Head of People

Vaulted Deep•Houston, TX

13d•Hybrid

About The Position

Vaulted Deep is seeking a strategic, business-minded people leader to build and lead its people function as the company scales from Series A through Series B and beyond. Reporting directly to the CEO and serving on the leadership team, the Head of People will shape company culture and talent strategy, advise the CEO and executive team, and build a people function spanning the full employee lifecycle. The role will define a high-performing people function for a fast-growing, multi-site organization, including its corporate and technical teams as well as hourly field employees. The Head of People will partner with company leaders on people strategy, organizational design, workforce planning, talent management, performance, learning and development, total rewards, HR operations, and compliance. This leader will own complex employee relations matters, support field operations and workforce safety efforts, build and lead a small people team, and guide the transition from a fractional-led HR function to a permanent organization. The position reports directly to the CEO.

Requirements

At least 10 years of progressive People/HR leadership experience, including senior leadership experience at a venture-backed, high-growth company.
Demonstrated success building and scaling a people function through a company’s high-growth period.
Direct experience in a founder- or CEO-led organization as a close partner and advisor to the leader.
Experience supporting hourly, industrial, or multi-site field workforces in addition to corporate or technical employee populations, including operating-site employee relations.
Strong working knowledge of U.S. employment law and hands-on experience managing complex employee relations matters and terminations.
Demonstrated ability to coach managers and employees.
High emotional intelligence and sound judgment under pressure.
Strong business acumen and an ownership mindset, with comfort working in ambiguous, low-structure, fast-paced environments.
Proven ability to lead organizational change and manage resistance.
Experience building or overseeing core HR infrastructure, including compensation, benefits, HRIS, and compliance programs, personally or through a team.
Experience presenting people data and analysis to executive leadership and supporting board or investor reporting.
Excellent written, verbal, and executive-level communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Formal coaching certification, such as ICF or equivalent.
SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or equivalent HR certification.
Experience with HRIS upgrades.
Experience with workers’ compensation, OSHA, or EHS partnership in an industrial, manufacturing, or energy environment.
Multi-state employment law experience.
Experience supporting international workforce expansion.
Experience as a company’s first or founding people leader, building a function from limited existing structure.
Experience supporting M&A diligence or integration from a people/HR perspective.
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Psychology, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Responsibilities

Partner with the CEO to define and operationalize a people philosophy and translate the company’s mission, vision, and values into people strategy, programs, and practices.
Advise the CEO and executive team on organizational design, talent, and culture; own the evolution of company culture and develop organizational health metrics and dashboards.
Prepare people-related materials and analysis for monthly and quarterly leadership team and board discussions.
Conduct organizational assessments and work with leaders to identify talent and capability gaps.
Partner with functional leaders on team structures, levels, and multi-year headcount planning, including expansion to additional operating sites.
Manage leveling frameworks, career pathways, and individual development plans that support internal mobility and promotion readiness.
Lead organizational design and change management initiatives, including restructures and new-site stand-ups, and anticipate and manage resistance.
Facilitate leadership team effectiveness assessments and engage external coaching or assessment resources when appropriate.
Serve as a strategic HR business partner to managers on team composition, succession planning, and critical talent decisions; coach leaders and people managers.
Evaluate and improve performance management practices, including goal-setting, feedback, and calibration.
Manage and inform talent acquisition strategy and partner with hiring managers to support consistent, high-quality hiring.
Build learning and development programs, especially those that enable manager and leader effectiveness.
Develop succession plans and leadership pipelines for key roles.
Enhance the total rewards philosophy, including compensation structure, bonus design, equity guidelines, and benefits programs.
Own core HR systems and infrastructure, maintaining accurate records and scalable processes.
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws across current and future operating locations, including wage-and-hour, leave, and recordkeeping requirements.
Develop and strengthen people metrics and dashboards, such as turnover, time-to-fill, engagement, and pay equity, for strategy and board and investor reporting.
Manage HR vendor, broker, and PEO relationships, including contract evaluation and negotiation.
Partner with Finance on HR budget planning and ongoing management.
Handle sensitive and complex employee relations matters, including investigations, performance issues, and terminations.
Partner with Operations leadership to support and engage field teams across current and future operating sites.
Develop people practices, policies, and employee relations capability suited to an hourly, multi-site industrial workforce, including on-site incidents such as safety violations, substance-related issues, and workplace conflict.
Partner with Operations and EHS/Safety on workforce safety programs, workers’ compensation administration, and incident response processes.
Promote fair and consistent treatment and meaningful career pathways throughout the organization.
Hire, onboard, and lead a small people team, with responsibilities designed to complement the Head of People’s strengths.
Manage the transition from the current fractional-led HR function to a permanent people function, determining which work should be handled in-house or outsourced.