Salary: $230 000 - $270 000 + stock options

Working style: 3 days p/week in office

Contract: FT

Hawkwood is partnering with an innovative, profitable clean energy business in the search for their first Head of People to help shape the future of a company at the intersection of AI and renewable power.

They’re not your typical startup. This is a business that’s already generating tens of millions in profit – building AI systems that forecast electricity market dynamics to optimise how renewable energy is bought, stored, and sold. Their technology helps make the power grid smarter, cleaner, and more efficient.

With around 70 employees across California and Texas – including world-class engineers, data scientists, and energy market experts – they’ve grown sustainably and intentionally, without venture capital. The culture is intellectual yet humble and informal, and deeply mission-driven.

The Opportunity

They’re now seeking a Head of People to take ownership of the People function as the business scales from 70 to 100+ employees.

Reporting to the COO, this person will partner closely with the CEO/CTO and broader leadership team to bring structure, leadership development, and operational excellence to a high-performing technical organisation. The incoming Head of People will manage a small but growing People and Talent Acquisition team.

This is a rare opportunity to build a People function in a purpose-led company that combines deep engineering excellence with genuine environmental impact. As a profitable company operating in a robust industry, this opportunity also appears to offer strong job security among an otherwise tumultuous market.

Key Priorities

Build and lead the People function, managing an existing small team in People Ops and Recruiting.
Introduce structure and best practice to support continued growth and scale.
Coach engineering managers and ensure leaders across the company have the tools and support they need to succeed.
Maintain compliance and handle complex employee relations issues with maturity and confidence.
Preserve and strengthen the company’s unique, mission-led culture.
Lead and manage a small but growing People and Talent Acquisition team

What They’re Looking For

Experience leading People or HR functions in a growing tech, climate, or data-driven start-up (typically 70–150 employees), or as a 2IC in a slightly later-stage tech scale-up.
Strong grounding in HR compliance, employee relations, and scalable policy frameworks – ideally within California.
A passion for coaching and enabling first-time or developing managers, particularly in technical teams.
A pragmatic operator who’s as comfortable rolling up their sleeves as they are advising the leadership team.
A communicator who’s direct, humble, and thoughtful – someone who values clarity over ego.
A personal interest in the mission of transitioning worldwide energy consumption to renewable sources.
Prior experience coaching, mentoring and leading a team
Previous experience reporting to a COO or CEO and influencing at exec level, is preferred, but a current/former 2IC will also be considered.

Next Steps

We recognise how challenging this current job market is for candidates, and Hawkwood are therefore striving to provide the best candidate experience we can.

If you are interested in this opportunity, we kindly request that you apply via this LinkedIn advert, as opposed to sending us an email or LinkedIn direct message. We are eager to ensure that each candidate application is considered fairly, and receives a consistent experience.

Unfortunately, we cannot ensure this standard if you enquire about a role via email or LinkedIn message, as it falls outside of our established process.

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Head of People (Renewable Energy Start-up)

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