changing home retail along the way.

We have an opening for our first People leader, reporting into the CEO, and partnering closely with IKEA. In this strategic role, you will own our entire People agenda, and will drive our workforce growth by approximately 50 people globally.

This role is a strategic business role, not simply an HR administration role. You will be crafting & executing well-thought strategies that maximize business outcomes, and solve workforce challenges involving our talent, in a highly-competitive market. You will manage all People aspects, hands-on, with a small team of employees & consultants, and with support from IKEA. Among other responsibilities, you will be expected to:

1. Offload the executive team, as a strategic and reliable operator & business leader
2. Recruit top 20% specialized technology talent
3. Establish & build out our Europe tech center
4. Maintain an accurate understanding of market benchmark compensation
5. Develop & administer compensation & benefits strategies, to win & retain talent
6. Design and administer high-performance HR core foundations & programs
7. Ensure compliance with local laws & corporate policies, while avoiding bureaucracy
8. Advise on organizational design, scaling, leadership & succession planning
9. Establish high-quality career development, training, and coaching to develop staff
10. Build genuine team camaraderie, drive workplace communication and team events

Requirements

As a business leadership role, this role requires not also broad HR experience, but also strategic competences in business & organizational management. It would not be surprising if you had a background in management consulting, operations research, organizational psychology, Chief of Staff, or related business administration experience, in addition to a classic human resources background.

Ideal candidates will be/have:

1. Hands-on HR breadth - Broad, hands-on HR experience in a tech environment
2. Entrepreneurial - Drive, growth mindset, curiosity & Geomagical cultural values
3. High EQ - emotionally intelligent, empathetic, good reader of people, earns trust
4. Reliable operator - In the details, good planner
5. Strategic - Sees the big picture, and creatively maps out solutions. Is right a lot.
6. Analytical & data driven - Report analytics to identify successes & challenges
7. Experience with high-tech - including FAANG best practices & compensation

Particular requirements include:

• Bachelor's Degree.
• 8+ years experience in HR & 4+ years as strategic partner for business units.
• Working knowledge of multiple human resource disciplines, including compensation practices, organizational design, employee relations, performance management.
• Experience recruiting & staffing high-performance tech teams, including Ph.D. level. But note, this is NOT a recruiting or talent acquisition specialist role. This is a strategic HR business role.
• Experience designing market-based tech compensation - salary & LTI.
• Familiar with USA Federal & California employment laws.
• Reliable, with proven ability to own and deliver complex projects on time.
• Entrepreneurial problem-solver & self-starter, able to manage through uncertainty.
• Highly effective, high-EQ communication skills (verbal & written).
• Successful experience as a leader of culture & values.
• Strong analytical & spreadsheet skills.
• To maximize team cohesion, it's highly desired for you to work from our Palo Alto office at least 3 days per week.

Benefits

• Work in a small, dynamic, high-performance team of successful serial entrepreneurs, software technologists, AI researchers, and design thinkers.
• Strong people-first culture, generous PTO, a focus on self-growth, and an actively shaped team culture to ensure a happy and healthy work environment for all.
• Excellent health and retirement benefits. Full medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• The USA base salary for this full-time position ranges from $160,000 to $250,000 determined by location, role, skill, and experience level. Annual incentive grants also apply.