Head of Talent

About Semgrep

Semgrep is on a mission to make it expensive to exploit software. As the team behind the most popular SAST, we built the Semgrep AppSec Platform to deliver industry-leading code, dependency, and secrets scanning to enable organizations to ship secure code quickly without slowing down development. 

With fast, customizable code analysis across large codebases, Semgrep helps teams catch vulnerabilities early and fix them faster. Leading companies like Snowflake, Plaid, Figma, Lyft, and Dropbox rely on Semgrep to secure their software.

Semgrep is funded by top investors, including Felicis Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Menlo Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, and Sequoia Capital.

About the role

We’re looking for a strategic, forward-thinking Head of Talent to lead and scale the entire talent function at Semgrep — from talent acquisition to employer branding, internal mobility, candidate experience, and everything in between.

You’ll report into our Head of People, lead our Talent Acquisition team, and work cross-functionally with leadership across departments. You will thrive in this role if you bring executive presence, operate with a strong point of view backed by data, and are energized by building highly effective teams, systems, and strategies at scale. You’ll be a key voice in shaping how we attract, hire, and retain the people who will build the future of Semgrep in this next phase of our growth.

This position will be based in our San Francisco office with an in-office expectation at least 2 days per week. We do not offer remote flexibility for this role, and cannot support super-commuting arrangements.

What you’ll do

• Own the strategy for our entire talent function — not just recruiting, but also employer brand, internal mobility, workforce planning, and the overall candidate experience. Your job is to connect the dots across all of it and ensure it supports where Semgrep is headed.
• Be a trusted partner to our executive team, helping shape how we think about org design, headcount planning, and long-term hiring strategy as we scale.
• Step into a leadership role where you can focus on the bigger picture — we already have a tenured, high-performing talent team. You’ll bring direction, structure, and thought leadership to amplify the work already in motion.
• Bring a clear, data-informed point of view on how we attract and retain the right people. You’ll be expected to influence, not just execute.
• Own how we show up externally — shaping our employer brand and market presence to help us stand out and attract top, mission-aligned talent.
• Work closely with hiring managers and leaders across the business to make sure our talent bar stays high — and that our processes evolve in a way that lets us scale quickly without compromising on quality.
• Help us build for the future by laying the groundwork for things like internal mobility, succession planning, and other programs that sit at the intersection of talent and people.

You are ideal for this role if you have

• Have led the full talent function before and you're ready to do it again at a fast-moving company.
• Know how to partner with executives and bring a strong, informed point of view to the table — but you’re also the kind of person who listens, adapts, and builds trust over time.
• Have a clear sense of what great looks like, but don’t need to reinvent everything — you know how to meet a team where they are, guide thoughtfully, and scale what’s already working well.
• Bring executive presence and credibility, both in 1:1 conversations and in high-stakes leadership settings — you’re confident presenting to execs and know how to influence without ego.
• Have managed and grown high-performing teams, and care about doing so in a way that’s thoughtful, values-aligned, and built to last.
• Think in systems and plans — you’re always a few quarters ahead, mapping talent needs to business goals and making sure we’re set up for what’s next.
• Are comfortable with change and ambiguity — you know how to lead through it, prioritize, and keep the team focused on what matters most.
• Use data to inform your decisions and aren’t afraid to challenge assumptions or adjust course when the numbers tell a different story.

Compensation

Salary Range: $185,000-$215,000

Our compensation package includes equity and benefits in addition to salary.

Please note that the range listed is for someone based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

What we offer

Our goal is to competitively and fairly compensate every Semgrep employee with a system that equally rewards those who are vocal and those who are less comfortable making demands during the final steps of the hiring process. To that end, we generate internal compensation bands that are used when discussing and negotiating salaries. We update these based on market data to make sure they’re above the average for comparable roles.

We also invest in our employees’ well-being and long term success with comprehensive health plans, generous vacation time, 401k, learning stipends, and more. Our benefits are for everyone, so that you’re taken care of, and we work with individuals to make sure they have what they need, whether that’s quiet work space, adjusted hours, or something else.

Who we are

We have people from France and the Philippines, physics and philosophy, formal methods research and full fledged corporations. We’re new parents and new grads, aspiring authors and aspiring Americans, dog lovers and dogfooders. We get together often to bike, bake, and meet up in parks. In our interactions, we believe respect and honesty go hand in hand, and prioritize both.

Semgrep is an equal-opportunity employer seeking a diverse range of backgrounds. We value who you are — including your cultural heritage, your socioeconomic status, your age, your race, your gender, your sexual orientation, your disabilities. We value what’s vitally important to you — your family, your religion, your politics. We value what you love in this world — your music, your weekend pursuits. We believe in welcoming varied professional backgrounds, educations, and interests. If you’re exceptional in your role, believe in Semgrep’s mission, and treat Semgrep’s values as your own, you belong here.