Head of People

Pantomath•Cincinnati, OH

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Pantomath is seeking a Head of People to lead and scale its People function following its Series B funding. This senior leadership role, reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, will oversee the entire employee lifecycle, including talent acquisition, organizational design, compensation, and culture. The position begins as a senior individual contributor, leveraging existing PEO/HRIS support, external counsel, and operational partners. The Head of People will be responsible for building the People infrastructure from the ground up and will have the autonomy and executive access to do so. Success in this role requires a meticulous, quantitative, and detail-oriented approach to People operations, with a strong emphasis on talent acquisition.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive HR/People experience.
At least 4 years as the most senior People leader at a venture-backed technology company (Series A through Series C).
Demonstrated success scaling a People function from under 100 to 250+ employees.
Proven, quantifiable full-cycle recruiting track record, ideally including 40+ engineering hires personally managed.
Experience owning a compensation philosophy, leveling framework, and band architecture at a multi-state scale.
Multi-state employment law fluency, with depth on complex regimes like California, Washington, and Illinois.
Hands-on experience administering an equity plan (ISOs, NSOs) at an early- to mid-stage startup.
Exceptional organizational discipline with meticulous documentation, file management, and record-keeping.
Strategic rigor, with the ability to model, analyze, and present complex People issues quantitatively.
Meticulous attention to detail, catching errors in legal and HR documentation.
Genuine enthusiasm for talent acquisition, including sourcing and closing.
Concise, high-signal communication skills.
Experience thriving in under-resourced, high-ambiguity startup environments.
Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Psychology, or a related field; equivalent experience considered.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with a PEO (Justworks, Rippling, Gusto, Sequoia, or TriNet) is strongly preferred.
SHRM-SCP or SPHR strongly preferred; SHRM-CP or PHR acceptable with strong experience.
State-specific credentialing (e.g., California PHRca) is a plus but not required.

Responsibilities

Serve as the senior People advisor to the COO, CEO, and executive team on organizational design, workforce planning, performance management, and change management.
Partner with functional leaders on long-term organizational strategy for U.S. and international contractor growth.
Own and manage the company's compensation philosophy, salary bands, and leveling framework, including benchmarking and annual merit cycles.
Advise on equity strategy and coordinate option grants with executive leadership, Finance, and the Board.
Evaluate and potentially lead the transition from a PEO model to direct employment based on scale, cost, and operational needs.
Personally manage full-cycle recruiting for senior engineering, go-to-market, and executive roles, with a focus on technical talent in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Collaborate with hiring managers to develop job descriptions, interview scorecards, and interview loops.
Oversee the company's Applicant Tracking System (ATS), employer brand, and candidate experience.
Build and maintain talent pipelines, sourcing channels, alumni networks, and referral programs.
Track and report on recruiting metrics such as funnel health, time-to-fill, and offer acceptance rates.
Manage the full employee lifecycle, including onboarding, performance reviews, progressive discipline, promotions, transfers, separations, and offboarding.
Administer the HRIS, ensuring data integrity for employee records, PTO, benefits, and compensation history.
Maintain an organized and audit-ready People Operations shared drive with clear documentation standards.
Draft, review, and administer employment agreements, offer letters, PIPs, and separation agreements.
Ensure People Operations documentation is current with legal developments in coordination with external counsel.
Maintain compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws (FLSA, FMLA, ADA, Title VII, OSHA, etc.).
Ensure state-specific compliance across hiring locations, with particular attention to California, Washington, and Illinois.
Manage the E-Verify program and I-9 compliance.
Administer the Work Authorization and Immigration Sponsorship Policy with external counsel.
Partner with Security & Compliance on the intersection of People data with SOC 2, security, and IT access controls.
Steward company culture through rituals, recognition programs, and communication rhythms for a distributed team.
Design and execute employee engagement surveys and translate findings into actionable plans.
Lead inclusion initiatives focused on driving outcomes aligned with company values.
Administer benefits programs (medical, dental, vision, 401(k), equity, supplemental) and evaluate their effectiveness.
Evaluate, negotiate, and manage vendor contracts for People-related services.
Monitor benchmark data and recommend program changes to maintain competitiveness for senior technical talent.