Head of Human Resources

Head of Human Resources

Location: Santa Clara, CA (On-Site, 5 days a week)

Reports To: COO

Picarro is seeking a strategic as well as operationally minded, business-driven Head of Human Resources to lead and scale our global People function. This leader will serve as a trusted advisor to the COO and executive leadership team, driving organizational effectiveness, workforce planning, culture, compliance, and talent strategy across multiple geographies.

This role is ideal for a hands-on HR leader who can operate both strategically and operationally in a growing, innovation-driven organization. The Head of HR will shape a high-performance culture while ensuring operational excellence, global compliance, and alignment with corporate financial and strategic goals.

This position is based on-site, 5 days a week at our Santa Clara headquarters.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with the COO and executive leadership to align People strategy with company growth objectives and financial targets.
• Serve as a strategic advisor on workforce planning, organizational design, succession planning, and talent forecasting.
• Support Board-level reporting on headcount, talent metrics, and workforce strategy.
• Oversee global HR operations across multiple jurisdictions, ensuring compliance with U.S. federal/state laws and international employment regulations.
• Ensure compliance with wage and hour laws, benefits regulations (ACA, COBRA), leave policies, immigration requirements, and global employment standards.
• Lead and manage the HR Ops and Talent Acquisition teams, ensuring strong hiring manager partnership, recruiter accountability, and high-quality candidate experience.
• Oversee and drive performance review frameworks, calibration processes, and leadership development initiatives.
• Manage salary benchmarking, equity refresh programs, incentive compensation plans, and bonus administration.
• Led global compensation strategy and ensured compliance with pay transparency laws and global compensation regulations.
• Drive competitive and equitable pay practices aligned with business performance.
• Evaluate the current HRIS system, including system capabilities, integrations, workflows, and data integrity across platforms.
• Develop and implement an HR technology roadmap focused on automation, integration optimization, and process simplification to eliminate manual processes and reduce operational risk.
• Partner with IT and Finance to improve system integrations, data flow accuracy, and compliance reporting.
• Develop dashboards and reporting metrics for executive leadership.
• Ensure scalable, efficient HR policies and processes, including building a strong HR team.

Required Skills & Competencies

• Executive presence with strong business acumen.
• Proven ability to influence senior leadership and drive organizational change.
• Strong analytical mindset with data-driven decision-making skills.
• Expertise in multi-state and international employment law.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.
• High integrity, discretion, and sound judgment.
• Ability to balance strategic planning with hands-on execution.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field required.
• Master’s degree (MBA or related discipline) preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive HR leadership experience, including global oversight.
• Experience in a technology, manufacturing, or high-growth environment preferred.
• SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or equivalent certification strongly preferred

Salary & Benefits:

The base salary range for this full-time position is $230,000 to $260,000. Your base salary and title will be determined based on the location, experience, qualifications, skills, knowledge, level, and pay of employees in similar positions.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package including:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA) plans
• Life, Short-Term Disability, and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Flexible Vacation and Paid Holidays
• Employee Referral Program
• 401K with employer match
• Social events (summer picnic, holiday party, team lunches, etc.)
• On-site Health & Wellness programs (fitness challenges, yoga, outdoor bootcamp, char massages, etc.)

About Picarro: 

Picarro, Inc. is the world's leading producer of greenhouse gas and optical stable isotope instruments used in a wide range of scientific and industrial applications, including atmospheric science, air quality, greenhouse gas measurements, gas leak detection, food safety, hydrology, ecology, and more. The company's products are all designed and manufactured at Picarro's Santa Clara, California headquarters and exported to countries worldwide. Picarro's products are based on dozens of patents related to cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) technology. Picarro's solutions are unparalleled in their precision, ease of use, portability, and reliability.

Honors awarded to the Company include the World Economic Forum Technology Innovation Pioneer, IHS CERA Energy Innovation Pioneer, the U.S. Department of Energy Small Business of the Year, the TiE50 Winner, and the Red Herring Global 100 Winner.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability. Posted positions are not open to third-party recruiters/agencies, and unsolicited resume submissions will be considered free referrals.

If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process or are limited in the ability or unable to access or use this online application process and need an alternative method for applying, you may contact Picarro, Inc. at disabilityassistance@picarro.com for assistance.