Chief People Officer

Deep Origin is a biotech startup building an AI-driven operating system for science to accelerate life science research and drug discovery. The Chief People Officer will lead and scale the global People function, shaping people strategy, culture, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness during a high-growth phase.

• Develop and execute a comprehensive people strategy aligned with mission, growth trajectory, and long-term goals.
• Design scalable organizational structures, frameworks, and operating models supporting innovation and operational excellence.
• Build and continuously improve HR systems and processes (performance management, employee lifecycle, compensation frameworks, policies, and global compliance).
• Partner with executives and managers to strengthen leadership capabilities across the organization.
• Design and implement leadership development programs, coaching frameworks, and learning initiatives supporting growth and internal mobility.
• Develop and execute an employee engagement strategy aligned to growth goals.
• Lead initiatives strengthening culture, belonging, and overall employee experience.
• Coach leaders on performance, engagement, and team effectiveness.
• Create and implement a competency matrix across the organization.
• Drive employee engagement and feedback systems to improve the employee experience.
• Use data-driven insights, workforce analytics, and feedback mechanisms to identify organizational challenges and implement productivity and collaboration improvements.
• Serve as trusted advisor to CEO/COO/leadership on org planning, leadership dynamics, workforce scaling, and change management.
• Own global HR compliance and risk management; ensure adherence to US employment regulations and global labor law alignment.
• Oversee employment classification standards, contractor compliance, and partner with legal/finance to mitigate employment risk.
• Establish compliance frameworks that support scalable U.S. and global growth.

• 10+ years of experience in senior People/HR leadership roles (e.g., VP People, Head of People, CPO), ideally in high-growth technology or life sciences companies.
• Strong track record in international hiring and labor law compliance; ability to build processes across countries, cultures, and time zones.
• Proven experience building scalable HR infrastructure and leading people strategy through company growth.
• Strong Learning & Development experience, including implementing approaches from scratch and optimizing learning effectiveness.
• Expertise in organizational development, leadership coaching, culture building, and talent development.
• Hands-on experience building leaders at all levels and handling difficult HR situations.
• Experience partnering with executive teams to drive strategic organizational decisions.
• Ability to operate strategically and hands-on in a fast-paced startup environment; comfort with ambiguity.
• Strong analytical mindset and experience using people data/metrics to inform decisions.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills; ability to influence and build trust across diverse teams.
• Experience scaling startups from ~100 to 300+ people.
• Nice to have: Degree in HR Management, Business Administration, Psychology, or Organizational Development.
• Nice to have: Experience in biotech, life sciences, or health/pharma industries.

• Remote-friendly culture with optional onsite work.
• Location requirement: San Francisco or ability to travel to San Francisco at least once per month for four days.
• International travel required at least twice per year.
• Benefits include comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage.
• Competitive compensation package with meaningful equity.
• Annual team gatherings and company events.
• For in-office employees: free lunch, snacks, beverages, and onsite gym access.