Build and lead Peak21’s centralized People and Talent Operations function across its portfolio companies. Responsibilities include developing HR infrastructure, policies, benefits, compliance standards, recruiting systems, sourcing strategies, employee lifecycle processes, people metrics, employer branding, and candidate experience. The role partners closely with founders and senior leaders to improve hiring quality, retention, onboarding, performance management, compensation planning, and scalable people operations.
At Peak21, we specialize in acquiring and scaling large direct-to-consumer (D2C) and technology-enabled businesses across the United States, Europe, and Asia, while also incubating companies of our own. Our portfolio generates over $200 million in revenue, is fully bootstrapped and profitable, and is built with a long-term mindset.
We are hiring an HR Director (People & Talent Operations) to build and lead a centralized People function that supports Peak21 and its growing portfolio of companies. This role is critical to helping founders hire better, move faster, and build durable teams as they scale.
This position is full-time, based in New York City, with on-site presence required and flexibility for travel as needed (Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–6:00 PM EST).'
What Makes This an Exciting Opportunity?- Design and own a portfolio-wide People & Talent function from the ground up
- Work directly with founders and senior leaders at pivotal moments of growth
- High visibility and real impact across multiple high-growth companies
- Competitive compensation, performance bonus, and long-term growth incentives
What You’ll Do
- Build and own Peak21’s centralized People and Talent Operations function
- Design scalable HR infrastructure, including policies, handbooks, benefits frameworks, and compliance standards across portfolio companies
- Support founders in building and improving employee lifecycle processes such as onboarding, performance management, promotions, compensation reviews, and offboarding
- Build and optimize recruiting systems, workflows, and interview processes to improve quality of hire and reduce bias
- Develop sourcing strategies, vendor partnerships, and talent pipelines for recurring and high-priority roles
- Track and report on people and recruiting metrics including time-to-fill, quality of hire, retention, and engagement
- Advise portfolio leaders on inclusive hiring practices and people programs
- Improve employer branding and candidate experience across Peak21-backed companies
- Continuously refine people processes with a focus on speed, clarity, and scalability
- You have 3–6 years of progressive HR or People Operations experience, ideally in startups, venture-backed companies, or multi-entity environments
- You enjoy building systems from scratch and standardizing best practices
- You thrive in fast-paced environments and take full ownership of outcomes
- You are data-driven and comfortable using metrics to guide decisions
- You balance empathy with high standards and accountability
- You are confident advising founders and senior leaders
- You step up when priorities demand extra effort and take pride in delivering results
- A centralized People function that portfolio companies actively rely on within the first 90–120 days
- Faster hiring velocity and higher quality of hire across supported roles
- Clear, repeatable recruiting and people processes adopted by founders and managers
- Measurable improvements in retention and employee experience
- Strong visibility into people metrics that inform leadership decisions
- Peak21 recognized as a value-add partner in talent and people operations
Projects may include:
- Designing standardized interview and hiring frameworks
- Supporting a founder in hiring their first HR or recruiting lead
- Implementing recruiting and HR tools across multiple companies
- Building dashboards to track hiring funnel performance
- Improving onboarding experiences to reduce ramp time
- Advising leadership teams on performance reviews and compensation planning
- Impact: Your work directly improves hiring and execution across multiple businesses
- Autonomy: Own and shape a portfolio-wide function
- Exposure: Work closely with founders and leadership teams at critical growth stages
- Team: Ambitious, grounded operators who value results and integrity
- Competitive compensation and performance incentives
- Learning and development stipend
- Exposure to multiple high-growth companies and leadership teams
- Collaborative, high-caliber working environment
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