Human Resources Manager

About the role

Orkes is a platform for developers to build durable, distributed event driven applications. Based on the popular open source orchestration engine Conductor , Orkes lets developers focus on faster go to market with applications, scaling them to handle billions of workflows without having to worry about failures, scalability or visibility into the executions. We're hiring our first HR/People leader to build and own the entire function at Orkes. This is a hands-on, player-coach role-you'll lead HR, but also execute it day-to-day. There is no existing team or infrastructure-you'll build it from scratch while supporting a fast-growing, in-office engineering organization. This role will naturally evolve into a Head of People / Director-level position as the company scales. What You'll Own (In Priority Order) 1. HR Operations (Core Foundation) Own all day-to-day HR operations: onboarding, offboarding, payroll coordination, employee lifecycle Build policies, processes, and internal structure from the ground up Support in-office operations (employee experience, coordination, logistics, facilities touchpoints) 2. Recruiting Function Oversight Oversee the full recruiting lifecycle (sourcing → scheduling → offers) Manage internal or external recruiting resources (agencies, sourcers, etc.) Improve hiring quality and efficiency (less reliance on low-quality agency volume) 3. Culture & Employee Experience Continuously gather feedback from employees and leadership Identify what's working vs not-and implement improvements quickly Help define and reinforce culture through hiring and day-to-day operations

Requirements

• Experience owning HR in a startup or high-growth environment
• Strong operator mindset-you're comfortable doing the work, not just delegating
• Experience across HR ops + recruiting + employee experience
• Comfortable working in-office, highly collaborative environment (5 days/week)
• Ability to move fast, handle ambiguity, and manage multiple priorities
• What Won't Work
• Purely strategic HR leaders who rely on large support teams
• Candidates who haven't been hands-on in recent roles
• Slower-paced, large-company HR profiles without startup exposure
• Why This Role is Unique
• Build the entire HR function from scratch
• Direct exposure to leadership and company strategy
• Clear path to Director/Head of People as the company grows
• High ownership across operations, hiring, and culture
• More Details
• The base salary for this role is between $160-210k. When determining compensation, a number of factors will be considered: skills, experience, job scope, location, and competitive compensation market data.
• Status: Full-Time
• Type: In-Office
• Location: Cupertino, CA
• Department: People
• Reports to: COO

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