The Director of Human Resources will be a strategic partner to the leadership team and a key architect of Avathon’s people and culture strategy. This role requires a visionary HR leader who can balance long-term organizational design and workforce planning with the operational execution of day-to-day HR functions. You will oversee all aspects of HR — Strategic leadership and development to employee engagement, performance management, and compliance — while fostering a culture that reflects Avathon’s mission, values, and growth ambitions. This role requires someone who thrives in the fast-paced and dynamic nature of a startup environment.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & People Strategy

• Partner with the executive team to design and implement a comprehensive people strategy that aligns with Avathon’s growth, innovation goals, and evolving business priorities.

• Translate business objectives into actionable people initiatives across organizational design, workforce planning, capability building, and culture transformation.

• Lead strategic workforce planning initiatives to ensure the right talent, skills, and leadership capabilities are in place to meet future business needs.

• Advise the leadership team on change management strategies, talent trends, and organizational effectiveness to drive scalable growth.

• Champion diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives as foundational pillars of Avathon’s culture and talent strategy.

Learning, Development & Leadership Growth

• Design and implement a robust Learning & Development (L&D) strategy that supports continuous growth, innovation, and leadership excellence across all levels.

• Establish structured career pathways, competency frameworks, and leadership pipelines to enable internal mobility and succession planning.

• Build programs for leadership development, manager enablement, technical skill-building, and cross-functional collaboration tailored to a high-growth AI environment.

• Introduce mentorship, coaching, and peer learning programs that foster a culture of ongoing development and knowledge sharing.

• Partner with department heads to identify capability gaps and design targeted learning interventions that align with evolving organizational needs.

• Measure the impact of L&D initiatives and use insights to continuously improve program design and outcomes.

Talent Acquisition & Organizational Development

• Build and lead recruiting strategies to attract top talent across engineering, product, GTM, Sales.

• Partner with hiring managers to define role requirements, streamline interview processes, and ensure an exceptional candidate experience.

• Lead organizational design initiatives to optimize structure, clarify roles, and support collaboration across hybrid and global teams.

Culture & Employee Engagement

• Champion a people-first culture that prioritizes inclusivity, innovation, accountability, and continuous feedback.

• Lead initiatives to strengthen engagement, recognition, and retention through programs that enhance employee experience and organizational health.

• Foster a high-performance environment with clear performance metrics, career development plans, and continuous feedback mechanisms.

Global HR Oversight – U.S. and India

• Collaborate with and provide leadership oversight to the India HR team, ensuring alignment with global people strategies, policies, and cultural initiatives.

• Support the India team in implementing HR best practices in areas such as talent acquisition, employee engagement, compliance, payroll, and benefits administration.

• Facilitate consistent communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing between U.S. and India HR functions to maintain unified standards and practices.

• Monitor regional compliance with employment laws and ensure that policies are updated to meet local and global regulatory requirements.

• Should be comfortable with up to 20% travel, including periodic visits to our India location as required.

HR Operations & Compliance

• Oversee HR policies, benefits, compensation, and payroll in alignment with federal, state, and local regulations.

• Establish and refine scalable HR systems, processes, and data analytics capabilities to support a growing workforce.

• Monitor and report on key HR metrics to enable data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive HR leadership experience, with at least 5 years in a senior HR role at a technology or fast-scaling company.

• Demonstrated success in designing and executing strategic people and L&D initiatives that supported organizational growth.

• Proven experience building and scaling HR functions from early stage to mature operations.

• Strong business acumen with the ability to translate business goals into people strategies.

• Deep expertise in organizational design, leadership development, workforce planning, and talent management.

• Strong understanding of employment laws, compliance, and HR best practices.

• Exceptional communication, influence, and stakeholder management skills.
• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, or related field (master’s degree or SHRM-SCP preferred).

This role is an On-Site position. Candidates must be based in the Bay Area and are expected to report to our Pleasanton headquarter 5 days a week.

Pay Range: $150,000 - $170,000 base salary. Pay for this position is based on a number of factors including geographic location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.