Head, HR (Contract to Hire)

About the role We are seeking a Head of Human Resources to help scale and strengthen Gatik’s people operations during a critical stage of company growth. This is a high-ownership, hands-on leadership role within a fast-paced autonomous vehicle startup environment. The ideal candidate will be comfortable operating both strategically and tactically – building scalable people processes while also rolling up their sleeves to support day-to-day HR operations when needed. This role will partner closely with founders and leadership teams across engineering, operations, autonomy, robotics, AI/ML, and business functions to help drive organizational effectiveness, employee engagement, performance management, compliance, and culture. We are looking for someone practical, adaptable, solutions-oriented, and comfortable navigating ambiguity in a rapidly evolving environment. The ideal candidate has strong startup or scaling-company experience, excellent judgment and executive presence, and a proven ability to build HR infrastructure without slowing down the business. This role will be onsite five days a week at our Mountain View headquarters. What you’ll do Partner closely with founders and leadership teams to help scale the organization and build strong people operations practices. Lead and support day-to-day HR operations, employee relations, organizational development, and people strategy initiatives. Build and improve scalable HR processes, policies, and programs while maintaining startup agility and speed. Support performance management processes, calibration discussions, manager coaching, and employee development initiatives. Partner with leadership teams on organizational planning, team structure, leveling, and compensation discussions. Handle employee relations matters, investigations, and conflict resolution with sound judgment and professionalism. Ensure compliance with California employment laws, HR best practices, and internal policies. Help improve onboarding programs, manager enablement initiatives, and employee experience processes. Support leadership teams during periods of rapid organizational growth, shifting priorities, and evolving business needs. Drive strong communication, accountability, and operational excellence across HR programs and initiatives. Partner cross-functionally with recruiting, operations, finance, legal, and leadership teams as the organization scales. Help foster and reinforce a high-performance, low-ego, ownership-driven culture. What we’re looking for 8+ years of progressive HR leadership experience, preferably within high-growth startup or scaling technology environments. Strong experience supporting technical organizations such as engineering, robotics, autonomy, AI/ML, hardware, or operations teams. Proven ability to operate both strategically and tactically in fast-moving, ambiguous environments. Strong knowledge of California employment law, compliance practices, investigations, and employee relations. Experience building or improving scalable people operations processes and programs. Excellent communication, executive presence, interpersonal, and leadership skills. Demonstrated ability to partner effectively with founders, executives, and cross-functional leadership teams. Comfortable working onsite and operating in a highly collaborative environment. Strong problem-solving skills, sound judgment, and ability to navigate sensitive situations professionally. Experience with performance reviews, compensation calibration, leveling frameworks, onboarding, and manager enablement programs is highly preferred. Startup mentality with strong ownership, urgency, adaptability, and willingness to roll up sleeves. Candidates with demonstrated impact and longevity in startup or scaling environments are strongly preferred over candidates coming solely from highly structured large-company environments. Prior experience helping scale organizations through periods of rapid growth is a plus. Salary Range: $180,000 - $260,000 Taking care of our team At Gatik, we connect people of extraordinary talent and experience to an opportunity to create a more resilient supply chain and contribute to our environment’s sustainability. We are diverse in our backgrounds and perspectives yet united by a bold vision and shared commitment to our values. Our culture emphasizes the importance of collaboration, respect and agility. We at Gatik strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone feels they have opportunities to succeed and grow because we know that together we can do great things. We are committed to an inclusive and diverse team. We do not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status or any legally protected status. #J-18808-Ljbffr