Head of People & Culture

Third • Minneapolis, MN

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

Third is a modern-commerce growth company helping brands turn new and emerging platforms into real sales channels. Our integrated acquisition strategy connects best-in-class teams across TikTok, Whatnot, Meta, Snap, and beyond - eliminating the need to stitch together multiple partners. Third blends deep niche expertise with modern execution to launch, operate, and scale commerce on new platforms, transforming culture, creators, and content into real product sales. We’re hiring our first Head of People & Culture to build and run the people engine behind Third. This is a foundational leadership role reporting to the CEO. You’ll own how we hire, develop, and operate as a company - building systems that scale performance without slowing us down. This is not a traditional HR role. You’ll be a hands-on builder and operator, shaping how our teams work day-to-day — from hiring and onboarding to performance, feedback, and growth. You’ll help translate our mission, behaviors, and values into how the company actually runs.

Requirements

• 6–10+ years of progressive HR / People experience
• Experience building people systems from scratch — not just managing existing ones
• Strong understanding of agency or performance-driven business models
• Ability to balance strategy and execution
• High EQ with the ability to influence leaders and navigate difficult situations
• Data-driven with a bias for action
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and making decisions without perfect information
• Strong judgment, discretion, and bias for action

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve our recruiting strategy across all functions
• Partner with leadership on org design, hiring plans, and role definition
• Build a high-quality, high-velocity hiring process that reflects how we operate - fast, direct, and high bar
• Develop sourcing and employer brand strategies that attract builders and operators
• Build a best-in-class onboarding experience that accelerates time-to-impact
• Design and implement a lightweight but effective performance management system
• Create clear growth paths, leveling, and development opportunities
• Partner with leaders to strengthen management capabilities
• Own engagement initiatives and feedback systems
• Ensure thoughtful and consistent offboarding processes
• Translate Third’s values and behaviors into how teams actually operate day-to-day
• Act as a trusted advisor to leadership on team dynamics and performance
• Build a culture of high performance and accountability
• Coach leaders to handle challenges and team development effectively
• Design and implement a compensation philosophy aligned with market benchmarks
• Build and maintain salary bands and leveling frameworks
• Own benefits strategy and enrollment processes
• Align rewards with performance and impact
• Own and optimize our People systems (Rippling and beyond)
• Ensure compliance across payroll, benefits, and employment practices
• Establish clear policies without unnecessary friction
• Act as primary point of contact for employee relations
• Use data to inform decisions across people metrics

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision coverage
• Flexible PTO
• Remote-first work environment with periodic team gatherings
• Access to an industry-leading network across social commerce, creator, and brand marketing

What This Job Offers

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