Director of HR

Director of HR

New York, Hybrid

About the Position

Bluefish is looking for a seasoned and people-first HR leader to build and own the full people function as we scale. As our first Director of Human Resources, you will be responsible for designing and executing a people strategy that supports a high-performing, inclusive, and engaged workforce.

In partnership with leadership, you will build our HR infrastructure from the ground up spanning talent acquisition, onboarding, performance management, compensation and benefits, employee relations, compliance, and culture.

This role is ideal for someone who is equally strategic and hands-on, comfortable developing long-term strategy while also rolling up their sleeves to execute. You thrive in fast-moving startup environments, care deeply about the employee experience, and know how to build scalable people programs that don't sacrifice culture.

What You Will Be Doing

• Own and evolve Bluefish's people strategy across the full employee lifecycle ensuring programs are scalable, equitable, and aligned with company goals.
• Lead and continuously improve talent acquisition efforts across technical, GTM, and operational roles, including full-cycle recruiting, agency management, and employer brand development.
• Design and implement onboarding programs that set new hires up for success and reinforce Bluefish's culture from day one.
• Build and manage performance management frameworks, including goal-setting, review cycles, feedback processes, and career development pathways.
• Develop and administer competitive compensation and benefits programs, conducting regular benchmarking to ensure Bluefish remains an employer of choice.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and first point of contact for employee relations matters, navigating complex situations with discretion, empathy, and sound judgment.
• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations, proactively managing risk and maintaining up-to-date HR policies and documentation.
• Partner closely with executives and hiring managers to support workforce planning, organizational design, and headcount strategy.
• Champion a strong, inclusive company culture and drive initiatives around employee engagement and belonging.
• Track and report on key people metrics — including retention, engagement, time-to-fill, and headcount — to inform decision-making at the leadership level.
• Manage and develop HR tools, systems, and workflows, ensuring the people tech stack scales with the business.

What We're Looking For

• 8–12 years of progressive HR experience, including at least 3 years in a leadership or Director-level role, ideally within a high-growth SaaS or startup environment.
• Proven ability to build and scale people programs and HR infrastructure from the ground up.
• Broad HR generalist expertise spanning talent acquisition, employee relations, performance management, compensation, benefits, and compliance.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to translate strategy into measurable business outcomes.
• Exceptional communication, interpersonal, and executive presence. Comfortable advising founders and senior leadership on sensitive people matters.
• Deep knowledge of employment law and HR compliance across federal and state jurisdictions, particularly in New York.
• Ability to operate at all altitudes, equally comfortable designing a compensation philosophy and processing an offer letter.
• High emotional intelligence, discretion, and the ability to build trust across all levels of the organization.
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail, follow-through, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Excited to thrive in an ambiguous, evolving startup environment where the scope of this role will grow with the company.

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience scaling a company from ~20 to 200+ employees.
• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification.
• Familiarity with HRIS platforms, ATS tools, and people analytics.
• Background in talent acquisition or employer branding in addition to core HR responsibilities.

What We Look For:

• Demonstrated grit and resourcefulness. You find creative solutions, adapt quickly, and aren't afraid to roll up your sleeves in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Thoughtful and strategic thinker with the ability to anticipate needs, ask the right questions, and deliver insights that truly drive value.
• Proven ability to collaborate across functions and roles, fostering open communication and shared ownership of outcomes.
• Commitment to craftsmanship. You take pride in delivering high-quality work, paying attention to the small details while keeping the big picture in mind.
• Self-starter with a proactive mindset and a strong sense of accountability. You can drive projects forward independently while staying aligned with team goals.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and learning new tools, processes, or technologies to get the job done.

About Bluefish:

Bluefish believes that AI represents the next major chapter of the internet – and that consumers will increasingly use AI to consume information and media online. On this new AI internet, brands will need new tools and technologies to tell their stories to consumers online – and a new marketing ecosystem will be created around AI. Bluefish is building the platform that helps brands engage consumers on this new AI channel, with powerful enterprise tools to manage AI brand safety and engage consumers with thoughtful and personalized AI marketing experiences.

The Bluefish team is a tight-knit group of mar-tech industry veterans who previously helped build foundational ad-tech platforms now owned by Meta and Microsoft. Bluefish, the leading AI marketing platform for the Fortune 500, recently announced a $20M Series A funding round led by NEA, with participation from Salesforce Ventures. Additional investors include Crane Venture Partners, Swift Ventures, and Bloomberg Beta. We are a globally distributed team, with business operations based in New York City and engineering based in Berlin.

Why Bluefish:

• Unique opportunity to join on the ground floor of a fast-moving startup building at the center of AI
• Tackle challenging and abstract problems while disrupting the $300BN legacy mar-tech industry
• Join an experienced high-performing team where you will have immediate ownership and impact
• Experience a true meritocracy with significant career growth upside as the business scales