VP, People

Fervo Energy • Houston, TX

7h • Hybrid

About The Position

Fervo Energy is hiring a VP of People to independently own its people strategy and lead the People function as the company scales its next-generation geothermal energy business. Reporting to the COO, who will serve as a strategic thought partner, the VP will operate with significant autonomy to set direction and build a high-performing People function. The role will help deliberately design the organization, measure success, and prepare the company to scale as additional sites come online.

The VP will ensure Fervo hires exceptional people, compensates them fairly and competitively, supports their development, and maintains strong engagement. The position leads high-stakes work in compensation, compliance, and board governance, and partners proactively with leaders across the company to identify workforce risks and establish appropriate morale and financial support structures.

The position is based in Houston, Texas, with regular in-office presence required. It follows a hybrid schedule, with employees expected to work in the office three days per week. Fervo has additional offices in Golden, Colorado; Reno, Nevada; Oakland, California; and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree.
• At least 10 years of experience in people leadership, including at least 5 years leading a People function or major People discipline at a fast-paced company.
• Direct experience preparing for and presenting to a board audience.
• Expertise in compensation design and equity programs.
• Track record of building a team and holding it accountable to high performance.
• Experience scaling an organization’s headcount.
• Command of multi-state employment compliance.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree.
• Public company experience, including public-company disclosure requirements.
• Experience with both hourly/field and salaried/technical workforces.
• Background in energy, industrial, manufacturing, or hardware.
• Experience designing or redesigning a compensation system, hiring engine, or culture program.
• Excellent executive presence and communication skills, from board presentations to site-level town halls.

Responsibilities

• Own the long-range people strategy, including organizational design, workforce planning, and leadership development, and align it with the GeoBlock deployment roadmap.
• Design the organization ahead of demand across field crews, plant operators, engineers, and corporate teams.
• Partner with all Fervo functions on headcount planning and organizational design, identifying people risks and constraints before they become bottlenecks.
• Lead the design and execution of compensation, equity, and benefits programs, including leveling, benchmarking, bonus design, annual equity refresh, and annual benefits renewal.
• Run the annual merit cycle, including pay-equity analytics and clear, transparent communication.
• Own engagement and retention strategy, understand why employees stay or leave, and act before trends lead to attrition.
• Oversee talent acquisition strategy and continually raise the hiring bar across hourly/field and salaried/technical roles.
• Build and develop a high-performing People team with clear goals and strong accountability.
• Build People systems and analytics that provide operational insight in addition to administrative support.
• Serve as a visible culture carrier, including at Fervo sites.
• Own public-company people disclosure and multi-state employment compliance in partnership with Legal and Finance.
• Prepare and deliver board-level compensation committee materials and analysis, and present alongside the COO.
• Strengthen and sustain company culture; improve manager capability, honest feedback, and differentiated performance management systems.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision plan options.
• Employer-paid basic life insurance and short-term and long-term disability coverage.
• 401(k) plan with up to 6% match.
• Flexible paid time off and paid parental leave.
• Family-building, fertility, hormonal health, pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting support through Carrot.
• Dependent care FSA for eligible child and elder care expenses.
• Annual Lifestyle Spending Account for eligible wellness expenses, including fitness, financial planning, pet insurance, and pet care.
• Employee ownership opportunities through the Employee Stock Purchase Program, as well as LTI and bonus opportunities for eligible roles.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive