Head of People

Lyte • Sunnyvale, CA

1d • $250,000 - $300,000 • Onsite

About The Position

As Head of People, you will build and lead the People organization Lyte needs for its next stage of growth. Working directly with the CEO and executive leadership team, you will help shape the company’s organization, talent practices, leadership approach, and People systems as the company scales globally. This is an executive builder role combining strategic advice on major organizational and people decisions with hands-on development of the systems, programs, processes, and team needed to support a growing deep-technology company. The role works across engineers, technicians, operators, and corporate teams in the United States, Asia, and Europe. It is an on-site position based in Sunnyvale, California, and reports to the CEO.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive HR or People experience, including senior leadership responsibility in a high-growth technology environment.
• Demonstrated experience building a People function, or significant portions of one, rather than only operating within mature established systems.
• Experience working closely with founders, CEOs, and executive teams on organization design, workforce planning, leadership, talent, and complex people decisions.
• Experience building or materially improving People programs and infrastructure in areas such as talent acquisition, performance management, compensation, leveling, benefits, HR systems, and retention.
• Experience supporting technical organizations, potentially including engineering, hardware, manufacturing, laboratory, or operations teams.
• Strong working knowledge of California and U.S. employment practices and experience handling employee relations and people risk in a fast-moving environment.
• Experience evaluating and working with HR and workforce platforms such as Rippling, Gusto, or similar HRIS, payroll, benefits, recruiting, and workforce-management systems.
• Hands-on operating style and willingness to personally do the work when needed rather than relying on a large team or established infrastructure.
• Strong business judgment and ability to create structure and make sound decisions where processes are not yet defined.
• Ability to move between high-level strategy and detailed execution without losing momentum.
• Decisiveness and comfort pushing priorities forward, raising issues when necessary, and constructively challenging leaders.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to earn the trust of executives, managers, and employees.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in robotics, semiconductors, photonics, hardware, advanced manufacturing, or another deep-technology environment.
• Experience helping an early-stage or venture-backed company scale through significant organizational growth.
• Experience at both an early-stage company and a larger established organization.
• Experience supporting employees in Asia and Europe, including EOR arrangements and transitions to local entities.
• Experience with post-acquisition, restructuring, or organizational integration.
• Experience building or scaling a People team from a small initial organization.
• SPHR, SHRM-SCP, or equivalent certification.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the CEO and executive leadership team on organization design, workforce planning, headcount, the People budget, leadership effectiveness, and critical people decisions.
• Build and continuously improve practical People infrastructure and processes that support rapid growth without unnecessary complexity.
• Shape talent strategy across hiring, onboarding, performance, development, retention, and employee engagement, with clear priorities and measurable outcomes.
• Set the direction for talent acquisition and work with internal recruiters and agency partners to meet the approved hiring plan, including technical and executive hiring.
• Develop compensation, benefits, leveling, and equity programs for a growing global technology company, including annual merit and equity review cycles.
• Build performance and leadership systems that strengthen accountability, employee development, and manager effectiveness, including support for first-time technical managers.
• Guide employee relations, investigations, separations, and other sensitive people matters with sound judgment, consistency, and appropriate legal compliance.
• Establish and maintain employment policies and compliance practices in the countries where Lyte operates, including California and U.S. requirements.
• Develop the international employment approach across EOR partners, contractors, new entities, immigration support, and related global workforce needs, partnering with legal where appropriate.
• Evaluate, select, and improve People systems, including HRIS, applicant tracking, payroll, benefits, workforce management, people analytics, and executive reporting.
• Build workforce reporting on headcount, hiring, attrition, staffing needs, and other metrics to support leadership decisions.
• Work with company leaders to identify talent needs, anticipate staffing requirements, and translate business priorities into practical workforce plans.
• Help define and reinforce Lyte’s culture through leadership practices, employee experience, communication, and scalable People programs.
• Serve as a trusted resource for employees while exercising the judgment and authority needed to handle difficult decisions and move issues forward.
• Build and develop a lean, high-performing People team as the company grows.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and equity.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• 401(k) retirement plan.
• Flexible vacation and time-off policy.
• Collaborative, fast-paced, and inclusive work environment.
• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge technologies with a highly cross-functional team.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: No Education Listed