Chief People Office (People - Founding Pillar)

Role Overview You’ll be the custodian of talent, culture, and trust at Vibecoderz. This role is not traditional HR — this is People Architecture. From hiring and onboarding the founding team to shaping our global employer brand , from setting up compliance and benefits to building a culture of velocity and belonging , you’ll own the entire lifecycle of the Vibecoderz team.

You’ll act as a recruiter, negotiator, compliance leader, and culture architect — someone who understands what top engineers, designers, and marketers want in a product-first company, and can assess who will stay and thrive long-term. Your impact will directly determine whether Vibecoderz attracts the best minds in AI and developer tooling , retains them, and scales from 7 to 200+ people without breaking culture.

Key Responsibilities

Talent Strategy & Recruiting Build Vibecoderz’ foundational hiring machine : sourcing, assessments, negotiations, onboarding. Personally recruit the first 20–30 hires (PMs, engineers, marketers, designers). Culture & Employer Branding Define Vibecoderz’ culture manifesto (velocity, obsession with UX, builder DNA). Build Vibecoderz into a magnet for top-tier product talent (IITs, global engineers).

Performance & Development Create clear role ladders, OKRs, and growth frameworks. Set up 1:1 rituals, feedback cycles, and mentorship programs. Compliance & Administration Ensure all local/global labor law compliance (India, US, EU expansion). Handle contracts, equity agreements (ESOPs), and policies. Oversee payroll, legal filings, and HRMS integration (Keka, Deel, Rippling).

Well-being & Benefits Own all employee benefits: healthcare, insurance, wellness programs. Set up mental health and burnout prevention frameworks for high-velocity teams. Conflict & Negotiation Act as the neutral voice in conflicts. Be a skilled negotiator for hiring offers, exits, and internal issues. Diversity & Inclusion Build a globally diverse, inclusive, and high-performing culture.

Implement unbiased hiring frameworks and equitable policies. Exit-Readiness & Scalability Architect people processes that scale toward funding rounds, M&A, or IPO. Ensure due diligence readiness: contracts, compliance, org charts, ESOP pools. Community & External Positioning Represent Vibecoderz in external HR/leadership forums.

Build partnerships with universities, hackathons, and tech conferences. Culture as Product Treat culture as a core product feature : measurable, scalable, and defensible. Continuously gather feedback (surveys, 1:1s, anonymous tools) and improve. Success Metrics 90 Days (Probation): First 10 hires closed (all product company pedigree).

Vibecoderz Culture Playbook published in Notion. Compliance + HRMS stack live (contracts, payroll, ESOP framework). 12 Months: Team scaled from 7 → 50 with >90% retention. Employer brand recognized in India + US dev ecosystems. ESOPs, benefits, and well-being programs institutionalized. Vibecoderz’ culture recognized as benchmark for AI-first startups.

Must-Haves 12–15+ years in People/HR leadership roles at product-first companies. Proven ability to scale from seed → growth stage → exit. Track record of hiring world-class engineers, designers, marketers. Strong negotiation skills for offers, exits, and contracts. Deep knowledge of compliance, labor law, and ESOP design.

Passion for culture-building and talent retention. Nice-to-Haves Prior founding CHRO/People Leader experience. Exit experience (M&A, IPO, or major acquisition). Exposure to global HR models (India + US/EU). Network within IIT/IIM/AI/DevTool ecosystems. Tech & Ops Stack Visibility HRMS & Payroll: Keka, Deel, Rippling Compliance: Legal contracts, ESOP pools, HR policies Hiring & ATS: LinkedIn Recruiter, AngelList, Lever, Greenhouse Collaboration: Linear (execution), Notion (culture docs, OKRs), Slack/Discord Employer Branding: LinkedIn, Twitter, university partnerships, community events Well-being Tools: Healthcare provider integrations, mental health partners Assessment Objective: Validate ability to recruit, scale, and sustain Vibecoderz’ culture.

Challenge (Candidate PoC): Hiring Strategy Draft a 12-month hiring plan : 50 hires mapped by function (PM, FE, BE, AI, Growth). Include sourcing channels, evaluation frameworks, and diversity targets. Culture Manifesto Write a 2–3 page Culture Playbook for Vibecoderz (values, rituals, velocity). Employer Branding Propose an employer branding campaign : how to position Vibecoderz as the #1 place for product talent.

Compliance & Benefits Outline benefits, well-being, and ESOP structures attractive to product engineers. Deliverables: Hiring Plan (doc/slide). Culture Manifesto (Notion-ready). Branding Campaign Concept. Optional Loom walkthrough. Evaluation Criteria: Recruiting Strategy Depth (30%) Culture & Retention Philosophy (25%) Employer Branding Creativity (20%) Compliance & Benefits Rigor (15%) Communication & Storytelling (10%)