Head of People

About UsWe’re building the AI infrastructure powering the future of financial operations - starting with automating the most painful and complex workflows in loan servicing.Backed by a16z and Y Combinator, with $65M raised in Series A funding.8-figure ARR < 2 years already serving > 20% of the auto lending industry, and processing millions of real customer calls and transactions daily.Fully deployed with major financial institutions - not just PoCs.We are expanding into new financial services segments!In-person office culture in San Francisco, CA.We're fully integrated with our customers, own the full stack, and are moving fast to bring modern AI into regulated industries where precision, reliability, and performance matter most.Why We're HiringWe're scaling from 50 to 100+ employees over the next year and need a people leader to take our people function to the next level. We have the basics in place (Rippling, benefits), but we need someone who can build strategic HR infrastructure, shape our culture, and partner with leadership on talent decisions.The RoleYou'll be our first dedicated people leader, evolving our people function from foundational to strategic. You'll own everything from performance management to compensation frameworks, employee relations to culture initiatives. You report to the CEO and partner closely with leadership on all people decisions.What You'll DoBuild and own our people strategy - performance management, compensation, employee development, and culturePartner with leadership on organizational design, headcount planning, and talent decisionsEvolve HR infrastructure - refine policies, ensure compliance, optimize benefits programsDesign and implement performance management frameworks - goal-setting, reviews, promotion cycles, career developmentLead compensation strategy - maintain equitable pay bands, manage equity grants, conduct market benchmarkingDrive culture and engagement initiatives - team events, values definition, employee feedback loops, DEI programsManage employee relations - coach managers on difficult conversations, resolve conflicts, handle sensitive situationsBuild manager enablement programs - training on feedback, performance management, hiring decisionsEnsure compliance with employment laws and regulations across all locationsPartner with recruiting lead on hiring strategy and process improvementsWhat We're Looking ForMust-Haves:5-8+ years in People/HR roles at high-growth startups, with at least 2 years in leadershipExperience scaling people functions at early-stage companies (50-200 employees)Track record designing and implementing people processes (performance management, compensation, onboarding, career frameworks)Business partner mentality - you advise leadership on strategic decisions, not just execute HR tasksStrong coaching skills - you develop managers and help them navigate people challengesComfort with ambiguity - you build infrastructure without waiting for perfect clarityExcellent judgment on sensitive employee mattersNice to Have:Experience in fintech, lending, or regulated industriesBackground in AI/ML or technical product companiesPrevious experience scaling a company through hyper-growth (50→200+ employees)Knowledge of multi-state employment complianceWhat Makes This Role InterestingTake the people function from foundational to strategic as our first people leaderDirect partnership with CEO and leadership team on all people decisionsShape company culture during critical growth phaseHigh impact - your work directly affects every employee and shapes our trajectoryAt Salient, 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 and ready to collaborate in person 4 days a week in our San Francisco office.We also offer a benefits package designed to support our full-time employees: medical, dental, and vision coverage, a generous 401(k), and catered lunches.