People Operations Lead

A Bit About Us:

We are Arcadia Science. Arcadia is a science company founded and led by scientists. Our mission is to transform evolutionary innovations into real-world solutions by openly developing more efficient, replicable, and sustainable ways to leverage the biology of diverse organisms.

The Opportunity:

We are seeking a People Operations Lead to help Arcadia build and maintain a culture of excellence across our Discovery, Translation, Engineering, Publishing and Operations functions. The ideal candidate is passionate about fostering an innovative work environment for high performing and high agency employees, most of which are scientists. This role encompasses a wide range of responsibilities, including talent acquisition (recruiting), performance management, employee engagement, organizational design and development, and compliance with employment regulations. 

A critical aspect of this role is shaping our performance culture at Arcadia. An ideal candidate should think ambitiously and clearly about how to hold a high bar for performance, as we want to build a stellar, first-in-class team. They should be a principled thinker who is biased towards action, instead of relying primarily on standard best practices or tending towards bureaucratic solutions. The candidate should be astute at coaching managers in all these regards. 

The People Operations Lead should also be motivated to leverage cutting-edge digital and automation practices. We are looking for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is enthusiastic about developing robust and scalable people operations that support Arcadia’s strategy. Arcadia is an experiment, and we are looking for a principled thinker who is unafraid to pilot new approaches and challenge the status quo.

Key Responsibilities

• Overseeing strategy and implementation of efficient people operations practices that foster high performance culture
• Building and managing a People Operations team that will expand with the organization’s needs
• Staying current on cutting-edge HR automation, data management, and policy strategies, collaborate with management on implementation with an eye towards efficiency
• Ensuring proper quality controls and contingency plans for people management processes
• Leading talent acquisition (recruiting) efforts to attract and retain top talent
• Experience working with scientists, engineers in biotech or a related industry
• Ensuring compliance with all relevant employment laws and regulations

Required Education/Experience:

• B.A., M.A., or equivalent in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field
• Experience in high growth, fast paced startup environments
• 2+ years experience in people operations team management (>2 direct reports)
• Familiarity with best practices for talent acquisition, performance management, employee engagement/retention and organizational development, balanced by a willingness to try new approaches
• Direct experience with HR information systems and digital documentation practices
• Clear and succinct communicator
• Knowledge of employment laws and other relevant regulations

Preferred Education/Experience:

• 5+ years experience in direct HR or people operations roles
• Experience with modern HR automation practices
• Diverse range of experiences across HR areas (talent acquisition, employee relations, compensation and benefits, etc.)
• Strong network of contacts and collaborators in the People Ops/Human Resources space, ideally within the biotech industry

Compensation:

Successful applicants can expect to be compensated between $120-180K with benefits and a highly competitive equity offering, depending on experience level.

The Head of People Operations is part of Arcadia’s growing operations team. Arcadia is a fully on-site team. The position will require the individual to be on-site at our Berkeley, California headquarters.

Application Process:

Interested applicants should send a resume and fully answer all application questions addressing their interest in and qualifications for the position. Please note that failure to follow instructions and address all questions will lead to automatic disqualification. 

Arcadia Science is an equal-opportunity workplace; we welcome people from all backgrounds and communities. We provide competitive compensation and practical benefits to keep you happy and healthy so that you can do your best work.

Please note that an offer of employment from Arcadia is contingent upon the successful clearance of a reference and background check.