Director, People and Culture

Director, People and Culture

Position: Director, People and Culture

Department : G&A

Reports To : CEO

Job Location(s) : Menlo Park, CA

H-1B Visa Sponsorship : (If applicable) Yes

About Subtle Medical

Subtle Medical is a global leader in AI-powered medical imaging, using deep learning to enable faster, safer, and smarter scans. Our technology helps healthcare providers deliver high-quality imaging more efficiently—reducing scan times, improving image quality, and expanding access to care without the need for new hardware.

We are on a mission to transform the imaging experience for both providers and patients. By building responsible AI solutions that integrate seamlessly into existing workflows, we help radiology teams operate more efficiently while improving the patient experience—especially for those who struggle with long or difficult exams. Our vision is a world where every patient has access to timely diagnosis, high-quality care, and better health outcomes.

Subtle Medical offers a robust, multi-modality portfolio across MRI, PET, and CT, and continues to invest heavily in research and development. Our team includes leading radiologists, scientists, and engineers from top institutions such as Stanford, Harvard, and MIT, as well as industry veterans from GE, Philips, and Siemens.

Recognized by TIME as one of the World’s Top HealthTech Companies (2025) and named to CB Insights’ GenAI 50, Digital Health 150, and AI 100, Subtle Medical is helping shape the future of medical imaging. Today, our solutions are deployed on over 1,000 scanners worldwide, supporting hospitals and imaging centers in delivering faster scans, improved diagnostic quality, and better patient care.

Position Summary:

The Director, People and Culture will serve as Subtle Medical’s first dedicated senior HR leader, and be part of the company’s Executive Leadership Team. Operating as an individual contributor initially, this role will own the end-to-end assessment, design, and implementation of HR practices, ensuring Subtle has the people infrastructure needed to support growth, compliance, and employee engagement.

The successful candidate will bring a builder mindset, strong judgment, and the ability to translate organizational needs into clear processes, programs, and data-driven insights. They will partner with the CEO and with leaders across Product, R&D, Commercial, and Operations to ensure HR is aligned with business priorities and supports Subtle’s mission to improve global healthcare through AI-driven imaging solutions.

Duties + Responsibilities

HR Strategy & Assessment

• Conduct a comprehensive audit of current HR policies, processes, systems, and documentation.
• Identify gaps, risks, and opportunities for modernization and scalability.
• Develop a 12–24 month HR roadmap aligned with organizational growth and leadership priorities.
• Present findings and recommendations using clear data, metrics, and insights to support executive decision-making.

HR Infrastructure & Program Development

• Design and implement core HR processes including onboarding, performance management, job architecture, compensation philosophy, and employee relations protocols.
• Standardize templates, workflows, and documentation to improve consistency / reduce manual effort.
• Review and make recommendations on HR systems (HRIS, ATS, performance tools) appropriate for a 50–200 employee MedTech organization.

People Analytics & Decision Support

• Define key people metrics (e.g., hiring efficiency, engagement indicators, turnover patterns).
• Build simple dashboards or reporting rhythms that help leadership make data-driven decisions about workforce planning, org design, and manager effectiveness.
• Use data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities across the employee lifecycle.

Talent Management & Workforce Planning

• Partner with leaders to define role scopes, competencies, and leveling frameworks.
• Support recruitment strategy by advising on job design, interview structure, and selection best practices (without owning full-cycle recruiting).
• Introduce early leadership development and manager-enablement programs.

Culture, Engagement & Organizational Development

• Assess current culture and employee experience; identify opportunities to strengthen communication, collaboration, and engagement.
• Build programs that reinforce Subtle Medical’s mission, values, and cross-functional alignment.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to leaders on organizational design, team effectiveness, and change management.
• Promote Subtle’s culture as a key-differentiator for hiring, retention and personal growth.
• Strengthen the company’s office-based culture, as the organization moves from a full remote/virtual work environment to a hybrid model centered around key offices/location.
• Support the internationalization of Subtle, as the company adapts to managing a growing workforce outside the US, including Canada, Europe, China and other APAC regions.

HR Operations & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and healthcare-adjacent employment regulations.
• Manage sensitive employee relations issues with discretion, fairness, and sound judgment.
• Maintain accurate HR documentation and ensure consistent application of policies.
• Adapt systems & processes to manage a global workforce, including engagement with team members as FTE, through 3 rd party Employee of Record (EOR) companies and as independent contractors.
• Coordinate immigration and global mobility processes, including visa sponsorships, renewals, relocation support, and external immigration counsel/vendor management for international employees and candidates.

Qualifications

• Experience assessing and building HR foundations in a growing company.
• Strong capability in using data and metrics to inform HR recommendations and leadership decisions.
• Demonstrated success designing and implementing HR processes, systems, and programs.
• Strong understanding of HR compliance and best practices.
• Proven ability to influence leaders and operate as a trusted advisor.
• Experience working as a hands-on individual contributor in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Key Competencies

• Creative thinker and builder with the ability to drive results in ambiguous environments.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills across all levels of the organization.
• Strategic and hands-on; able to develop long-term plans while executing day-to-day work.
• Adaptable, resourceful, and comfortable with shifting priorities.
• High integrity, sound judgment, and a balanced approach to employee and business needs.
• Analytical and structured thinker with strong problem-solving abilities.
• Sets high standards and delivers results through influence rather than authority.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business, Organizational Psychology, or a related field preferred; equivalent experience will be considered.

Work Experience : 8–12+ years of progressive HR experience, ideally in tech, MedTech, health tech, or scaling startup environments.

Nice to Haves: Experience leading at least one full-cycle HRIS transformation, from assessment through vendor selection and adoption, across a fast-moving organization that continued to grow throughout the migration.

Location: This is a hybrid role with a primary work location in Menlo Park, CA. The successful candidate must be local and able to come on-site regularly, including for leadership meetings, company events, and as needed to support the team.

Benefits:

• The opportunity to work on products that impact the health of millions of people
• Unlimited paid-time off (PTO)
• Stock incentive plans
• Medical/Dental/Vision, Disability + Life Insurance
• Parental Leave
• 401k

Subtle Medical is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.