
Head of Talent
San Francisco, CA at a glance
- Rent
- #2 of 51$2,680/mo+46% vs US avg
- Weather
- #17 of 51295 mild days0 hot · 0 cold
- Income tax
- #1 of 5113.3% top rateCalifornia
What you need
- 5-8+ yrs People/HR at high-growth startups, 2+ yrs leadership
- Scaled people functions at early-stage companies (50-200 employees)
- Designed and implemented people processes (performance, compensation, onboarding)
- Business partner mentality advising leadership on strategic decisions
- AI Native: experience with Claude Code, Cursor, building sourcing agents
What you'll do
- Manage recruiting team and partner on hiring strategy
- Build recruiting machine attracting talent across all functions
- Own people strategy: performance, compensation, development, culture
- Design performance management frameworks: goals, reviews, promotions
- Lead compensation strategy: pay bands, equity, benchmarking
About Kastle
Kastle is building the AI employee for regulated finance. We work with some of America's largest banks and mortgage lenders, helping them scale their contact center and compliance operations using autonomous AI Agents that process payments, originate loans, and help customers get a world class experience during the biggest financial decisions of their lives. We've processed over $2 billion in transactions and are backed by Insight Partners and Y Combinator. If you are interested in selling the best product in the market and help large enterprise lenders and banks transform their operations, apply below.
We just raised a $24M Series A and are growing fast!
Why We're Hiring
We're scaling our team 4x over the next year and need a talent leader to build a world class recruiting and people function. We have the basics in place (ATS, HRIS, benefits), but we need someone who can build strategic HR infrastructure, shape our culture, and partner with leadership on talent decisions.
The Role
You'll be our first dedicated people leader, evolving our people function from foundational to strategic. You'll own everything from our sourcing and interview process, performance management to compensation frameworks, and employee relations to culture initiatives. You report to the CEO and partner closely with leadership on all people decisions.
What You'll Do
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Manage our recruiting team and partner with leadership on hiring strategy and process improvements
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Own and be responsible for building a recruiting machine that attracts the best talent across engineering, product, GTM, deployments, and operations.
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Build and own our people strategy - performance management, compensation, employee development, and culture
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Partner with leadership on organizational design, headcount planning, and talent decisions
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Evolve HR infrastructure - refine policies, ensure compliance, optimize benefits programs
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Design and implement performance management frameworks - goal-setting, reviews, promotion cycles, career development
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Lead compensation strategy - maintain equitable pay bands, manage equity grants, conduct market benchmarking
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Drive culture and engagement initiatives - team events, values definition, employee feedback loops, DEI programs
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Ensure compliance with employment laws and regulations across all locations
What We're Looking For
Must-Haves:
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5-8+ years in People/HR roles at high-growth startups, with at least 2 years in leadership
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Experience scaling people functions at early-stage companies (50-200 employees)
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Track record designing and implementing people processes (performance management, compensation, onboarding, career frameworks)
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Business partner mentality - you advise leadership on strategic decisions, not just execute HR tasks
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AI Native. Strong experience working with Claude Code, Cursor, etc to build sourcing agents.
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Strong coaching skills - you develop managers and help them navigate people challenges
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Comfort with ambiguity - you build infrastructure without waiting for perfect clarity
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Excellent judgment on sensitive employee matters
Nice to Have:
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Experience in fintech, lending, or regulated industries
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Background in AI/ML or technical product companies
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Previous experience scaling a company through hyper-growth (20→200+ employees)
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Knowledge of multi-state employment compliance
At Kastle, we’re building at the edge of AI - fast, focused, and with real ownership. Sprints and major launches move quickly, and we look for people who are energized by that pace. Our team typically works around 70 hours per week , beginning at 8:00 AM , with five days spent collaborating in person at our San Francisco office.
We also offer a benefits package designed to support our full-time employees: medical, dental, and vision coverage , a 401(k), and catered lunches and dinners.
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About Kastle
Kastle Systems has been leading the security industry since 1972 with advanced managed security solutions and services, protecting commercial real estate, multi-family residential, global enterprises, educational institutions, and critical government facilities.
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