Chief People Officer (on-site)
Merlin Labs
Full-time
On-site
Bedford, Massachusetts, United States
HR Leader
About you: This is a role for a rare kind of operator—someone equally comfortable designing scalable business systems and shaping high-performance cultures. You’ll partner closely with the Executive Team to lead company-wide execution while overseeing the internal functions that power our people and operations: Talent, People, Internal Ops.
You’ll bring clarity to structure, cadence to leadership, and discipline to how we scale—all while championing a culture grounded in performance, inclusion, and purpose. This role is ideal for a strategic executive who thrives in ambiguity, operates with integrity, and is motivated by building enduring systems in a highly regulated, high-impact environment.
Responsibilities:
- Own and scale internal operations, including Talent, People and Internal Ops
- Design and implement scalable HR systems and processes that support a high-growth, distributed team
- Guide the evolution of organizational design, partnering with the CEO and functional leaders on structure and planning
- Build systems for leadership development, compensation planning, and succession strategy
- Oversee people operations, ensuring systems for performance management, learning, leadership development, and engagement
- Serve as a stabilizing force as the company navigates regulatory complexity, rapid growth, and shifting priorities
Qualifications:
- Have 10+ years of experience in talent strategy, operations, people, or Chief of Staff roles, ideally in high-growth VC-backed or public tech companies
- Deep expertise in org design, leadership development, performance management, and total rewards
- Proven success leading cross-functional teams across the breadth of HR
- A systems mindset: able to build structure and clarity without unnecessary process
- Thrive in regulated or complex environments—ideally with exposure to dual-use tech, aerospace, defense, or adjacent industries
- Ability to align People strategy with business needs in regulated or mission-driven industries
- Deep familiarity with public company requirements (SOX, internal controls, S-1, audit committees, etc.)
- Are known for your ability to connect people, systems, and strategy to drive sustained execution
- Are operationally excellent but comfortable with ambiguity, and motivated by mission over ego