People Programs Lead
Own and scale AfterQuery's people infrastructure: compensation strategy, leveling frameworks, performance management, L&D, and retention for a fast-growing AI data company. Report to Head of BizOps & People.
About the job
What you'll do
- Design and own AfterQuery’s total compensation strategy — philosophy, bands, leveling, refresh cadence, and equity framework — and refresh it annually against benchmarks and market signals.
- Build the career pathways and leveling rubric that lets early-career operators see, in writing, what excellence at the next level looks like and how to get there.
- Stand up a performance management cycle that is fast, written, and useful — calibrated across the company without becoming a tax on managers.
- Design learning & development programs for a high-agency, early-career workforce — onboarding, manager training, technical depth, and feedback culture.
- Own retention as a measurable outcome: define the leading indicators, build the sensing systems, and run programs (recognition, internal mobility, comp refreshes) that move the number.
- Partner with leadership and finance on org design, headcount planning, and the comp/burn tradeoffs that shape the next 12-24 months.
- Treat People programs as products — instrument them, measure adoption and outcomes, and iterate. Bring the same analytical rigor you would to a P&L.
What we're looking for
- 7-10+ years of experience across a combination of top-tier strategy consulting, analytical or strategy & operations roles, and core People / HR programs work.
- Time at companies known for strong People programs: Stripe, Block/Square, Netflix, Airbnb, Gusto, Bridgewater, or industry peers such as Mercor, Surge, or ScaleAI.
- Quantitative rigor that goes beyond comp benchmarks: model leveling decisions, attrition, comp band overlap, and equity refresh tradeoffs.
- A point of view: tell founders why they’re wrong about comp transparency or a leveling decision, backed by data and company values.
- Demonstrated ability to design programs from 0→1.
- Genuine interest in the AfterQuery thesis on human data for AI.
- High agency, low ego, written-first. Comfortable in a 5-day in-office SF environment that prizes speed and direct feedback.
Bonus
- Experience on the org-design side of an AI pivot or step-change in business model.
- Designed compensation programs for a workforce that includes both full-time employees and a significant expert/contractor population.
Skills
Total Compensation Design, Leveling And Career Frameworks, Performance Management, Org Design, Headcount Planning, Retention Analytics, Equity Frameworks, People Program Design, Quantitative Modeling, Learning And Development
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