Head of People

Substack•San Francisco, CA

5d•$250,000 - $295,000

About The Position

Substack is looking for a Head of People to build and scale our People function at a pivotal stage of growth. You'll own the strategy, systems, and programs that shape how we hire, develop, reward, and support our team. That spans benefits, compensation, leveling, review and promotion cycles, learning and development, employee experience, and recruiting. This role is both strategic and hands-on. You'll build the infrastructure, processes, and leadership practices that let us grow without losing the speed and ambition that define Substack. You'll advise company leadership on org design, talent strategy, and workforce planning, and you'll also get into the day-to-day: improving how things work and supporting employees and managers directly. You're a self-starter who sets a high bar and pushes the team to meet it. You're resourceful, equally comfortable getting hands on and delegating to others. You've seen what excellent People organizations look like at strong companies, and you know how to adapt those practices to a company that's ready to mature and evolve its practices.

Requirements

8+ years of progressive experience in People or HR, with multi-functional expertise and leadership across: Benefits, compensation, leveling, and feedback, promotion, and review cycles
Training, L&D, and leadership coaching
Employee experience, including office culture, people surveys, orientation, and onboarding
Recruiting
Startup or growth-stage experience (required)
A track record of excellence and best practices from strong, well-regarded companies
A self-starter who sets the pace and pushes the team
Resourceful: hands on and delegating to others
Range: demonstrated understanding, empathy, and familiarity with multiple company building disciplines (e.g., engineering, product, business, etc.) is a plus.
Proven ability to influence and advise executive leadership, with excellent communication and coaching skills
Strong analytical skills and comfort using data to inform People decisions

Nice To Haves

experience building a People team from scratch
knowledge of employment law and compliance across the regions we hire in

Responsibilities

Partner with leadership to develop and execute a people strategy that supports Substack's mission, values, and business goals
Lead and scale the People function across recruiting, onboarding, compensation, benefits, employee experience, performance management, and talent development
Own our compensation, benefits, and leveling frameworks, and run the feedback, review, and promotion cycles
Build and run training, learning and development, and leadership coaching programs
Shape the employee experience, including office culture, people surveys, orientation, and onboarding
Lead recruiting strategy and make sure we hire exceptional people
Advise leadership on organizational design, workforce planning, and succession planning
Build and continuously improve the people systems, policies, and programs that help employees do their best work
Coach managers and leaders on performance, team effectiveness, and organizational challenges
Oversee employee relations and ensure issues are resolved thoughtfully and consistently
Use people analytics, reporting, and workforce insights to guide decisions
Ensure compliance with applicable employment laws and regulations
Build, mentor, and develop a high-performing People team