Head of People

Polymarket•New York, NY

About The Position

Polymarket is the world's largest prediction market platform. We enable individuals to express views on real-world events by trading on outcomes across politics, economics, sports, culture, and current affairs. Built as a peer-to-peer marketplace with no centralized "house," Polymarket aggregates diverse opinions into transparent, market-based probabilities that reflect collective expectations about the future. We're growing fast – both in terms of volume ($21B traded in 2025) and adoption as an alternative news source. Our ambition is to become a ubiquitous beacon of truth in global media and we need your help adding fuel to the fire. We're looking for a world-class people leader to own the human infrastructure of Polymarket as we scale. You'll drive the people function end-to-end — defining our culture, building the systems that keep elite talent engaged and growing, and being a trusted partner to our founder and leadership when the hardest decisions need to get made. We're looking for someone who brings both the operational rigor to build the right foundations and the judgment to know when process helps and when it gets in the way. Above all, you're obsessed with making people — and the company — better.

Requirements

Were an early or first People hire at a high-growth startup and scaled the function from the ground up
Have strong judgment in complex, high-stakes people situations
Are comfortable operating with limited structure and making decisions quickly
Can balance empathy with accountability — you care about people, but prioritize performance
Communicate clearly and directly, especially in difficult conversations
Build systems that are simple, effective, and durable
Earn trust quickly across founders, managers, and ICs

Responsibilities

Define what “great” looks like at Polymarket. Codify expectations around performance, ownership, and behavior — and ensure they are upheld as we scale.
Own onboarding, benefits, compliance, and core people systems. Build simple, durable processes that scale without adding unnecessary complexity.
Act as a trusted advisor to founders and managers. Support performance management, organizational design, and high-stakes people decisions with clear judgment.
Design and implement systems for feedback, growth, and accountability. Ensure top performers are recognized, challenged, and retained.
Continuously assess team health. Identify issues early — performance gaps, morale risks, structural inefficiencies — and address them directly.
Bring discipline to how we run the people function. Track key metrics, improve processes, and remove friction across the employee lifecycle.