Astra is hiring its first dedicated Head of People to design and build the people systems, culture, and operational foundations that will enable the company to scale quickly while preserving clarity, accountability, and excellence. As the first human resources professional, you will be responsible for establishing the frameworks that support our growth from a small team to a durable company.
What You'll Do
- Partner with leadership on headcount planning, organizational design, role clarity, and scaling strategy aligned with company goals.
- Build scalable recruiting processes, interview frameworks, onboarding programs, and hiring manager enablement to support rapid growth.
- Design performance management, feedback cycles, goal-setting frameworks, and career progression systems.
- Own compensation philosophy, leveling frameworks, equity programs, benchmarking, and benefits strategy.
- Coach and support managers on hiring, feedback, performance management, employee development, and difficult conversations.
- Own HR operations including payroll, benefits administration, employment compliance, policies, documentation, and HR tooling.
- Design and continuously improve onboarding, engagement, retention, and employee communications across a remote-first workforce.
- Help articulate and reinforce company values, operating norms, and leadership behaviors as Astra scales.
- Build people analytics and dashboards to inform leadership decisions on retention, performance, hiring velocity, and organizational health.
- Partner with legal and finance on employment risk, policy compliance, investigations, and sensitive employee matters.
What We're Looking For
- 8-12+ years of experience in People Operations, HR leadership, Talent, or related roles.
- Experience leading people functions in high-growth environments.
- Experience building people systems from early-stage or mid-stage scale (e.g., 20 → 100+ employees).
- Strong working knowledge of U.S. employment law, HR compliance, benefits, compensation, and payroll operations.
- Proven ability to partner with executive leadership on org design, talent strategy, and culture building.
- Experience supporting both technical and non-technical teams in modern, distributed organizations.
- Track record of building simple, scalable systems rather than heavy bureaucracy.
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Psychology, or related field (or equivalent practical experience).
Nice to Have
- HR certifications (PHR, SHRM, SPHR) are a plus but not required.
- Startup / Fintech: Experience scaling teams in regulated or infrastructure-driven companies.
- Remote-First Organizations: Designing strong culture and accountability in distributed teams.
- International Hiring: Exposure to global employment models.
- M&A / Integration: Experience supporting acquisitions or rapid organizational change.
- Compliance-Heavy Environments: Experience working alongside security, finance, or regulatory functions.
Team & Environment
This is the first dedicated human resources professional role, partnering with the executive team and leaders across engineering, product, sales, and operations. You will join a small team scaling to a durable company.
Benefits & Compensation
- Competitive compensation with equity in a growing fintech company.
- Remote-first culture with flexible working arrangements.
- Small team, big impact — your work directly supports Astra’s ability to scale responsibly.
- Professional growth opportunities in compliance and risk management.
- Mission-driven — build infrastructure that powers financial innovation while meeting the highest regulatory standards.
Work Mode
This is a remote-first position open to candidates within the United States.
We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team.
