Founding HR/People Lead - Internet/Online

Location: Bengaluru, India

Experience: 6-12 years

Stage: Early-stage AI startup

Reports to: Founders

About the Role

We are looking for a Founding HR / People Lead to build the people and culture foundation of our AI startup from the ground up. This role is both strategic and hands-on, responsible for shaping hiring strategy, designing people processes, and building a high-performance culture as we scale.

You will partner closely with the founders and leadership team to hire exceptional talent, design scalable HR systems, and create an environment where world-class engineers and researchers can do their best work.

Key Responsibilities:

Talent & Hiring (0 - 1 - Scale):

- Build and execute the talent acquisition strategy for engineering, AI research, product, and GTM roles.

- Own end-to-end recruiting: sourcing, employer branding, interviews, offers, and closing candidates.

- Design structured interview frameworks and hiring rubrics.

- Establish partnerships with recruiting agencies where necessary.

Culture & Employee Experience:

- Build a strong onboarding experience for early employees.

- Create programs that improve engagement, collaboration, and retention.

- Partner with founders to maintain startup speed while avoiding burnout.

HR Infrastructure & Processes:

- Build foundational HR systems including:

- Performance management

- Compensation frameworks

- Career ladders

- Feedback and review cycles

- Implement and manage HRIS and recruiting tools.

- Create scalable policies that support growth from 10 - 100+ employees.

- Compensation & Rewards

- Compliance & Operations

- Manage HR documentation, contracts, and policies.

- Work with finance and legal on payroll, ESOPs, and employment structures.

- Strategic Partner to Founders

- Support leadership hiring.

What We're Looking For?

Experience:

- 6-12 years of HR experience, ideally with startup or high-growth tech companies.

- Experience building HR systems from scratch.

- Strong experience in recruitment

Skills:

- Ability to operate strategically and execute hands-on.

- Strong stakeholder management with founders and senior leaders.

- Data-driven mindset with strong organizational design capability.

- Excellent communication and candidate experience focus.

Bonus Points: Experience in early-stage startup (0-50 employees).