VP, People

About Plasmidsaurus

Plasmidsaurus is on a mission to accelerate new cures and promote a healthier planet by unlocking a new level of productivity for scientists. Our sequencing services are used daily by thousands of innovators, including Nobel laureates, Fortune 100 pharma, and over 70,000 scientists.

We began by revolutionizing plasmid sequencing, making it exponentially cheaper and faster, with innovative sequencing technologies and a global network of laboratories that turn samples into answers in hours, not weeks.

Now we are expanding that same disruptive model across all of genomics. With the launch of our new RNA-seq service, we are taking a bold step toward our vision to sequence everything, providing scientists everywhere with faster, simpler, and more affordable access to the data that powers discovery.

Every team member at Plasmidsaurus plays a crucial role in driving the future of biotech research. Together, we are building the world’s most efficient sequencing engine that operates overnight, scales globally, and helps scientists make breakthroughs faster than ever before.

The Opportunity

The VP People at Plasmidsaurus will help lead a rapidly growing, category-defining life sciences company with exceptional product-market fit, real and significant growth opportunities. You will shape the people strategy behind innovative technology that allows researchers around the world to move faster on some of society's most important scientific challenges.

Reporting to the CEO and partnering directly with an ambitious founding team and company leadership, you will architect the organizational structure, develop the leadership bench, and build the people systems required to power a rapidly growing startup as we expand internationally, launch new products, enter new markets, and deepen strategic partnerships. We’re looking for a leader who has seen similar growth stages with a founder-led business, who has successfully built international teams and operating structures, and who has implemented people programs that enable growth without sacrificing performance, compliance, or execution quality.

Great candidates will bring not just HR leadership, but also strong business judgment and strategic thinking. They will contribute meaningfully to discussions that extend beyond traditional People topics. The strongest candidates will be as comfortable debating organizational strategy, growth plans, and business tradeoffs as they are leading people function.

The Role

Build the leadership, organizational, and management foundations that enable Plasmidsaurus to scale globally while remaining fast, accountable, and operationally excellent.

As we grow in complexity, geography, and headcount, the VP, People will ensure our leadership capability, organizational effectiveness, workforce governance, and global people infrastructure evolve to support the company's ambitions.

Responsibilities

Organizational & Leadership Development

Partner with the CEO and leadership team on organizational design, leadership development, succession planning, and workforce strategy.

Develop managers and leaders across the company and help raise the overall quality of leadership.

Serve as a trusted advisor on organizational, leadership, management, and workforce-related decisions.

People Strategy & Operations

Own and develop the People function, including HR business partnership, people operations, employee relations, compensation and benefits, performance management, compliance, and workforce planning.

Partner closely with our Talent team to ensure hiring, onboarding, leadership development, performance management, workforce planning, and retention strategies work together to strengthen the organization over time.

Build the systems, processes, tools, and operating mechanisms required to support a rapidly growing and increasingly complex business.

Build and lead a high-performing People team that scales alongside the business.

Global Growth & Workforce Infrastructure

Lead the evolution of Plasmidsaurus's global workforce strategy, including international hiring, employment practices, compensation, mobility, immigration, workforce planning, and distributed team support.

Evaluate and recommend the systems, partners, and organizational investments required to support continued international expansion and company growth.

Compliance, Governance & Risk

Ensure the company maintains strong employment, compliance, and workforce governance practices across all jurisdictions in which we operate.

Oversee employee relations, investigations, policy development, and people-related risk management while balancing business needs, employee experience, and legal obligations.

Partner effectively with external legal, immigration, and compliance experts to ensure the company scales responsibly.

What Success Looks Like

The First Three Months

The team knows you. You’ve built key relationships and credibility across the leadership and management teams. You’ve leaned into conversations, projects, and relationships with curiosity and a learner’s mindset.

You know us. You’ve assessed our current management practices, performance processes, organizational structures, and people programs—formal or informal—and understand what’s working and what needs attention before it slows us down.

You understand where we are headed. You’ve developed a clear view of what’s required for us to continue to grow, and you’ve identified the most important organizational, leadership, compliance, governance, and scaling challenges facing the business.

You’ve got a plan. We have an informed, organized view into where we are strong, where we are stretched, and where future growth could create challenges. You've aligned leadership around a practical roadmap for addressing them.

You’ve had some quick wins. We’re already benefiting from your judgment and experience, and you’ve helped improve a handful of important processes, decisions, or leadership discussions.

Within 6 Months

We’re raising the bar. Expectations around performance, promotions, compensation, and talent development are clearer, more consistent, and better understood across the company.

Managers are looking to you. They have clearer expectations, better support, and greater confidence in their ability to lead growing teams. They increasingly see the People team as a resource for solving problems, developing talent, and improving team performance.

Leaders trust your judgment. You’ve become a trusted thought partner to the leadership team and are regularly pulled into important organizational, leadership, and business decisions. You've helped us avoid mistakes, accelerate important decisions, and prioritize the investments that will have the greatest impact on the business.

We have a path forward that supports global growth. International hiring, employment, compensation, and global workforce management are intentional, consistent, and scalable strategies as we continue to expand.

We understand risk. Leadership has a clear view of our most important people, compliance, and employment challenges, we can evaluate options and consider outcomes, and we can put plans in place to address issues before they become bigger business problems.

The People function is stronger. Core HR processes, employee relations, compliance programs, and people operations are accessible, well organized, and scalable. Leaders and employees can get the support they need without navigating unnecessary complexity..

We’re getting ahead of problems. We have better visibility into leadership, organizational, hiring, compliance, and global workforce challenges before they become distractions or obstacles to growth.

Within 12 Months

We have stronger leaders. Managers are more effective, leadership quality has improved across the company, and we have greater confidence in our ability to develop future leaders from within.