Chief Human Resources Officer

Cytek Biosciences, Inc.; Fremont (CA); On-site; USD 250,000 - 450,000; Full time

Job summary

Cytek Biosciences is seeking a strategic Chief Human Resources Officer to lead global people strategy, cultivate a high-performance culture, and shape the next chapter of Cytek's growth. The CHRO will report to the CEO and partner with the Board to drive organizational design, leadership development, and workforce planning across geographies.

The role requires 15+ years in HR, 10+ in leadership, and deep knowledge of employment law, compensation, benefits, and compliance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in human resources or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 15+ years' experience in Human Resources, with 10+ years in leadership roles.

Responsibilities

• Lead global people strategy to drive growth, innovation, and organizational effectiveness.
• Serve as primary advisor to CEO and Board on talent, succession, and governance.
• Oversee HR operations, compliance, compensation, benefits, and performance management across geographies.

Skills

Executive leadership

People strategy

Change management

Organizational design

M&A integration

HR analytics

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related field

Master's degree or law degree preferred

Tools

HRIS

Payroll systems

Workforce planning tools

Job description

Cytek Biosciences is a leading cell analysis solutions company dedicated to advancing scientific discovery and improving human health. Through its innovative full spectrum flow cytometry technologies, Cytek empowers researchers and clinicians with high-resolution, high-parameter cellular analysis that accelerates breakthroughs in immunology, oncology, infectious disease, and other critical areas of biomedical research.

Headquartered in Fremont, California, Cytek serves customers around the world with a growing portfolio of instruments, reagents, software, and services. Our mission is to provide innovative, accessible technologies that enable our customers to gain deeper insights into cellular biology and transform the future of healthcare.

As a rapidly growing global organization, Cytek is driven by innovation, collaboration, integrity, and a commitment to excellence. We are seeking a strategic and visionary Chief Human Resources Officer to lead our global people strategy, cultivate a high-performance culture, and help shape the next chapter of Cytek's growth and success.

The Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) is the senior human resources executive of the organization and a key member of the executive leadership team. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the CHRO sets and leads the enterprise people strategy for a global, publicly traded company. The CHRO serves as an advisor to the CEO, the Board of Directors, and the Compensation Committee, and is accountable for building the organizational capability, leadership, and culture required to advance the company's mission, growth, innovation, and commitment to quality and compliance across all geographies in which it operates.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform essential duties and responsibilities satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Strategic and Executive Leadership

• Partners with executive leadership to translate long-term business strategy into an integrated global people strategy that drives growth, innovation, and organizational effectiveness.
• Serves as an active member of the executive team; participates in executive staff, strategic planning, and business review meetings and contributes to enterprise decision-making.
• Acts as a trusted advisor and coach to senior leaders on people matters including organizational design, change management, leadership effectiveness, and complex workforce decisions.
• Leads enterprise organizational design and workforce planning to align structure, roles, and capabilities with evolving business and pipeline priorities.
• Provides HR leadership for mergers and acquisitions, including people due diligence, organizational integration, retention, and harmonization of programs and policies.
• Leads change initiatives that support transformation, engagement, and a connected employee experience across regions.
• Develops and owns the HR operating plan and budget, and manages external vendors, advisors, and outsourced partners to deliver results efficiently.
• Establishes human capital metrics and workforce analytics to inform decisions and measure the impact of people programs.

Board and Compensation Committee

• Serves as the primary management liaison to the Compensation Committee; prepares and presents materials. Partners with the committee chair and its independent compensation consultant.
• Leads executive and non-employee director compensation approach, including incentive and equity program design, peer benchmarking, and pay-for-performance alignment.
• Partners with the Board and CEO on executive succession planning, leadership assessment, and human capital risk oversight.

Total Rewards, Talent, and Performance

• Researches, develops, and implements competitive, market-aligned compensation, benefits, recognition, and performance management programs across all levels and geographies.
• Leads global total rewards strategy, including health and welfare benefits, retirement, global mobility, and pay equity.
• Owns full-cycle talent acquisition strategy, including executive and hard-to-fill technical and scientific hiring, employer branding, and organizational onboarding.
• Builds leadership development, succession, and organizational capability programs, and recommends and evaluates learning and development for the organization.

Global HR Operations and Compliance

• Directs HR operations across multiple countries and legal entities, ensuring compliance and clear communication of employment, benefits, insurance, and labor laws, including works councils, PEO/EORs, and country-specific requirements.
• Maintains current knowledge of employment law, regulations, and best practices across jurisdictions, and ensures organizational compliance as legislation evolves.
• Partners with Legal, Finance, and leadership on human capital, SOX-related disclosures/audits, and metrics.

HR Function, Systems, and Employee Relations

• Selects, implements, and optimizes the HRIS and broader technology stack, including AI, to meet the organization's global information and reporting needs.
• Builds, leads, and develops the HR team, and provides guidance to managers on employee relations, compensation, and benefits matters.
• Oversees investigation of employee relations issues and determines appropriate remedies, including counseling, verbal or written warnings, and terminations.
• Participates in professional development, networking, and industry conferences to remain current on trends and legislation.
• Performs other related duties as required and assigned.

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in human resources or related field, Masters, or law degree preferred.
• Minimum of 15+ years' experience in Human Resources, 10+ years in leadership. Global HR experience required.
• Previous HR leadership experience with a publicly traded company. Experience with life sciences or biotech sectors preferred.
• Considerable knowledge of principles and practices of HRM, OD and HR administration.
• Strong knowledge of current global employment laws and other government compliance regulations is required.
• Ability to objectively coach employees and management through complex, difficult, and emotional issues.
• Capacity to make recommendations to effectively resolve problems or issues, by using judgment that is consistent with standards, practices, policies, procedures, regulations, or government law.
• Strong ability to organize and prioritize work.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The employee will be required to stand and/or walk up to 3 hours a day and sit for up to 8 hours a day; use hands to handle or feel objects including keyboard and telephones.
• The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds.
• The noise level in the work environment will vary by location but is usually moderate.

ADDITIONAL SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Highly effective oral and written communication skills, excellent interpersonal skills.
• Critical thinking skills, high emotion intelligence.
• Strong influencing and coaching skills.

Cytek is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, disability status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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