Head of People

The role

The Head of People will run the full people function and partner with the leadership team. You will design systems, shape culture, and lead talent functions for an AI and physical sciences company.

What you will do

• Run all things people related, spanning talent, HR business partnering, onboarding, performance, compensation, learning and development.
• Lead and scale talent acquisition, including building the recruiting team and evolving hiring processes.
• Partner with the leadership team on organizational design, workforce planning, and growth strategy.
• Lead employee relations work, including investigations and executive coaching.
• Design people systems for scientific and engineering teams.
• Design onboarding programs for new engineers and scientists.
• Shape how the organization scales.
• Use people data and analytics to drive decisions on headcount, attrition, engagement, and team effectiveness.

Required qualifications

• 15+ years of HR experience, with meaningful time in a senior people leadership role at a technology, research, or engineering-forward company
• Experience building and leading a talent acquisition function, including hiring and managing recruiters
• A background supporting teams in physical products, semiconductors, manufacturing, or hardware-forward startups
• Experience navigating the intersection of research and engineering cultures
• Strong command of the full HR spectrum: performance management, compensation design, employee relations, organizational design, and people operations
• A builder's mindset
• High EQ and communication skills
• Sound judgment on sensitive matters
• Data fluency
• Bachelor's degree or similar experience

Nice to have

• Experience at an AI lab, deep tech company, or research institution where the talent profile is unusually specialized
• Familiarity with compensation design for rare technical roles, such as physicists, materials scientists, and ML researchers
• Experience scaling an HR function through a growth financing event or rapid headcount expansion
• A background in operations, finance, or program management

Before you apply

• We sponsor visas

About the company

Periodic Labs is an AI and physical sciences company building models to accelerate breakthroughs across materials, energy, and beyond.