Director, People and Culture

Saasventurecapital; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with 4% company match

HiveWatch Equity Incentive Plan

Job summary

HiveWatch is seeking a Director, People & Culture in El Segundo, CA to build and lead our People function end to end. This player-coach role covers total rewards, culture, and HR operations, while overseeing the recruiting team and talent function.

You will drive culture, design hybrid-friendly programs, ensure multi-state compliance, and partner with leadership to scale the People team as the company grows. Base salary $180,000–$200,000; equity participation included.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive People experience with ownership of total rewards, culture, and HR generalist duties.
• Experience with HRIS and benefits platforms (e.g., BambooHR, Ease, Rippling, Gusto, Warp, Justworks).
• Strong knowledge of California employment law and multi-state compliance.
• Experience supporting hourly, shift-based teams.
• Startup or high-growth background building People programs from the ground up.
• Player-coach mindset; comfortable both setting strategy and doing hands-on work.
• Experience partnering on hiring processes and talent strategy.
• Willingness to travel up to 25%.
• Excellent judgment and cross-level communication; hybrid/distributed workforce experience.

Responsibilities

• Shape HiveWatch culture as the company scales, translating values into practices, rituals, and policies.
• Design engagement, recognition, and internal communications for a hybrid team.
• Partner with leadership on org design and change management during growth.
• Lead employee listening efforts and translate insights into action.
• Own end-to-end benefits program design, renewals, and communications.
• Design compensation structures with pay bands, leveling, and merit cycles in partnership with finance.
• Benchmark pay and benefits against market data to stay competitive and equitable.
• Ensure total rewards compliance with federal, state (CA, TX) and local requirements.
• Support GSOC operations: scheduling, time card compliance, overtime, breaks, training, and hiring for sites.
• Partner with Finance on payroll, data, changes, and attendance inputs.
• Run full employee lifecycle: onboarding to offboarding; manage policy development and updates.
• Handle employee relations, investigations, leaves, and conflict resolution.
• Maintain HR policies and the employee handbook; scale processes with headcount.
• Coordinate with Legal on multi-state compliance; manage HRIS and reporting.
• Support training programs and state-mandated trainings as needed.

Skills

People leadership

HRIS proficiency

Californeia employment law

Multi-state experience

Startup/High-growth

Player-coach

Talent acquisition collaboration

Travel up to 25%

Hybrid/Distributed workforce

Tools

BambooHR

Ease

Rippling

Gusto

Justworks

Warp

Job description

HiveWatch is a tech-forward, inclusive organization fostering the evolution of the physical security industry. We are a diverse team of forward thinkers who empower each other to find creative and collaborative solutions in an industry ripe for modernization. We are passionate about the problems we’re solving for our customers and equally passionate about the company we’re building.

HiveWatch is here to help security teams pivot from chasing threats to preventing them. We protect organizations, people, and property through the intelligent orchestration of physical security programs. With better communication, more insights, and less “noise”, we are modernizing what it means for businesses and their employees to truly feel safe.

THE ROLE:

HiveWatch is looking for a Director, People & Culture to build and lead our People function end to end. This is a true player-coach role: you’ll own total rewards and benefits, shape culture and employee experience, and run core HR generalist operations - onboarding through offboarding, compliance, and employee relations, while overseeing our talent function and team of recruiters.

Ideally, you’ve done this at a startup before: you know how to build programs from a blank page, you know when “good enough” beats “perfect,” and you know how to execute without a large team behind you. You will have a TA function reporting to you, and will report to the COO.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

Culture & Employee Experience

• Shape and protect HiveWatch’s culture as the company scales, translating HiveWatch values into everyday practices, rituals, and policies
• Design engagement, recognition, and internal communications programs that keep a hybrid team connected
• Partner with leadership on org design, change management, and employee experience during periods of growth
• Lead employee listening efforts (surveys, pulse checks, skip-levels) and turn insights into action

Total Rewards & Benefits

• Own the end-to-end benefits program, including plan design, renewals, broker relationships, open enrollment, and employee communications
• Design compensation structures that scale with a growing company, including pay bands, leveling, and merit and bonus cycles, in partnership with finance
• Benchmark pay and benefits against market data to keep HiveWatch competitive and equitable
• Partner with Legal to ensure total rewards programs comply with federal, state (notably CA and TX), and local requirements
• Support our 24/7 GSOC operations teams: scheduling, time card compliance, overtime, meal, and rest break compliance, training, retention, and hiring for new sites.
• Partner with Finance on payroll, owning the employee data, comp changes, 401(k) administration, and time and attendance inputs for each run

HR Generalist & Compliance

• Run the full employee lifecycle: onboarding, performance management support, employee relations, and offboarding
• Serve as the primary point of contact for employee relations issues, investigations, accommodation requests, leave requests, and conflict resolution
• Build and maintain HR policies, the employee handbook, and people processes that scale with headcount
• Partner with Legal on multi-state compliance and to keep policies current as laws change
• Manage the HRIS and people systems, ensuring data integrity and reporting accuracy
• Manage and scale employee training resources, including any state mandated trainings (e.g., workplace violence prevention and sexual harassment prevention)

Leadership

• Support the Talent Acquisition team, including the Manager of Talent Acquisition and Technical Recruiter, by unblocking bottlenecks and shaping sourcing strategy to attract top talent to HiveWatch
• Provide guidance on building scalable, repeatable hiring processes as the talent team and company grows
• Act as a strategic partner and sounding board to the CEO and leadership team on all people matters
• Bring structure and rigor to a fast-moving environment without slowing it down

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• 8+ years of progressive People experience, including direct ownership of total rewards/benefits, culture, and HR generalist responsibilities
• Experience with HRIS and benefits administration platforms (e.g., BambooHR, Ease, Rippling, Gusto, Warp, Justworks, or similar)
• Strong, current knowledge of California employment law and compliance requirements, including wage and hour, leave and accommodation requests, meal and rest breaks, pay transparency.
• Experience providing HR support across multiple states.
• Experience supporting hourly, shift-based teams.
• Prior experience at a startup or high-growth company, with a demonstrated ability to build People programs and infrastructure from the ground up
• A true player-coach mindset: comfortable setting strategy and doing the hands‑on work yourself
• Working knowledge of talent/recruiting, with experience partnering on or running hiring processes
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 25%
• Excellent judgment, discretion, and communication skills, with the ability to build trust across all levels of the organization
• Background supporting a hybrid or distributed workforce across multiple states
• PHR/SPHR or SHRM-CP/SCP certification a plus

Nice-to-haves:

• Experience building total rewards or HR functions at a company that has scaled in growth
• Experience with compensation benchmarking tools (e.g., OpenComp, Pave, Radford, Carta Total Comp)
• Working knowledge of Texas employment law and compliance requirements, including wage and hour, leave and accommodation requests, meal and rest breaks, pay transparency.

ADDITIONAL INFO

Base salary range: $180,000 - $200,000

Eligible to participate in HiveWatch Equity Incentive Plan

The final offer will be at the company's sole discretion and determined by multiple factors, including years and depth of relevant experience, expertise, and other business considerations.

Benefits & Culture:

At HiveWatch, we’re passionate about taking care of our people — and it shows in the benefits we offer. Our team enjoys:

• Comprehensive health coverage: medical, dental, vision, and life insurance
• Cutting-edge work in an emerging field with huge growth potential
• Competitive compensation packages designed to reward top talent
• A modern, newly renovated HQ right on Main Street in El Segundo, CA
• 401(k) with a 4% company match to help you invest in your future
• Flexible paid time off so you can recharge when you need it
• A family-friendly, compassionate culture that values balance and belonging

We encourage you to challenge the status quo, share your perspective, and leave fear at the (access-controlled) door.

Our EEO Statement:

HiveWatch is an equal opportunity employer and we are committed to cultivating a work environment that supports, inspires, and respects all individuals. We execute our hiring practices so that they are merit-based and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, marital status, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, national origin, ancestry, military or veteran status, or other protected characteristic.