Head of Human Systems

Photon • New York, NY

3d • $180,000 - $210,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Photon is seeking a Head of Human Systems to build and own the people systems and processes from scratch. This role requires an individual who thinks in systems generally and has experience building and running people functions, ideally at a company under 100 people. The Head of Human Systems will be an individual contributor initially, with the potential to lead a team in the future. This role is crucial for ensuring that the humans at Photon are set up to do their best work with the right systems, tools, and support, enabling the company culture to scale effectively.

Requirements

• 5+ years building or running a people function, including experience building one substantially from scratch
• Demonstrated ownership of full-cycle recruiting, not just process administration
• Real, hands-on IT/systems fluency: tool selection and consolidation, access provisioning, internal automation
• Experience operating without established process, and building it as you go, ideally at a company under ~100 people
• A track record or clear point of view on developing people so they grow and stay, not just onboard and get managed
• Able to work in-office in NYC at least 3 days a week

Nice To Haves

• Experience building internal tools yourself, whether through scripting, automation, or no-code/AI-assisted platforms
• Background in healthcare or health-tech
• Prior experience partnering closely with a CEO/COO on company-wide planning or rhythm of business
• Experience building teams and systems and doing hard operational work outside of a straight HR career path or a traditional startup environment — evidence you can build under real constraints, not just in a familiar playbook

Responsibilities

• Partner with the executive team on company-wide planning and priorities, bringing a people-and-systems lens to decisions beyond HR
• Build and own the full system for how Photon finds, evaluates, and closes talent — shaping how the company is perceived and experienced by candidates from first touch through offer
• Own the company's internal tool stack and AI operating system — what tools exist, what's enforced, what gets built, bought, or retired
• Own budgeting and forecasting for people programs, internal tooling, and team activities
• Own the rituals and cadence that bring the team together as it grows — from regular team moments to how the company comes together for bigger milestones
• Own onboarding and offboarding, and the overall day-to-day experience of working at Photon
• Design and evolve Photon’s approach to feedback and performance as the company grows — rather than importing a traditional review cycle by default
• Own comp and benefits administration, including plan selection, and leveling execution in partnership with the COO
• Own HR compliance across the states Photon operates in

Benefits

• Equity and benefits
• The opportunity to own human systems at a company at a real inflection point — post-Series A — and define how the org scales from here
• Work on a problem almost everyone you know has experienced, and help fix a system that's broken in ways most people just accept
• Take on hard problems, with the growth and impact to match
• Join a team that gives a shit — about the work, about each other, and about doing things the right way. High trust, high standards, and people who actually like spending time together

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed