Vice President of People
Pano AI · United States
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- $255,000 / year
- United States
Job highlights
- Lead Pano AI's people strategy during high growth.
- Oversee People Ops, Talent, and Connectedness.
- Attract, develop, and retain exceptional talent.
- Foster a strong, values-driven culture.
- Partner with executives on organizational scaling.
About the role
About Pano AI
Pano AI is a 175+ person growth-stage startup headquartered in San Francisco, focused on early wildfire detection using AI and IoT. We are dedicated to helping fire professionals respond faster and more safely to prevent small flare-ups from becoming devastating infernos. Our platform combines advanced hardware, software, and artificial intelligence to provide a real-time picture of threats and deliver actionable intelligence. Pano AI has received significant recognition for its innovation in AI, sustainability, and climate tech, and has been featured in major publications. We serve government and enterprise customers across the U.S., Australia, and Canada, monitoring over 50 million acres globally. We have raised $89 million in venture capital from prominent investors.
The Role: Vice President of People
As the Vice President of People, you will play a crucial role in shaping and scaling Pano AI's people strategy during a critical growth phase. You will own and evolve the People function, encompassing People Operations, Talent, and "Connectedness" Initiatives for our hybrid-remote workforce. Your responsibilities will include ensuring Pano attracts, develops, and retains exceptional talent while maintaining a strong, values-driven culture. This role requires a strategic operator and hands-on leader adept at dynamic, high-growth environments, with a forward-looking approach to leveraging technology, data, and AI. You will act as a pragmatic player-coach and a trusted partner to the CEO and executive team, aligning people strategy with business objectives to enable thoughtful scaling while preserving Pano's competitive culture.
What You’ll Do
People Strategy & Executive Partnership
- Define and execute a company-wide people strategy aligned with business goals and growth plans.
- Partner closely with founders and executive leadership on organizational design, leadership development, and culture.
- Drive initiatives that reinforce Pano’s values: Impact, Service, Excellence, Speed, and Innovation.
People Operations & Programs
- Build, scale, and lead the People Operations function, ensuring operational excellence in systems, policies, compensation, and benefits.
- Oversee the development of scalable programs for performance management, engagement, and career development.
- Establish and monitor key people metrics across hiring, retention, and organizational health.
Workplace Experience & Culture
- Lead the Workplace Experience function to deliver a best-in-class employee experience across remote, hybrid, and in-office settings.
- Ensure events, programs, and spaces foster connection across distributed teams.
Talent & Employer Brand
- Coach and lead the scaling of a high-performing recruiting function to build a strong employer brand.
- Align hiring strategy, processes, and outcomes with company growth objectives.
Team Leadership
- Lead, coach, and develop a small but mighty People Ops, Workplace Experience, and Talent team.
- Build a high-performing, aligned People, Talent, and Workplace function that scales with the company.
What You’ll Bring
- 10+ years of experience in People/HR, including 3–5+ years in a senior leadership role.
- Experience building and scaling People functions in high-growth startup or scale-up environments.
- Proven experience partnering closely with founders and executive teams.
- Strong expertise across people operations, talent strategy, and organizational development.
- Track record of building and developing high-performing teams and leaders.
- Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
- Comfortable leveraging modern HR technologies, data, and emerging AI tools.
- Data and metrics-driven; comfortable building dashboards and using analytics.
- Curious and experimental mindset; willing to test, learn, and iterate.
- Excellent judgment, communication skills, leadership skills, and integrity.
- Passion for building mission-driven, high-performing teams and contributing to climate and impact-focused work.
Compensation and Benefits
Final compensation is determined by factors including qualifications, education, experience, skills, knowledge, and geographic location. Full-time employees are eligible for stock options. Our benefits package includes comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, a matching 401(k) plan, and flexible paid time off.
Compensation Range
$250,000 - $260,000
Key skills/competency
- People Strategy
- Executive Partnership
- People Operations
- Talent Management
- Organizational Development
- Workplace Experience
- Employer Branding
- HR Technology
- Data Analytics
- Leadership Development
Skills & topics
- Vice President of People
- HR Leadership
- People Operations
- Talent Acquisition
- Organizational Development
- Startup HR
- Scale-up HR
- Employee Experience
- HR Strategy
- AI
- IoT
- Wildfire Detection
- Climate Tech
- San Francisco
- Hybrid Remote
- Venture Capital
- Executive Partnership
- People Analytics
- Recruiting
- Culture Building
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight your experience in scaling People functions in high-growth startups and your strategic partnership with executive teams.
- Showcase HR tech & AI use: Emphasize your proficiency in leveraging modern HR technologies, data, and AI for efficiency and decision-making.
- Demonstrate leadership: Provide examples of building and developing high-performing teams and leaders, especially in HR/People operations.
- Quantify achievements: Use data and metrics to illustrate your impact on hiring, retention, and organizational health.
- Research Pano AI's mission: Understand their focus on early wildfire detection and climate tech to articulate your passion for their impact-driven work.
Technical preparation
Behavioral questions
Frequently asked questions
- What is the compensation range for the Vice President of People role at Pano AI?
- The stated compensation range for the Vice President of People position at Pano AI is $250,000 - $260,000 annually, in addition to stock options and a comprehensive benefits package.
- Does Pano AI offer remote work options for the Vice President of People?
- Yes, Pano AI operates as a hybrid-remote company. While headquartered in San Francisco, the Vice President of People role will oversee initiatives for a distributed workforce, including workplace experience for remote, hybrid, and in-office employees.
- What are Pano AI's core values that the Vice President of People should uphold?
- The core values of Pano AI that the Vice President of People will drive initiatives to reinforce are Impact, Service, Excellence, Speed, and Innovation.
- What kind of experience is Pano AI looking for in a Vice President of People candidate?
- Pano AI seeks candidates with 10+ years in People/HR, including 3-5+ years in senior leadership, specifically with experience building and scaling People functions in high-growth startups. Strong expertise in people operations, talent strategy, organizational development, and partnering with executive teams is essential.
- How does Pano AI leverage technology and data in its People function?
- Pano AI emphasizes leveraging modern HR technologies, data, and emerging AI tools to improve efficiency, decision-making, and employee experience. Candidates are expected to be data-driven and comfortable building dashboards and using analytics to guide strategy.
- What is the company culture like at Pano AI, and how is it maintained?
- Pano AI is described as a growth-stage startup with a strong, values-driven culture. The Vice President of People will be instrumental in preserving and scaling this culture, which is considered a key competitive strength, particularly in attracting and retaining talent within their hybrid-remote environment.
- What is the primary mission of Pano AI?
- Pano AI's primary mission is to provide early wildfire detection and intelligence using AI and IoT to help fire professionals respond faster and more safely, preventing small ignitions from becoming devastating infernos and contributing to climate resilience.