About American Terawatt

American Terawatt is building a new industrial electric grid for the United States. Delivering on our projects means hiring the best people and developing them to the best of their capabilities.

We design and deploy advanced power transmission systems, serving large industrial loads, gigawatts at a time. Our systems deliver power to everything from frontier AI data centers to highly automated manufacturing, refineries, mines, and more.

The backbone of American Terawatt’s network is HVDC transmission, anchored by our unique terminal design. American Terawatt’s terminals are standardized, modular, and natively integrate energy storage. Each one is designed to expand to operate as a full node on our future HVDC transmission network.

About the role

We are hiring a Head of People to build the employee-focused side of our People function and help American Terawatt scale thoughtfully. You are a builder who enjoys growing an organization from 0 - 1. We are currently a team of 17, primarily in SF and NY, with an in-office orientation, and growing to 25+ by end of year.

You will work directly with our founders and leaders and take ownership of our people strategy, which includes: headcount planning, organizational design, compensation, benefits, compliance, performance management and offboarding. You will also own our relationship with Sequoia PEO and other benefit providers, and ensure our people programs, policies, and systems support employees effectively and scale with the company.

You will partner closely with our Talent & Recruitment Lead, who owns Recruitment & Talent. Together, you will create a connected experience from a candidate’s first interaction with American Terawatt through their growth and development as an employee.

This is a hands-on individual contributor role, with the potential to build and lead a People team as AmWatt scales.

What you will own

People operations and HR systems

• Day-to-day HR operations, employee records, policies, and internal People processes, while building the infrastructure needed to support Amwatt’s growth

• Manage Sequoia PEO and serve as the primary contact for HR and payroll matters. Ensure third party vendors are meeting AmWatt’s needs.

• Maintain accurate and organized employee data across all People systems.

• Lead headcount and total rewards planning and budgeting

• Identify and own potential future HRIS/HRMS

• Advise executives on organizational structure and people strategy; own org charts

Benefits and employee support

• Manage and negotiate employee benefits, enrollment, renewals, and relationships with benefits providers.

• Help employees understand and access their benefits.

• Coordinate leaves of absence, workplace accommodations, and other employee changes.

• Ensure employee questions and issues are handled promptly and thoughtfully.

Leveling and compensation

• Build and maintain company-wide leveling and compensation frameworks.

• Develop salary bands and support consistent compensation and promotion decisions.

• Manage compensation-review cycles and maintain accurate compensation data.

• Provide leaders with clear guidance on leveling, pay, and internal equity.

Performance management

• Design and manage goal-setting, feedback, and performance-review cycles.

• Provide managers with the tools and guidance needed to address performance effectively.

• Establish clear and consistent processes for promotions and performance improvement.

• Track completion and outcomes to improve the process over time.

Compliance and employee relations

• Maintain compliant employment policies and practices across the company’s locations.

• Partner with external employment, legal, immigration, and benefits advisors when needed.

• Support managers and employees through sensitive workplace matters with discretion and sound judgment.

• Monitor changes in employment requirements and update company practices accordingly.

Offboarding

• Own the employee offboarding process from notice through the final day.

• Coordinate final payroll, benefits, equipment return, access removal, and required documentation.

• Conduct exit interviews and identify trends or opportunities for improvement.

• Ensure every departure is handled consistently, respectfully, and securely.

Partnership with Talent & Recruitment

• Partner with the Talent & Recruitment Lead to connect hiring plans with headcount coordinate offer issuance.

• Align JDs to compensation bands and role levels before searches begin.

• Partner with Talent & Recruitment on onboarding, with Talent supporting the initial days and the Head of People leading the onboarding and employee experience from there.

What success looks like

You will help shape the exact roadmap, but we expect success in this role to include the following early milestones:

In your first month

• Meet with founders, leaders, employees, and key partners to understand the AmWatt’s People needs and growth plans.

• Review current People systems, policies, benefits, compensation, performance practices, and compliance, and identify the main gaps.

• Align with the COO on priorities and a six-month roadmap, while addressing any urgent employee or operational issues.
  

By month six

• Establish reliable People Operations processes across employee records, benefits, employee changes, compliance, onboarding, and offboarding.

• Develop intermediate and long-term organization structure strategy and detailed headcount scenarios

• Develop an initial leveling and compensation framework to support consistent hiring, pay, and promotion decisions.

• Establish a practical approach to performance and employee development, with clear guidance for managers on goals, feedback, promotions, and addressing performance issues.
  In your first month

What we are looking for

Required experience

• >7 Years of demonstrated experience in People Operations or Human Resources in a growing company or startup environment, with at least 3 years leading a team. Must have managed people.

• A track record of building and managing leveling, compensation, benefits, performance-management, and HR programs.

• Strong knowledge of employee relations, employment compliance, and People Operations best practices.

• Experience managing an HRIS and relationships with benefits providers, and other People-related vendors.

• Strong judgment and the ability to handle confidential and sensitive matters with discretion.

• Comfort working in an early-stage environment and building systems from scratch.

• High agency: resourceful, adaptable, and able to act with limited direction.

Preferred experience

You do not need to check every box. We value relevant skills, sound judgment, and the ability to learn quickly.

• Startup experience, ideally in the energy, or infrastructure sectors.

• Familiarity with Sequoia PEO or a similar PEO and HR platform. Experience implementing an HRIS.

• Experience supporting employees across multiple states, particularly California and New York, as well as remote employees.

• Experience collaborating with founders, company leaders, Finance, Legal, and Talent/Recruitment.

• Knowledge of California and New York employment practices.

• An advanced degree or relevant HR certification, such as SHRM or HRCI, is a plus.
  

Details

• Travel: Occasional travel between company offices, events, and other sites as needed

• Reports to: COO
  

Compensation & Benefits

• Compensation: Competitive compensation package commensurate with experience, including salary and material equity participation.

• Healthcare: Medical, dental, and vision coverage, including 75% coverage for dependents and spouses.

• Wellness: Up to $300/month reimbursement for gym and wellness expenses, or Bay Club membership for SF-based employees.

• Meals: Lunch provided daily when working from an office.

• Time off: Unlimited PTO with manager approval, plus company-wide office closures for July 4 week and one week in December.

• Additional perks: Laptop of choice provided, convenient SF office location on the Embarcadero and near public transit, pre-tax transit benefits, and an employee-contribution 401(k) program.