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Blue Heron Capital · 2 days ago

Director of People Operations

United States

Full-time

Remote

Lead/Staff

Tava Health is a company dedicated to making mental health care accessible and stigma-free. They are seeking a Director of People Operations to build a scalable People operating model and enhance company performance through effective talent management, employee growth, and strong managerial support.

Angel InvestmentFinancial ServicesHealth CareSecurity

No H1B

U.S. Citizen Only

Responsibilities

Own the People function end-to-end, designing a lean operating model that scales with the business without unnecessary complexity or headcount

Own and continuously improve the People tech stack and workflows (HRIS/ATS and related tools) to keep operations clean, reliable, and low-friction

Set clear priorities and strong defaults that guide day-to-day people decisions and reduce ambiguity for managers and leaders

Own and continuously improve how we attract, identify, and hire high-quality talent

Partner with hiring managers to define what “great” looks like for roles and translate that into clear hiring criteria that improves decision discipline

Use new-hire performance and hiring manager feedback to refine and improve hiring quality over time

Ensure strong onboarding that accelerates productivity, reduces early attrition, and clearly communicates expectations, culture, and how employees succeed at Tava

Own the performance management approach, including review cycles and ongoing feedback, ensuring issues are surfaced and addressed early

Create the systems, standards, and cultural expectations that support timely, pragmatic decisions on underperformance, including managing people out when appropriate

Enable managers to retain and develop top performers by providing clear frameworks for growth, promotion criteria, and leveling

Equip managers to lead effectively by setting clear expectations, giving direct feedback, and building the skills and frameworks needed to coach, mentor, and develop their teams

Design and deliver targeted manager training focused on hiring, feedback, performance management, and difficult conversations

Coach managers through performance issues and conflict, helping them thoughtfully navigate sensitive situations, while ensuring people-related risk is identified early and handled pragmatically, consistently, and with clean documentation

Reinforce company values, including through clear expectations, consistent decisions, and what is celebrated and rewarded

Ensure company events, offsites, and team activities are well-executed and reinforce connection and performance

Establish meaningful recognition and appreciation practices, and ensure key milestones are acknowledged and celebrated, so people feel seen, valued, and proud of their contributions

Work directly with the executive team and functional leaders on hiring plans, headcount tradeoffs, performance decisions, and org design

Partner closely with Finance on compensation, benefits, and workforce planning

Partner closely with Legal to ensure the company operates in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws and to proactively identify and mitigate people-related risk

Qualification

People Operations LeadershipPerformance ManagementTalent AcquisitionData-Driven Decision MakingManager Training DevelopmentOrganizational Dynamics NavigationInterpersonal SkillsEffective Communication

Required

Experience leading and scaling People Operations in a startup or high-growth environment, partnering with executives on high-stakes decisions and tradeoffs

Entrepreneurial, proactive, and pragmatic, with a willingness to both chart strategy and roll up your sleeves to deliver results

Strong business judgment; metrics-oriented and hypothesis-driven, with a focus on outcomes over activity

Direct, thoughtful communicator, capable of challenging leaders with a clear, data-informed business case

Highly organized, data- and process-driven, and comfortable building structure in an ambiguous, resource-limited environment

Strong interpersonal skills; proven ability to navigate organizational dynamics with judgment and discretion—understanding incentives, aligning stakeholders, and coaching managers and employees to do the same