Head of People (USA)

Vay•Las Vegas, NV

13d•Onsite

About The Position

We’re rewriting the rules of urban mobility. At Vay, customers tap a button and a car arrives - with no one inside - powered by our world-first Remote Driving technology on real public streets. We’re live in Las Vegas and scaling fast, powered by a strategic investment of up to $410 million from Grab. Our mission is simple: replace private car ownership with a faster, cleaner, door-to-door mobility model. If you want to build something real, visible, and genuinely transformative, you’ll feel right at home here. What’s happening at Vay First to roll out vehicles in both Europe and the USA on public roads without a human being inside & currently the 2nd largest commercial, driverless car fleet in the Western World. We've partnered with Kodiak to bring remote-driving technology to autonomous trucks in the US, showcasing our ability to integrate our system into heavy-duty commercial vehicles and expand the applications of our tech across the US. We’ve completed 10’s of thousands of trips so far and are busy multiplying our Las Vegas fleet just to meet demand! ...And soon we’ll be expanding across the US & Europe 🚀 Why this role is exciting As we expand across cities and states, we’re looking for a US Head of People who can build the engine behind our growth reporting to our Global Director of People who is based in our Berlin HQ. You’ll own and evolve our US People strategy at a pivotal moment in our journey, shaping the structures, leadership capability, and high-performance culture required to support a fast-scaling, operations heavy organization. You’ll act as a true strategic partner to the US executive team. We are building a company where ambitious, curious, high-caliber people come together to create extraordinary things. That requires rigor, clarity, accountability as well as a culture where performance and trust coexist. You’ll be responsible for making that real. This role is based in Las Vegas with a minimum four-day in-office expectation. As our People leader, you’ll understand the importance of being physically present, building trust, shaping culture, and partnering closely with leaders happens in the room.

Requirements

Experience being fully accountable for the end-to-end US People function in a 100+ FTE high-growth tech environment, including HRBP, ER, Compliance, Total Rewards, and L&D.
8+ years of progressive HR experience, 3+ years leading and developing People teams
Built and scaled company-wide performance and engagement infrastructure aligned to business goals, ensuring clear standards, accountability, and leadership capability across the organization.
Increased overall talent density by strengthening succession planning, developing high-potential leaders, and addressing underperformance decisively.
Strong working knowledge of US federal and multi-state employment law, with hands-on experience managing complex ER cases and compliance risk.
Leveraging AI to automate People operations (workflows, documentation, case summaries, analytics)
Trusted advisor to CEO and executive team, influencing org design, workforce planning, and performance culture during periods of growth and change.
Comfortable operating at both strategic and hands-on operational levels in a fast-scaling environment.
Based in Las Vegas (or willing to relocate); in-office minimum 4 days per week.

Responsibilities

Architect and scale the US People function to support rapid multi-city expansion and operational complexity.
Act as a strategic thought partner to the US executive team, shaping organizational design, workforce strategy, and change initiatives that directly impact business performance.
Design and operationalize scalable, compliant people systems that enable speed without sacrificing rigor.
Build a high-performance leadership culture by equipping managers to drive accountability, develop talent, and lead through growth and change.
Establish a performance environment where ambitious, high-caliber individuals can do the best work of their careers.
Own and evolve our US total rewards strategy to attract and retain top talent in competitive markets.
Use people analytics to identify patterns, anticipate risk, and drive data-informed decisions across retention, engagement, and workforce planning.
Lead DEI initiatives that strengthen inclusion while maintaining high standards and clarity of expectations.