First HR Partner for a Fast-Growing Infrastructure Startup

TerraFirma; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

TerraFirma is seeking its first dedicated HR hire to build the people function as we scale across engineering, field operations, and manufacturing. You’ll design systems, policies, and practices around Rippling to support the company’s rapid growth today and into the future.

You’ll own the HR function, partner with leadership on workforce planning, compensation, and compliance, and ensure employment law adherence for both office and field personnel in Texas as TerraFirma expands.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of HR experience, including employee relations, compliance, and HR program ownership.
• Demonstrated experience building or significantly shaping HR processes and infrastructure.
• Strong understanding of employment law and HR compliance requirements in Texas.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across a workforce ranging from engineers to field operators.

Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of TerraFirma's HR function, including existing infrastructure (Rippling) and the processes, policies, and practices that need to be built around it
• Serve as the primary point of contact for employee relations, benefits administration, and day-to-day HR support across all teams
• Partner directly with leadership and hiring managers to support workforce planning, org design, and compensation structure as the company scales
• Ensure compliance with employment law, safety regulations, and labor requirements across a workforce that includes both office and field/manufacturing personnel
• Design and roll out performance management, career development, and employee engagement programs appropriate for a fast-scaling startup
• Manage leaves of absence, workers' compensation, and other field-operations-specific HR needs unique to a hardware and construction environment
• Support the recruiting team on offer structuring, compensation benchmarking, and closing candidates
• Build a people‑first culture that reflects TerraFirma's mission and operating standards, from the office to the job site

Skills

HR leadership

Employee relations

Compliance understanding

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR or related field

PHR/SPHR or SHRM-CP/SCP certification

Tools

Rippling HRIS

HRIS platforms

Job description

TerraFirma is seeking its first dedicated HR hire to build the people function as we scale across engineering, field operations, and manufacturing. You’ll design systems, policies, and practices around Rippling to support the company’s rapid growth today and into the future.

You’ll own the HR function, partner with leadership on workforce planning, compensation, and compliance, and ensure employment law adherence for both office and field personnel in Texas as TerraFirma expands.