Director of Human Resources

Director of Human Resources

Location: Austin, TX (Hybrid on-site)

Clearance Requirement: U.S. Citizen with the ability to obtain a security clearance

About NODA

NODA is a veteran-owned, venture-backed technology company that is transforming how unmanned systems collaborate in complex, mission-critical environments. We are developing next-generation solutions that enable the autonomous orchestration of heterogeneous unmanned systems across air, sea, land, and space with vital applications in the defense, intelligence, and commercial sectors.

The people function at NODA is the engine behind hiring the right team, retaining the right team, and building the company that the mission requires. The Director of Human Resources is the first dedicated people leader at NODA — responsible for recruiting the talent that will define the next stage of growth and standing up the HR foundation to support it.

Joining NODA means working on meaningful technology that pushes the boundaries of autonomy alongside a team that thrives on innovation, rapid iteration, and collaboration.

The Role

We are seeking a Director of Human Resources to build and lead NODA's people function from the ground up. This is a 0-to-1 role: you will own recruiting, total rewards, HR operations, and the people strategy that supports a fast-moving defense technology company.

This is a player-coach role. You are equally comfortable running a sourcing pass on a hard engineering search, sitting in a benefits renewal meeting, and partnering with the founding team on org design and headcount strategy. You will spend mornings reviewing resumes and afternoons building the comp philosophy, and you will be measured on both the quality of the hires you make and the durability of the function you build.

You will partner directly with the founding team (report to VP of Operations) and serve as a thought partner on the decisions that shape NODA's culture, capacity, and capability over the next several years.

Key Responsibilities

Talent Acquisition and Recruiting

• Own end-to-end recruiting across engineering, mission, growth, and G&A functions, including roles requiring security clearances

• Personally source, screen, and close candidates while building the systems, tooling, and pipelines that scale recruiting beyond a single hire at a time

• Design and run the interview process — scorecards, debriefs, calibration, and offer strategy

• Build relationships with cleared talent communities, military transition programs, and defense-friendly technical pipelines

• Manage external recruiting partners and search firms as needed for specialized roles

• Establish recruiting metrics and reporting that make hiring legible to the founding team and hiring managers

Total Rewards and Benefits

• Design and own NODA's compensation philosophy, salary bands, and equity framework appropriate to a venture-backed defense startup

• Manage benefits programs including health, dental, vision, 401(k), leave, and ancillary benefits, including annual renewal and broker management

• Benchmark compensation across defense, technology, and cleared talent markets to keep NODA competitive

• Lead the offer process in partnership with hiring managers and finance, balancing candidate expectations with internal equity and budget

HR Operations and Compliance

• Stand up the HRIS, ATS, and supporting systems that scale with the team

• Own onboarding, offboarding, employee records, and the day-to-day operational rhythm of HR

• Establish HR policies, the employee handbook, and people processes appropriate for a federal contractor

• Ensure compliance with federal contractor obligations including OFCCP, AAP, EEO, E-Verify, and applicable state and federal employment law

• Partner with the security team on personnel security workflows, clearance-related HR processes, and the cleared employee lifecycle

People Strategy and Culture

• Serve as a strategic thought partner to the founding team on org design, headcount planning, and people decisions

• Build the performance, feedback, and development practices that fit NODA's stage and culture

• Develop manager enablement and leadership development as the team grows

• Help define and protect the cultural elements that make NODA the team it is today

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, or related field, or equivalent experience

• 8+ years of progressive HR experience, including dedicated time in both recruiting and HR generalist or HR operations roles

• Direct, hands-on full-cycle recruiting experience for technical roles

• Experience designing or managing benefits programs and working with brokers on annual renewals

• Working knowledge of federal and state employment law

• Strong written and verbal communication, including comfort engaging with engineers, executives, and candidates

• U.S. citizenship with ability to obtain a security clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior people leader or HR Director experience at a venture-backed startup, ideally as the first dedicated HR hire

• Recruiting experience for defense, aerospace, or cleared technical roles

• Familiarity with federal contractor HR compliance obligations including OFCCP, AAP, and E-Verify

• Experience designing compensation philosophy and equity frameworks at an early-stage company

• Prior military, government, or defense industry exposure

• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification

• Existing security clearance

Skills & Attributes

• Player-coach mindset — equally comfortable running an interview loop and shaping the org chart

• Builder's instinct: writing the policy, picking the system, and standing up the process where none exists

• High-judgment generalist who can move between recruiting, benefits, comp, and people strategy without losing precision

• Strong commercial sense and a sharp read on both candidates and culture

• Direct communicator who can give and take honest feedback in a high-trust environment

• Discretion and integrity in handling sensitive employee, compensation, and security-adjacent information

• Mission-driven and motivated by the work NODA is doing for national security customers

What We Offer

• Hybrid work environment

• Competitive pay

• Flexible time off

• Generous PTO policy

• Federal holidays

• Generous health, dental, and vision benefits

• Free OneMedical membership

• 401(k)

Growth Path at NODA

The Director of Human Resources has a path into senior people leadership — VP of People or Chief People Officer — with the opportunity to build and lead a full talent acquisition, HR business partner, and total rewards organization as NODA scales from Series A through production-scale defense programs.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. All qualified individuals will receive consideration for employment regardless of race, age, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.