Director, People Operations

About Us

We’re a high-growth startup with an ambitious vision and a tight-knit People Operations team that punches above its weight. Our culture is rooted in trust, accountability, and a strong bias toward action. As we scale, we’re building a people-first company that delivers not just results—but an employee experience that drives engagement, retention, and performance. We’re looking for a senior-level HR leader who’s been in the trenches, knows what great looks like, and is ready to operationalize excellence at scale. 

Position Overview:

We’re hiring a People Operations Director who brings both depth and breadth of experience across the HR function, and who thrives in a hands-on, fast-paced environment. In this role, you’ll lead a lean, high-performing HR team and act as a critical thought partner to the VP of People—owning day-to-day operations while driving forward high-impact initiatives that support our next phase of growth.

This is a high-trust, high-autonomy role ideal for someone who’s already managed HR functions end-to-end in a scaling organization, and who’s confident making independent decisions grounded in good judgment, data, and experience. You’ll bring strategic execution, operational rigor, and the kind of leadership that builds both credibility and momentum across the business.

Job Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a small HR team with a focus on high performance, ownership, and professional development.
• Oversee core HR operations across the entire employee lifecycle, including onboarding, offboarding, performance, engagement, and compliance.
• Own and evolve compensation, benefits, and internal HR systems—leveraging your prior experience to make informed, data-backed improvements.
• Act as the go-to expert for employee relations—handling complex and sensitive issues with discretion, clarity, and leadership maturity.
• Partner closely with the VP of People and executive team to design and implement scalable people programs that support business outcomes.
• Identify and address operational inefficiencies proactively, driving process improvements that balance speed with sustainability.
• Serve as a strategic executor—moving initiatives forward with minimal oversight, keeping stakeholders aligned, and adjusting as priorities evolve.
• Be a visible and trusted presence across the org, building strong cross-functional partnerships through consistent, reliable execution.
• Guide the ongoing development of HR systems, policies, and infrastructure to support a growing, distributed workforce. 

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive HR experience, including 5+ years in a people leadership or HR management role within a scaling, high-growth environment.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and execute across multiple HR domains, including employee relations, compensation, benefits, compliance, and engagement.
• A strong operational toolkit, with experience implementing HR programs and processes that scale with business growth.
• Comfort working in ambiguity, with a decisive, solutions-oriented approach to problem solving.
• Track record of building trust with senior leaders and navigating both strategic and tactical challenges with poise and confidence.
• Deep knowledge of California labor laws and HR compliance requirements.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with an ability to influence and coach at all levels of the organization.
• Based in San Francisco with the ability to collaborate regularly in person with teammates and leaders. 

Why This Role

• High-impact scope with clear ownership across core HR functions.
• Direct access to leadership and a seat at the table on strategic people initiatives.
• Opportunity to shape a best-in-class People Ops function in a values-driven, fast-moving company.
• Culture of trust, autonomy, and excellence—where great ideas move quickly and execution matters.

If you’re a seasoned HR leader who thrives in high-growth environments and is ready to drive operational excellence with empathy and impact—we’d love to meet you. 

The base salary range for this role is $220,000 - 260,000/year. Final offer amounts will carefully consider multiple factors, including prior experience, expertise, and location, and they may vary from the amount above.

About Descript

Descript is building a simple, intuitive, fully-powered editing tool for video and audio — an editing tool built for the age of AI. We are a team of 150 — with a proven CEO and the backing of some of the world's greatest investors (OpenAI, Andreessen Horowitz, Redpoint Ventures, Spark Capital). 

Descript is the special company that's in possession of both product market fit and the raw materials (passionate user community, great product, large market) for growth, but is still early enough that each new employee has a measurable influence on the direction of the company.

Benefits include a generous healthcare package, catered lunches, and flexible vacation time. Our headquarters are located in the Mission District of San Francisco, CA. We're looking to hire people who are local and able to join us at the office when needed. We're flexible, and you're an adult—we don't expect or mandate that you're in the office every day. But we do believe there are valuable and serendipitous moments of discovery and collaboration that come from working together in person. 

Descript is an equal opportunity workplace—we are dedicated to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status. We believe in actively building a team rich in diverse backgrounds, experiences, and opinions to better allow our employees, products, and community to thrive.