Head of People

DFNS

2h•$150,000 - $250,000•Remote

About The Position

DFNS is hiring its first dedicated People professional to build the People function from the ground up as the company grows across Europe, America, and Asia. The role is company-wide and hands-on: initially, the Head of People will do the work directly before building a team. The position is remote-first in Europe or the United States, with offices available, and reports to the CEO. The role will establish the hiring engine, effective onboarding, and fair, explainable leveling and compensation frameworks across the countries where DFNS employs people, including equity. It also owns end-to-end People operations, performance and development, engagement and retention, employee relations, and compliance with employment law and audit requirements. The role works with Finance and Legal on operational matters and ensures People controls are ready for SOC 2 and ISO 27001 scrutiny. DFNS is a distributed company headquartered in Paris, with teams in Europe, the United States, and Asia and offices in New York, Geneva, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, and São Paulo. The company emphasizes written decision-making, end-to-end ownership, and high standards. Compensation includes a base salary range of $150,000–$250,000, a bonus or variable plan where applicable, and stock options vesting over four years. Benefits include healthcare, flexible vacation, parental leave, a one-time home technology allowance, covered travel expenses, and a MacBook and other needed equipment.

Requirements

Experience building a People function at a company that grew from tens to hundreds of employees across several countries.
Hands-on experience across the full People cycle, including hiring, onboarding, payroll and benefits administration, performance, and offboarding.
Working knowledge of French and US employment law, with the judgment to know when to consult counsel.
Experience designing compensation and leveling frameworks, including equity.
Discretion and sound judgment in employee relations, including difficult conversations.
Fluent English.

Nice To Haves

French language skills.
Experience at a company certified to SOC 2 or ISO 27001 where People controls are audited.
Experience with international payroll or employer-of-record providers.
Experience hiring engineers and salespeople in the United States.

Responsibilities

Build the hiring process and tooling and establish hiring-manager practices to fill upcoming roles with high-caliber candidates.
Design onboarding that helps new employees become productive within their first weeks, regardless of location.
Establish leveling and compensation frameworks, including equity, across all countries where the company employs people.
Manage People operations end to end, including contracts, payroll and benefits across entities, employee records, and offboarding, in partnership with Finance and Legal.
Establish performance and development practices, including goals, reviews, and career paths.
Own, measure, and act on engagement and retention, including organizing retreats and offsites.
Maintain compliance with employment law in every country where the company hires and keep People controls audit-ready for SOC 2 and ISO 27001, including screening, access, onboarding and offboarding, and security training.
Handle employee concerns and resolve issues with judgment and discretion.