Head of People

About Tin Can

Tin Can is building a safer, simpler way for kids to connect — without smartphones. We’re creating screen-free, delightful devices and services that let families call the people who matter most, free from the noise of today’s digital world.

We’re building a bold, authentic, nostalgic, and kinda quirky brand that resonates with folks who want something simpler & better for their kids than the tech-infused lives we’re currently living (and who have a sense of humor about it). As we gear up to scale to thousands of families, we’re ready to bring on a Head of People to help make it happen.

The Role

Every promise we make to families is kept — or broken — by the people we hire. We’re growing fast, and the culture that got us here may not scale on its own. We’re looking for a Head of People who’s been through this stage before, someone who can help institutionalize our culture before growth dilutes it, and build every part of the employee experience (how we hire, onboard, pay, promote, develop, and support people) for the company we’re becoming.

You’ll have a seat at the table leading the company. You’ll take over from our fractional head of HR, and evaluate our current systems and practices, then develop the roadmap that builds the People function into an enabler of our growth bringing creativity & problem solving to deliver solutions. This is a role for a strategic leader who stays hands-on: you’ll architect the strategy, and you won’t hesitate to execute pieces (or all) of it yourself while you build the team behind it.

What You’ll Do

• Own the full employee lifecycle — hiring, onboarding, total rewards, leveling, performance, development, and employee relations — along with the HR systems and tooling that run it, keeping what works and adding what we’ll need next
• Partner with leaders across the company on org design and headcount planning, so our teams grow deliberately, not reactively
• Refine the talent acquisition and hiring process with best practices that allow us to move fast and find the most qualified candidates, then enhance our onboarding so that new hires are set up for success from day one
• Assess our total rewards and advise on our offering — compensation philosophy, bands, benchmarking, and benefits — that allows us to compete for top talent
• Own HR compliance and administration as we add states, countries, employees, and contractors, partnering closely with Legal
• Create a leveling framework, so promotions, hiring, and comp run off the same map
• Stand up a consistent performance management framework and be the steady hand on employee relations: navigate sensitive situations and hard conversations with care, objectivity, and discretion
• Measure the things that matter – identify the human capital KPIs we should be tracking at our stage, and use them to drive decision-making

What We’re Looking For

• 10+ years of People/HR experience, including building or scaling a People function at a high-growth startup
• A high level of discretion, confidentiality, and ethics; people trust you with the hard stuff
• Proven experience providing thoughtful guidance to a CEO and executive team; you see all sides of a situation and advocate strongly for employees while balancing growth, compliance, and fairness
• Fluency using AI as a multiplier; this is how we work, not a nice-to-have
• You can architect the People strategy and execute pieces (or all) of it yourself; capable of building and leading a small team as we scale
• Comfortable letting people data guide decisions; engagement, attrition, and hiring metrics inform your recommendations, not just your reports
• Working fluency in employment compliance across states and countries; experience supporting international growth, including resourcing outside the US
• You’ve built comp bands, a leveling framework, or a performance management program and know what good looks like
• Based in Seattle and ready to work from our office 4+ days per week; this isn’t a remote role

Why Join Tin Can

• We’re building tech that protects childhood: We’re on a quest to give kids a more analog childhood — one with real conversations, real connection, and way less screen time. No doomscrolling, data mining, or dopamine traps — just a simpler, better way for kids to stay in touch. This is a rare opportunity to build something that truly matters.
• You’ll own our number one bet: Institutionalizing culture before growth dilutes it is the bet everything else rests on — and every part of how we hire, pay, grow, and support people runs through you.
• Small, high-trust team: Every company says “team,” but at Tin Can it means something different. We’re a small, mission-driven group that genuinely has each other’s backs — professionally and personally. You’ll be joining a tight‑knit crew where your ideas and instincts matter from day one.
• Room to explore, not just execute: You’ll have the space to explore new ideas, challenge assumptions, and shape an employee experience that reflects our values of trust, simplicity, and care.