Head of Talent

Kastle; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k)

Catered lunches and dinners

Job summary

Kastle, a fast-growing AI-driven fintech company in San Francisco, is hiring its first dedicated Head of People to grow from foundational to strategic. You'll lead sourcing, interview processes, performance management, compensation, and culture initiatives, partnering with the CEO and leadership on all people decisions.

The role demands hands-on leadership, strong coaching, and comfort with ambiguity in a high-growth environment.

Qualifications

• 5–8+ years in People/HR roles at high-growth startups with at least 2 years in leadership.
• Experience scaling HR functions at early-stage companies (50–200 employees).
• Proven design/implementation of people processes (performance management, compensation, onboarding, career frameworks).
• Business partner mindset advising leadership on strategic decisions.
• AI native with experience using Claude Code, Cursor to build sourcing agents.

Responsibilities

• Manage our recruiting team and partner with leadership on hiring strategy and process improvements.
• Own and build a recruiting machine attracting top talent across engineering, product, GTM, deployments, and operations.
• Build and own our people strategy - performance management, compensation, employee development, and culture.
• Partner with leadership on organizational design, headcount planning, and talent decisions.
• Evolve HR policies and benefits programs.
• Design and implement performance management frameworks - goal-setting, reviews, promotion cycles, career development.
• Lead compensation strategy - maintain equitable pay bands, manage equity grants, conduct market benchmarking.
• Drive culture and engagement initiatives - team events, values definition, employee feedback loops, DEI programs.
• Ensure compliance with employment laws across all locations.

Skills

People leadership

Recruiting strategy

Performance management

Compensation frameworks

Employee relations

Coaching managers

Tools

Claude Code

Cursor

Job description

About Kastle

Kastle is building the AI employee for regulated finance. We work with some of America's largest banks and mortgage lenders, helping them scale their contact center and compliance operations using autonomous AI Agents that process payments, originate loans, and help customers get a world class experience during the biggest financial decisions of their lives. We've processed over $2 billion in transactions and are backed by Insight Partners and Y Combinator. If you are interested in selling the best product in the market and help large enterprise lenders and banks transform their operations,

We just raised a $24M Series A and are growing fast!

Why We're Hiring

We're scaling our team 4x over the next year and need a talent leader to build a world class recruiting and people function. We have the basics in place (ATS, HRIS, benefits), but we need someone who can build strategic HR infrastructure, shape our culture, and partner with leadership on talent decisions.

The Role

You'll be our first dedicated people leader, evolving our people function from foundational to strategic. You'll own everything from our sourcing and interview process, performance management to compensation frameworks, and employee relations to culture initiatives. You report to the CEO and partner closely with leadership on all people decisions.

What You'll Do

• Manage our recruiting team and partner with leadership on hiring strategy and process improvements

• Own and be responsible for building a recruiting machine that attracts the best talent across engineering, product, GTM, deployments, and operations.

• Build and own our people strategy - performance management, compensation, employee development, and culture

• Partner with leadership on organizational design, headcount planning, and talent decisions

• Evolve HR infrastructure - refine policies, ensure compliance, optimize benefits programs

• Design and implement performance management frameworks - goal-setting, reviews, promotion cycles, career development

• Lead compensation strategy - maintain equitable pay bands, manage equity grants, conduct market benchmarking

• Drive culture and engagement initiatives - team events, values definition, employee feedback loops, DEI programs

• Ensure compliance with employment laws and regulations across all locations

What We're Looking For

Must-Haves:

• 5-8+ years in People/HR roles at high-growth startups, with at least 2 years in leadership

• Experience scaling people functions at early-stage companies (50-200 employees)

• Track record designing and implementing people processes (performance management, compensation, onboarding, career frameworks)

• Business partner mentality - you advise leadership on strategic decisions, not just execute HR tasks

• AI Native. Strong experience working with Claude Code, Cursor, etc to build sourcing agents.

• Strong coaching skills - you develop managers and help them navigate people challenges

• Comfort with ambiguity - you build infrastructure without waiting for perfect clarity

• Excellent judgment on sensitive employee matters

Nice to Have:

• Experience in fintech, lending, or regulated industries

• Background in AI/ML or technical product companies

• Previous experience scaling a company through hyper-growth (20→200+ employees)

• Knowledge of multi-state employment compliance

At Kastle, we’re building at the edge of AI - fast, focused, and with real ownership. Sprints and major launches move quickly, and we look for people who are energized by that pace. Our team typically works around 70 hours per week, beginning at 8:00 AM, with five days spent collaborating in person at our San Francisco office.

We also offer a benefits package designed to support our full-time employees: medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k), and catered lunches and dinners.