Senior Director, People

Job Description

Job Description

About Pendulum

Pendulum® is on a mission to help people improve physical and mental health by creating a new category of products that target the microbiome. We are researching, developing and commercializing a novel class of rationally-designed Live Synbiotics™ (probiotics + prebiotics) that have demonstrated clinical efficacy to treat conditions like metabolic syndrome, inflammation and neurodegeneration.

Pendulum has created proprietary pipelines to build a unique discovery platform that identifies key, novel bacterial strains and the prebiotics that feed them.

We are a highly collaborative team of scientists, engineers, physicians, marketers and salespeople interested in improving human health by using the latest research from diverse fields, such as microbiology, molecular biology, high-throughput genomics, distributed computing, pharmaceutical development and nutrition. We believe strongly in an individual’s transparency and strong communication to enable the most effective and efficient path to team success.

If you’re interested in building a new category of products that will help improve the lives of people globally and you love working in a cross-functional, collaborative, inspiring environment, please continue reading!

We are looking for a senior People leader to own and elevate the day-to-day HR function while helping build a strong, high-performance, people-centered culture. This person will be both strategic and hands-on: a trusted advisor to leadership, a resource for managers and employees, and a steady operator who can ensure the company’s people practices scale thoughtfully.

This role is ideal for someone who loves people, communicates with clarity and empathy, and is energized by being in the office and deeply engaged with the team day to day. The right candidate will bring strength in HR operations, employee relations, organizational development, and practical judgment around employment issues. They will also mentor and support other members of the People team.

You will be a broad-based, hands-on leader with a track record of driving best practices throughout the organization - driving accountability into every aspect of the People function and the business it supports.  

• Lead day-to-day HR operations across the company, ensuring a high-quality employee experience and strong execution of core people processes.

• Serve as a trusted partner to leaders and managers on employee relations, learning and development, performance issues, team dynamics, coaching, and organizational effectiveness. Serve as an effective listener, champion and problem solver

• Partner closely with the Chief of Staff to align people strategy, organizational priorities, and leadership support.

• Provide regular feedback and perspective to the leadership team on people trends, organizational health, manager effectiveness, and cultural opportunities.

• Participate in the development of the company’s plans and programs, particularly from the perspective of the impact on people

• Ensure Pendulum’s mission and values are upheld

• Partner with company leadership and outside employment counsel on sensitive or complex legal and employment matters, using sound judgment and a proactive approach.

• Help ensure HR policies, practices, and documentation are compliant, practical, and aligned with company values.

• Design and lead manager training and development programs to improve leadership capability, feedback quality, performance management, and team health.

• 10+ years experience in HR, ideally in fast-growing startup environments

• Experience with HR operations systems, including ADP Workforce Now, Ubiquity, Google Drive, Health Equity, Lever

• Driven, roll up your sleeves, results-driven person who is equally kind, open, inclusive and caring.

• Proven track record of success at high growth companies

• Experience with (including but not limited to): HRIS, compensation reviews/banding, employee policies, federal and state labor laws, benefits, compensation etc.

• Highly collaborative, practical, and solutions-oriented.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.