Founding HR Business Partner

Our mission is to architect AI that learns from and interacts with the world like humans do.

We're pioneering the model architectures that will make this possible. Our founding team met as PhDs at the Stanford AI Lab, where we invented State Space Models or SSMs, a new primitive for training efficient, large-scale foundation models. Our team combines deep expertise in model innovation and systems engineering paired with a design-minded product engineering team to build and ship cutting edge models and experiences.

We're funded by leading investors at Index Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners, along with Factory, Conviction, A Star, General Catalyst, SV Angel, Databricks and others. We're fortunate to have the support of many amazing advisors, and 90+ angels across many industries, including the world's foremost experts in AI.

We're looking for our first HR Business Partner to build the foundation of our people programs as Cartesia scales. This is a unique opportunity to shape the employee experience from the ground up at a fast-growing Series A AI startup, working directly with leadership to define what exceptional people operations look like. You'll be the trusted advisor to our teams, balancing strategic thinking with hands-on execution across the full employee lifecycle.

In this role, you'll own everything from employee relations and organizational design to talent development and learning programs. You'll have the autonomy to build systems and processes that scale while maintaining the culture and values that make Cartesia a great place to work.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership on organizational health, team dynamics, and people strategy

• Provide confidential employee support throughout the full employee lifecycle, from onboarding through career growth to offboarding

• Partner with recruiting to ensure that talent strategies align with long-term organizational goals

• Build performance management processes, and development programs that help employees grow

• Own compensation planning and strategy, including benchmarking, equity, and promotion cycles

• Design and implement programs focused on developing our internal company culture

• Establish HR policies, workflows, and documentation that scale with the business while staying lightweight and founder-friendly
  

• 7+ years as an HRBP, with at least 2 years at a high-growth startup or tech company

• Deep expertise in employee relations, with a track record of handling sensitive situations with discretion

• Proven ability to design organizational structures that support rapid growth

• Experience building talent and learning programs from scratch, including career ladders, manager training, and onboarding

• Strong business acumen and comfort with ambiguity; ability to roll up your sleeves and get things done without a playbook

• Exceptional judgment and communication skills across all levels of the organization

• Background working in AI/ML or deeply technical environments

• Experience scaling a company through key growth milestones (50→200+ employees)

• Familiarity with modern People tools and systems (HRIS, ATS, engagement platforms)

🏢 In-office policy: We’re an in-person team based out of offices in 🇺🇸 San Francisco, 🇬🇧 London and 🇮🇳 Bangalore We love being in the office, hanging out together, and learning from each other every day.

🌎 Visa sponsorship: We provide visa sponsorship support and assess each circumstance on a case-by-case basis. However, visa sponsorship is dependent on many factors, including the role you are applying for, and the location you are going to be based, and so we can't always guarantee success. Your Recruiter will work with you to understand your visa sponsorship needs from the first call.

🚢 We ship fast. All of our work is novel and cutting edge, and execution speed is paramount. We have a high bar, and we don’t sacrifice quality or design along the way.

🤝 We support each other. We have an open & inclusive culture that’s focused on giving everyone the resources they need to succeed.

💰 Compensation. Competitive base salary alongside attractive equity package.

🚆 Commuter Allowance. A monthly stipend to help you get to and from the office.

🏖️ Flexible PTO. Take as much time as you need to recharge your batteries.

🍲 Meals & Snacks. Lunch, dinner and plenty of snacks, provided daily.

🦖 Your own personal Yoshi.