Note: this position can be filled either in San Francisco, CA or in the UK

 

What we are looking for
We are looking for a growth-minded Vice President of Human Resources/People to build and lead a best-in-class HR/People function that is strategically aligned with Focal’s business, mission and values. Reporting to the CEO, as a newly created position, the VP, HR will play a critical role in building and executing our people strategy to support our continued international growth. S/he will lead the development and implementation of Focal’s HR initiatives and programs that align with our business objectives and foster a high-performance culture. 

 

About You

Superior leadership: You have extensive experience in building & leading organizations of strong individual contributors and managers. You are as passionate about leading, attracting and growing talent as you are about continuously improving our products and processes.

Data: You believe that data is the foundation for decision-making, and you are willing to challenge and be challenged. You believe in rolling up your sleeves and digging in when needed regardless of organizational structure or boundaries.

Result-driven: As a catalyst, you drive HR strategy to achieve stellar results. You are highly productive, independent, technology-focused, and have excellent communication and presentation skills. Above all else, you are as passionate about building and managing world-class teams.

Creative Approach: You understand that as a growing startup we can’t compete on all fronts. So you are motivated to identify where we stand out as an organization and leverage that to our creative advantage. 


What you will do

  • Build and direct all HR/People activities, including talent acquisition, learning & development, benefits, safety, legal compliance, compensation, performance management, employee relations, HRIS, HR analytics. Create and manage the budget
  • Ensure a high level of accountability and a performance-driven team culture
  • Design and implement creative and competitive compensation & benefits plans that attract top talent while meeting the constraints of a growing startup
  • Identify KPI’s for the organization’s HR function and assesses the success and competitiveness based on these metrics
  • Design and execution of comprehensive  performance management, titling, and promotion strategies
  • Oversee the design and implementation of scalable, measurable ways to engage our team members from first application to onboarding, growth, and departures
  • Oversee our onboarding strategy, resulting in best-in-class, constantly evolving onboarding experiences that will allow us to quickly, effectively, and reliably scale
  • Innovate around our organizational approach to growth, constantly search for scalable ways to empower our employees and invest in their development aligned to topline organizational goals and vision
  • Establish robust foundations, systems, and processes for a data-driven people and talent function, fostering a culture of accountability and measurable results.
  • Ensure continued compliance with relevant HR laws and regulations globally
  • Research, develop, and implement competitive compensation, benefits, performance management and employee incentive programs.
  • Ensure organizational design is clear and effectively aligned to company objectives.
  • Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations, and recommended best practices; reviews policies and practices to maintain compliance.
  • Maintain knowledge of trends, best practices, regulatory changes, and new technologies in human resources and employment law

 

What you need for success

  • Bachelor’s degree in HR/People or relate field (advanced degree preferred)
  • 10+ years of related HR/People experience in a dynamic, growing environment (startup experience strongly preferred)
  • Experience building a global HR/People function from scratch
  • Proven change leadership and organizational design experience
  • Project management skills with experience operationalizing complex initiatives into systematic and efficient work streams
  • Intellectual curiosity with proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities effectively
  • Retail experience and experience with an IPO is very helpful
  • HR certification (e.g., SHRM-SCP, SPHR) is a plus

 

Why Focal Systems
We are a tightly-knit team with an ambitious mission and a strong set of core values, which define our approach to business and have successfully guided us since inception.

Exceptional Team
We are a team of hard-working, fun-loving professionals from some of the most eminent universities, research labs, and tech companies of our time. We pride ourselves on recruiting exceptional individuals to help us redefine the state-of-the-art.

Outstanding Partners
We work with 10+ of the largest retailers in the world and have a world-class roster of investors, advisors and partners to support & advise us in our endeavors.


What we offer
We care deeply about the health, happiness, and wellbeing of all of our employees. We offer:

  • Competitive Salary & High Growth Stock
  • Health Insurance
  • Paid Time Off 
  • Quarterly Team Retreats
  • Education grant

 







 



Apply for this Job

* Required
resume chosen  
Dropbox Google Drive
(File types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf)
Cancel

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Focal Systems’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.

Enter the verification code sent to to confirm you are not a robot, then submit your application.

This application was flagged as potential bot traffic. To resubmit your application, turn off any VPNs, clear the browser's cache and cookies, or try another browser. If you still can't submit it, contact our support team through the help center.