Director of People Operations / Full-Time / San Francisco, CA

About Us

Cambium, a circular economy innovator, tackles key environmental challenges in supply chains. Utilizing our Traece® technology, we salvage fallen lumber and transform it into Carbon Smart Wood™, a low carbon building material. Our partnerships with government and private forest managers  enable us to divert fallen trees from landfills, repurpose them, and reinvest in local tree planting efforts. This approach not only supports environmental sustainability but also stimulates job creation and strengthens local economies, underscoring our commitment to combating climate change at scale.

Cambium is at a pivotal growth stage. With $10M in funding over the past 3 years, we are on the cusp of defining a new market for truly sustainable materials. The reality is that it is hard to disrupt one of the oldest active industries (lumber) and bring it into the 21st century. We do not have time to waste, and we need someone to come in and level up our team–enabling a 5th generation impact in all we do. 

What You’ll Do

In this role, you’ll lead and manage all aspects of the People Operations, with a strong focus on recruiting, onboarding, compliance, and fostering employee success. You’ll develop and implement key systems and processes across the employee lifecycle, including performance management, compensation strategies, and employee engagement initiatives. By ensuring compliance, administering payroll and benefits, and refining HR policies, you’ll play a pivotal role in creating a scalable and thriving workplace culture.

Recruiting, Hiring, and Onboarding (50%)

• Talent Acquisition: Lead and manage in-house recruiting processes, preferably with experience in a fast-paced tech company environment.

• Onboarding & Training: Oversee onboarding and orientation processes to ensure seamless integration of new hires into the organization.

• Collaborate with managers to co-create 30/60/90-day plans to track onboarding success and employee progress.

Talent Strategy & Operations (40%)

• Performance Management: Develop and implement a performance management system to monitor employee performance and identify high-potential individuals, including managing the bi-annual review process.

• Policy and Compliance: Create, update, and enforce people policies, such as the employee handbook and compliance requirements.

• People Operations: Oversee the administration of employee benefits, including health insurance, retirement plans, and other perks. Manage onboarding and employee benefits functions within our payroll management platform. 

Systems & Culture Framework Enhancement (10%)

• Compensation Strategy Development: Design and implement a competitive and comprehensive compensation strategy that includes base salaries, performance-based bonuses, and equity incentives to attract and retain top talent.

• Promotion Policy Development: Establish a transparent promotion policy, detailing clear criteria, processes, and timelines to ensure consistency and fairness in career progression.

• Employee Engagement: Culture & Engagement: Foster a positive and productive workplace culture by coordinating events, conducting surveys, and collaborating with Cambium’s "fun committee" (yes, it’s real and actually fun), and researching, recommending, and integrating tools and systems to enhance employee engagement.

About You: Required

• Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in a Human Resources or Talent / People Ops role

• You understand – and can cultivate – trust throughout the organization. You treat sensitive information with the utmost discretion and care.

• You know how to develop a growth strategy and headcount roadmap in partnership with senior leaders across the organization, taking into consideration unique capabilities that should be added

• You are a phenomenal communicator–you sift through noise, ask pointed questions and are not afraid to hold people accountable.

• Strong knowledge of employment law and HR best practices

• You bring a strong network of people that look to you to find their “next big thing.” 

• This isn’t your first rodeo: You’ve been part of a scale-up experience and know what it takes to bring on the right people, at the right time, and do so efficiently, both at our current stage (pre-Series A) and beyond. 

• You bring recruiting and HRIS systems, tools, and processes with you, and have the ability to scale an organization and build a best in class business

• Strong operational thinker, with a knack for solving problems and building solutions

• You are unbiased in your pursuit of truth and excellence

• You are an enthusiastic leader, eager to guide and support our people and talent teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• You have worked at growth- and scale-stage (Series A+) start ups–understanding the balance between process and freedom, the need to move fast & prioritize, and the importance of letting certain fires burn.

• Experience leading cultural transformations or implementing HR systems/processes during periods of significant organizational change.

• Proficiency in using HR data analytics to drive insights and optimize people strategies, including experience with HRIS, ATS, and people analytics platforms.

• Deep understanding of employment laws and regulations (e.g., FLSA, FMLA, EEO, OSHA) at local, state, and federal levels, especially for multi-state organizations.

The Details

• This role will report to: Marisa Repka, Co-Founder & CFO

• When: We’re looking to fill this role immediately

• Where: San Francisco, CA

• Salary Range: $120-150k or commensurate with experience

 Perks & Benefits

• Equity options package

• Flexible schedule

• Unlimited PTO 

• Retirement plan and 401k matching

• Comprehensive medical, dental & vision insurance

• Regular team events

• Volunteer tree planting events

• Work with an incredibly smart, diverse, climate mission-driven team

• An opportunity to play a core role in defining our fast-growing company 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Cambium Carbon is committed to building an inclusive organization that reflects the diverse communities our team works to serve. We believe that diversity in all its forms (gender, race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion, veteran's status, disability and more) is essential to imagining and actively building a more just and sustainable future for all. We also actively promote diversity outside our organization, through the partnerships we enter into and the business decisions we make. Learn more about our culture and values here.