Director of People

About the role

Atomic Machines is building the Matter Compiler™, the first in a new class of AI-native, all-digital manufacturing systems that build working machines directly from code. The Matter Compiler™ is aimed at micro-machines: motors and gears the size of a grain of sand, robots small enough to work inside the body, cooling built directly into the chips that run AI, and the many devices like them that have been waiting on a way to build them. Its first product is PrimeSwitch™, an electromechanical power relay the size of a button battery that carries 150 amps continuous current and opens in 50 microseconds, about a thousand times faster than a conventional contactor. Founded by Jeff Holden — serial entrepreneur, ex-Amazon SVP and Uber’s first Chief Product Officer — the company has raised $250 million to date. Atomic Machines is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, with offices in Emeryville and Santa Clara. About the Role We’re looking for a builder to join as our Director, People Partnerships & Organizational Effectiveness. This role is the strategic People partner to our leaders and owns how we design, develop, and grow our organization. You’ll lead our HR Business Partner function, build our organizational development practice, and design the learning and leadership programs that help a hardware company scale without losing what makes it work. You will report to the VP of People and IT and partner regularly with senior leadership, including the CEO, alongside our Head of Strategic Growth. You’ll work closely with People Operations and Talent Acquisition teams to make sure what we build for leaders and employees holds together end to end. This is a role for someone who loves to build, manage a team, and have influence by earning trust through delivering. We’re a hardware company, and hardware moves differently than software. We need someone who has (or is excited to) build People partnerships in a hardware, manufacturing, or deep-tech environment and understands why that context changes what good support looks like. This position is based on Emeryville with occasional trips to our Santa Clara office. What You'll Do People Partnerships - Lead and develop our HR Business Partner function, setting the standard for how People supports the business - Act as a trusted advisor to executives and senior leaders on org design, talent, team health, and change - Coach managers on performance, feedback, difficult conversations, and team dynamics - Guide employee relations matters with sound judgment, in partnership with Legal and outside counsel where needed - Partner with our our current people team to keep our compensation cycles, leveling, and promotion calibration current - Use People data and qualitative signal to spot issues early and act on them Organizational Development - Build the organizational development practice: org design, role and level clarity, capability planning, and span and structure analysis - Support reorganizations, team transitions, and change management with clear communication and minimal disruption - Build the frameworks leaders use to structure, grow, and run their teams - Partner with the Head of Strategic Growth so People programs align to business priorities and organizational growth Performance & Talent Development - Own the design and operating rhythm of performance management, calibration, and career development - Build career tracks, leveling frameworks, and succession and talent review processes - Identify and develop high-potential talent across engineering, manufacturing, and corporate teams Learning & Development - Design and run learning programs, from manager and leadership enablement to functional skill building across engineering, manufacturing, and corporate teams - Treat onboarding as a development experience, not just a process, so new Atomizers reach productivity quickly in a deeply technical environment - Measure program impact and iterate based on what changes behavior and results Leadership & Team - Lead, coach, and develop HR Business Partners and any OD and L&D team members - Establish priorities, operating rhythms, and quality standards for the function - Own the OD and L&D budget and vendor relationships - Build cross-functional partnerships with Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing, R&D, IT, Finance, and executive leadership - Apply sound judgment about when AI tools genuinely improve People work and when they don’t, weighing accuracy, confidentiality, and employee trust What You'll Need - First principles thinking with high judgment. You start from what does Atomic Machines actually need and why, not from what worked at your last company. This matters more than anything else on this list - 10+ years of progressive People experience, with deep HRBP and organizational development experience, ideally in a startup or high-growth technology company - Direct experience partnering with leaders in a hardware, manufacturing, or deep-tech company. Hardware startups run on different constraints and timelines and we are ideally looking for someone experienced with the complexity of the physical world. - Experience building OD, performance, and L&D programs from the ground up - Experience leading and developing HR Business Partners - Track record supporting org design, reorganizations, and change management through rapid growth - Strong employee relations judgment and working knowledge of California employment law - Working knowledge of AI tools relevant to People work, including a clear point of view on their limits and when human judgment should override automation - A track record of building trust with executives by delivering, not just advising - Ability to work primarily onsite in Emeryville, with regular presence across our other Bay Area locations - Bachelor’s degree required The compensation for this position also includes equity and benefits. Salary Range $215,000 — $280,000 USD Atomic Machines is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity and does not discriminate based on characteristics protected by applicable law. We are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including for individuals with disabilities. To request an accommodation, contact rc@atomicmachines.com . To help our recruiting team manage application volume and respond to candidates more efficiently, Atomic Machines may use AI-assisted tools.