Senior Vice President, Human Resources

ARS Pharmaceuticals Operations, Inc.•San Diego, CA

5d•$360,000 - $400,000•Hybrid

About The Position

ARS Pharmaceuticals is seeking a Senior Vice President of Human Resources to lead the enterprise People Strategy as the company scales as a publicly traded commercial biopharma. Reporting to the President and Chief Executive Officer, this executive serves as a C-suite thought partner and leads the HR function across talent acquisition, total rewards, learning and development, employee relations, organizational development, performance management, HR operations, and compliance. The role focuses on board governance, commercial field scaling, total rewards and equity design, and establishing a high-performance, accountable culture. The position follows a hybrid schedule with weekly onsite presence at the corporate office in the Carmel Valley area of San Diego and requires travel up to 25% of the time. The SVP partners with executive leaders and external consultants on Compensation Committee work, executive compensation, proxy disclosures, equity plans, and commercial field incentive compensation. The role translates commercialization plans and clinical pipeline milestones into workforce models, hiring roadmaps, talent pipelines, and onboarding programs. It also leads culture and organizational health initiatives, talent and succession planning, leadership development, performance management, and annual merit cycles. The position is responsible for scaling HR systems and operations, reporting actionable people metrics to the CEO and Board, managing benefits packages, and ensuring compliance across multi-state field operations and California headquarters. It serves as the escalation point for complex employee relations matters, investigations, and severance negotiations in partnership with Legal, while maintaining SOX-compliant HR workflows, corporate governance, and code of conduct enforcement. ARS Pharmaceuticals describes itself as an equal opportunity employer and offers reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants with disabilities. The full-time salary range is $360,000 to $400,000, with possible eligibility for a discretionary annual performance bonus. The position is also eligible for equity, 401(k) matching, and benefits that include 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, HR, organizational development, or a related field; an equivalent combination of education and relevant job experience may be considered.
At least 15 years of progressive HR experience.
At least 5 years of demonstrated success leading the HR/People function in a publicly traded commercial biotech or pharmaceutical company.
Track record of commercial launch, including building, deploying, and supporting remote commercial field forces across sales, access, and medical affairs.
Executive presence and experience working with and presenting to Board members and the Compensation Committee.
Experience structuring executive compensation, proxy disclosures, and equity plans.
Strategic C-suite partnership skills combined with a hands-on, decisive, and agile approach in a high-tempo, lean environment.
Ability to analyze workforce data and engagement metrics, identify trends, and drive continuous improvement.
Ability to collect and interpret data, develop metrics, draw conclusions, and implement strategies aligned with corporate and Board planning.
Ability to translate business strategy, growth priorities, and operating conditions into workforce, organizational, leadership, talent, and systems integration strategies.
Experience leveraging technology and integrated systems to improve decision-making, scalability, and organizational effectiveness.
Commitment to compliance and high ethical standards.
Experience in HR policy development, implementation, and governance.
Familiarity with HR SOX compliance.
Strong foundation in applicable federal, state, and local payroll, tax, wage and hour, benefits, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, GMLA, and other employment-related regulations.
Excellent analytical, communication, problem-solving, change management, and executive presentation skills.
Availability and ability to travel up to 25% of the time.

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced degree.

Responsibilities

Lead Compensation Committee deliverables with the CEO, CFO, CLO, and external compensation consultants, including peer group selection, executive pay, and proxy CD&A disclosures.
Design and model broad-based equity programs, including options, RSUs/PSUs, ESPP, and targeted retention pools across corporate and field tiers.
Partner with the CCO and Commercial Operations on field sales incentive compensation plans tied to net revenue goals.
Translate commercialization trajectories and clinical pipeline milestones into headcount models and hiring roadmaps.
Build talent pipelines for commercial field sales, market access, regulatory, medical affairs, and technical operations.
Establish onboarding programs for headquarters staff and distributed field teams.
Drive company-wide culture and organizational health initiatives to foster agility, cross-functional accountability, and high-performance norms.
Implement talent reviews, succession plans, and leadership development frameworks, particularly for first-time people managers.
Run performance management frameworks, goal setting, calibration sessions, and annual merit cycles.
Modernize and scale HR technology, including HRIS, ATS, and payroll, to support reporting, headcount tracking, and self-service.
Track and report people metrics to the CEO and Board, including equity burn rates, turnover cohorts, ramp speed, and time-to-fill.
Manage competitive and fiscally responsible health, welfare, financial, and executive benefits packages.
Ensure compliance across multi-state remote field operations and California headquarters labor laws.
Serve as the lead escalation point for complex employee relations matters, internal investigations, and severance negotiations in partnership with Legal.
Maintain SOX-compliant HR workflows, corporate governance, and code of conduct enforcement.
Develop and execute workforce strategies and enterprise-wide initiatives that strengthen organizational agility, delivery, and a high-performance culture.
Travel up to 25% of the time.