Serve as a trusted thought partner to the CEO and executive team on talent strategy, leadership effectiveness, and scale readiness
Translate business strategy into People programs that move the organization forward
Lead, develop, and empower the People leadership team across Talent, People Operations, and Learning & Development
Establish clear priorities, success metrics, and operating cadence for the People function
Own enterprise talent strategy: workforce planning, hiring strategy, and succession planning at scale
Build and maintain systems that support attraction, development, and retention of critical talent
Oversee leadership development, performance management, and career progression frameworks
Ensure strong leadership capability at all levels — with particular focus on manager effectiveness and VP/Sr. Director bench strength
Ensure compliant, consistent, and fair People Operations across all locations
Own policy governance, employee relations strategy, investigations, and escalation decisions
Partner closely with Legal, Finance, and Compliance in a regulated, safety-critical environment
Steward company culture in alignment with business needs and mission
Use data and diagnostics — engagement, feedback, metrics — to inform decisions and interventions
Lead change management efforts tied to workforce growth, transformation, or major initiatives

10+ years of progressive People leadership experience
Prior ownership of multiple functions within a People organization (TA, Comp, HR, L&D, etc)
Experience partnering directly with a CEO in a scaling environment
Demonstrated success leading through high-growth phases
Deep fluency in employee relations and employment risk management
Experience designing and governing compensation systems at scale
Experience leading multi-site or geographically distributed organizations

Hybrid — Alameda, CA

Team size: almost 600 employees. Structure: People function across Talent, People Operations, and Learning & Development

Some travel may be required up to 15%
Requires working weekends occasionally
Requires schedule flexibility occasionally
Requires extended hours to support launch and critical project timelines occasionally
SHRM-CP or PHR preferred but not required
Position located in a facility that handles information subject to export control restrictions by the Department of Energy under 10 CFR Part 810
Foreign nationals who are citizens of countries not on the Department of Energy’s general authorization list are not permitted to work in the facility unless an export control license is issued
Candidates only, no recruiters or agencies please

Kairos Power is hiring a VP, People