Head of People

About the Role

We are looking for a Head of People to build and lead Freed’s People & Talent function. Reporting to the VP of Finance & Ops, this role will oversee the full employee lifecycle: talent acquisition, onboarding, performance management, compensation philosophy, employee engagement, and learning & development. You will be both strategic and hands-on, helping Freed scale from 60 to 160+ employees and beyond while preserving our fast, mission-driven culture.

The right candidate will be a builder: someone who thrives in a startup environment, balances empathy with business rigor, and can set the vision for PeopleOps while rolling up their sleeves to execute.

How You’ll Have Impact

• Lead, manage and coach the existing Talent Acquisition team and Workplace Manager.

• Own and scale, together with our head of talent, Freed’s talent acquisition strategy and engine, ensuring we attract, hire, and onboard top talent in line with company growth goals.

• Define, implement and execute compensation, onboarding, promotion, and performance management frameworks that drive a culture of impact, high-performance, transparency, and competitiveness.

• Build programs that foster employee engagement, culture, and retention, ensuring Freed remains a place where people do the best work of their careers.

• Partner with leadership on org design, workforce planning, and leadership development as Freed continues rapid growth.

• Ensure compliance with HR, labor, and privacy regulations across U.S. states, and eventually international expansion.

• Build the HR tech stack infrastructure and the most AI-focused people team in the world to support efficient and scalable people operations.

What You’ll Bring

• Proven track record leading and building People/HR teams and processes in a high-growth startup (Series A–>C+, scaling from ~50 to 200+).

• Excellent leadership and communication skills, with the ability to influence at all levels.

• Strong knowledge of HR operations, compliance, and best practices (U.S. labor law, benefits, payroll, employee relations).

• Experience designing and running onboarding processes, compensation philosophy and performance management processes, and willingness to run these processes hand-on.

• Demonstrated success in talent acquisition, including building in-house recruiting capabilities.

• Proven experience scaling and developing People teams, with a track record of building high-performing HR/People functions in high-growth environments.

• Proven experience designing and implementing smart, scalable organizational structures for hyper-growth startups, including establishing clear leveling frameworks and career progression policies.

Nice to Haves

• Experience in SaaS or healthcare/regulated industries.

• Background in coaching, L&D, or leadership development.

• Experience with HRIS/ATS systems and automating people workflows.

What We’ll Bring

• Competitive salary and equity in a high-growth company.

• Opportunity to make an immediate impact.

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.

• Unlimited paid time off.

• Company-sponsored annual retreats.