Head of People

Head Of People Location: Remote (US) | Full-timeOpenRouter is the AI routing and infrastructure layer that AI builders, AI-native startups, and enterprises use to access, manage, and optimize their AI usage... all through a unified API, billing interface, and analytics platform. We power some of the most advanced AI builders in the world by giving them the flexibility to move fast, scale confidently, and stay future-proof as models evolve.As enterprise adoption of AI accelerates, OpenRouter sits at the center of how organizations operationalize LLMs across research, product, and production workloads.About The Role OpenRouter is at an inflection point. With ~60 people and scaling to 200+, we're looking for a Head of People who has done this before and built the people function from the ground up at a high-growth technical company and knows what matters at this stage.This is not a traditional HR role but it's a builder-operator who owns the full people function: org design, comp & leveling, performance management, culture, and recruiting too. The recruiting team will report into this role.What You'll Do Design and implement compensation, leveling, and career ladder frameworks from scratchEstablish lightweight, high-signal performance management systemsBuild onboarding, offboarding, and talent development programs that actually scaleDefine and reinforce company culture: remote-first, distributed, high-trustPartner with founders and leadership on org design and hiring strategyOwn core people operations: benefits, payroll, employee relationsBuild and lead the recruiting function: hire and manage IC recruiters, own hiring from ~60 ? 200+ without lowering the barAbout You Have been the first or second People hire at a company that scaled from ~40 to 150+ peopleStrong People Ops generalist: comp & leveling, performance cycles, employee relations, onboarding/offboardingRemote-first experience is critical given our distributed cultureFounder-friendly and low-ego; comfortable being both strategic and rolling up your sleevesEnough seniority to operate autonomously; no expectation of building a large team immediatelyBackground in a technical company (AI, infrastructure, devtools, or engineering-heavy org)High agency, strong commercial mindset, will push back on leadership when neededBonus Points Built a comp framework and leveling system from scratchNavigated a company through a period of rapid headcount growthCan speak to specific programs you've built: onboarding, performance reviews, manager trainingKnows how to build culture in a remote/hybrid environmentComfortable operating without a lot of HR infrastructure in place yetPrior Head of People or strong #2 stepping into a first seatExperience competing for top-tier AI or engineering talent