Head of People and Culture

Company Overview

Capture is a SaaS and services provider focused on the higher education sector, currently generating over $20 million in annual recurring revenue with an annual growth exceeding 25%. The company is poised to surpass $30 million in revenue within the next year and continues its rapid expansion.

Position Overview

We are seeking the inaugural Head of People and Culture to lead and develop the company's talent acquisition, performance management, and organizational culture initiatives. This role carries substantial strategic responsibilities and requires close collaboration with the CEO and senior leadership team. The successful candidate will independently manage the people function to effectively support business growth.

Job Details

• Title: Head of People & Culture (Director / Senior Director level)
• Reports To: CEO, collaborating closely with CFO, COO, CTO, and CCO
• Experience Required: 8 to 15 years in progressive HR or people leadership roles
• Position Level: Senior individual contributor, approaching executive level but not a full VP role
• Work Schedule: Preference for 3 to 4 days per week; full-time considered
• Location: Remote with occasional onsite presence in Louisville, KY and Boston, MA
• Must Reside: Within one hour of Boston, MA

Role Significance

This position transcends traditional HR compliance and administrative duties. The ideal candidate will have established HR programs in fast-growing SaaS companies with revenues between $10 million and $50 million. They will thrive in an investor-backed environment focused on results and resource efficiency, with demonstrated ability to align people strategies with business goals and effectively collaborate across diverse departments including finance, sales, engineering, and customer success.

Core Responsibilities

• Design and implement structured hiring procedures including scorecards, interview guides, and offer frameworks
• Collaborate closely with hiring managers on critical strategic roles, particularly in sales, customer success, and product teams
• Enhance Capture's employer brand within the higher education SaaS market to attract top-tier talent
• Introduce innovative sourcing and referral programs aimed at decreasing recruitment time and costs
• Manage a streamlined goal-setting framework that aligns with corporate rhythms
• Conduct bi-annual performance reviews with consistent calibration standards
• Coach managers in delivering constructive feedback, recognizing excellence, and addressing poor performance
• Develop career progression ladders and leveling guides to promote internal mobility and employee retention
• Create competitive salary bands and leveling structures benchmarked against relevant SaaS markets
• Design variable compensation plans, focusing on sales and customer success roles, and clearly communicate equity or option plans within a growth-stage context
• Oversee annual compensation reviews aligned with company performance and market trends
• Lead employee engagement surveys and transform insights into actionable retention and culture strategies
• Establish a manager effectiveness program critical to retention and performance improvements
• Define and integrate company cultural values as the organization expands beyond 100 employees
• Support informal leadership development and identify high-potential talent for growth roles
• Maintain HR policy, handbook, and documentation to ensure adherence to legal and regulatory standards
• Manage benefits administration, leave protocols, onboarding, and offboarding processes
• Implement and oversee appropriate HRIS tools suited for a lean scaling environment
• Ensure compliance across jurisdictions with an increasingly remote workforce
• Develop an effective onboarding program to accelerate new hire productivity and clarity of expectations
• Create a manager development program focused on feedback, coaching, and team leadership performance
• Identify and develop high-potential employees through tailored development plans and curated external learning resources

Exclusions

The focus of this role consciously avoids certain areas at this stage, including comprehensive DEI programs, standalone learning & development departments, complex HRIS systems or extensive HR team expansion, and bureaucratic HR processes.

Candidate Profile and Qualifications

• Minimum of 8 years in generalist people/HR roles with at least 3 years in leadership positions
• Verified experience scaling SaaS companies from $10M to $50M+ in annual revenue
• Pragmatic, hands-on experience in developing HR systems rather than inheriting them
• Ability to perform effectively in lean organizations with limited administrative resources
• Demonstrated partnerships with sales and go-to-market leadership
• Strong business understanding of SaaS metrics like revenue, margins, and growth levers
• A commitment to urgency and execution in a fast-paced environment
• Exceptional communication skills capable of building trust from executive to individual contributor levels
• Data-driven decision-making to gauge and demonstrate the value of people initiatives
• Capability to create scalable frameworks avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy
• Skill in coaching and empowering managers rather than micromanaging

Compensation and Benefits

• Part-time (3–4 days/week) base salary range between $108,000 and $176,000, subject to final offer confirmation
• Full-time equivalent salary range from $180,000 to $220,000, subject to confirmation
• Performance bonuses of 10–15% annually tied to company and individual achievements
• Equity options appropriate to seniority level (details to be determined)
• Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision insurance, and 401(k)

First Year Roadmap and Success Metrics

The initial 12 months include:
Phase 1 (Months 1-2): Complete a listening tour, audit HR functions, assess talent gaps, improve hiring processes, and establish baseline HR metrics.
Phase 2 (Months 2-6): Implement structured recruiting processes, develop compensation frameworks, manage performance cycles, update policies, and implement HRIS.
Phase 3 (Months 6-12): Conduct engagement surveys, launch manager programs, develop employer branding, clarify equity programs, and present a year-long people strategy aligned with company goals.

Success by year-end will be measured by achieving less than 10% regrettable turnover, reducing time-to-fill critical roles by 20% or more, fully training managers on performance management, documenting compensation bands, and ensuring full HR compliance across states.