Director of People & Talent

About FirstPrinciples:
FirstPrinciples is a non-profit organization advancing scientific discovery by developing an AI Physicist - an intelligent system designed to explore and uncover the fundamental laws of nature. Our goal is to build a new kind of research platform that goes beyond analyzing information: one that can ask deep scientific questions, reason across disciplines, and accelerate the generation of new ideas. By combining AI, symbolic reasoning, and autonomous research capabilities, we aim to transform how knowledge is discovered and help push science toward its next breakthroughs.

Job Description:
We are looking for a Director of People and Talent to own the full people journey at FirstPrinciples from talent acquisition to the development of long-term people engagement and retention strategies. Reporting into the Founder of FirstPrinciples, you will be at the center of hiring, people operations, and culture, making sure we attract mission-driven experts and give our world class talent the support they need to do their best work. The ideal candidate will be comfortable working on a team of one to develop and run the HR function, has a strong record of building and scaling people teams, pairing big-picture talent strategy with hands-on HR expertise to turn bold scientific goals into a well-supported, engaged and motivated team.

Key Responsibilities:

Hiring Strategy:

• Work with the executive team to develop multi-year headcount plans across key functions, including AI research, engineering, data science, operations, admin and fundraising.
• Translate long term hiring plans into a clear quarterly roadmap, with details around role priorities, skill requirements, and budget impact.
• Develop and maintain up to date compensation bands that consider FirstPrinciples’ nonprofit status, competitive market salaries and cost-of-living dynamics in hiring jurisdictions.

Full-Cycle Recruiting Execution:

• Manage the entire recruitment process from preliminary screening calls through offer acceptance and onboarding.
• Scope and implement creative and diverse candidate sourcing channels including LinkedIn outreach, in-person attendance of community meetups/conferences, monitoring & participation in online communities, and targeted outreach to world-class talent.
• Design structured interview processes with clear evaluation metrics to ensure comparability and elimination of interviewer biases.
• Optimize toward time-to-hire by tracking funnel data, flagging bottlenecks, and deploying quick fixes and process tweaks.

Onboarding & Culture Integration:

• Design and implement onboarding plans and processes that combine training, goal-setting and culture touch-points.
• Implement surveys and other data collection efforts to consistently improve onboarding processes.
• Launch culture alignment programs to ensure long term development of FirstPrinciples’ culture and integration within the broader team.
• Coordinate and plan quarterly team building events, both in face-to-face and virtual settings.

HR Operations & Compliance:

• Manage existing systems for payroll, benefits, applicant tracking and performance reviews.
• Own the employee handbook, maintaining policies around time off, remote work, conduct, and data privacy current with Canadian law and other regions where we hire.
• Maintain corporate records around employment contracts, T4s, payroll tax filings, and more to ensure we stay audit-ready and compliant with CRA and other tax authorities.
• Stay up to date with policy changes from ESA, CRA, and other regulatory bodies, updating processes before compliance deadlines hit.

Learning & Growth:

• Design and run workshops to help managers and employees develop soft skills to advance their careers.
• Schedule and conduct quarterly and annual performance reviews with clear OKRs, peer & manager feedback, and self-reflection.
• Manage a professional development budget; track usage and have participants document how the course or conference changed their work.

Qualifications:

• Educational Background: Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field.
• Experience: 5+ years in recruiting, talent acquisition or HR generalist roles with specific focus on hiring engineers and other technical talent. 
• Technical Skills: Familiarity with tech platforms including HRIS, ATS, etc., Canadian labour laws, and data driven practices.
• Collaboration & Communication:
  • Comfort in hiring engineers, researchers and other technical team members.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  • Comfortable working in a startup-style, cross-functional, remote team.
• Bonus Skills:
  • Has experience with or strong interest in physics and/or fundamental science topics.
  • Experience building remote first teams.

Application Process:

• Interested candidates are invited to submit their resume, a cover letter detailing their qualifications and vision for the role, and references. Please include "Director of People & Talent" in the cover letter.

Join us at FirstPrinciples and be a part of a transformative journey where science drives progress and unlocks the potential of humanity.