Director of People

ABOUT US:

Astro Mechanica is a vertically integrated aerospace company developing a scalable technology platform to power critical infrastructure, mission operations, and the future of flight. We apply aerospace engineering and quality standards across our products, delivering high performance, reliability, and efficiency for the most demanding operating environments. Astro Mechanica is backed by leading venture and strategic investors, including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Giant Step Capital, United Airlines Ventures, and Voyager Ventures.

WHO WE ARE:

We’re a team of passionate engineers dedicated to advancing aerospace. We’re generalists with specialist depth, united by a flat structure and a shared obsession with building things that work well. We move fast, stay pragmatic, and let engineering excellence speak louder than hierarchy.

WHO YOU ARE:

You’re a seasoned People leader who combines strategic perspective, business acumen, and operational rigor. You’ve built in early-stage environments and led at scale, and know how to translate business priorities into effective teams, programs, and systems. You know what great looks like—and how to build toward it through practical, iterative steps. You earn trust through sound judgment, clear communication, and reliable follow-through.

You’re as comfortable managing a benefits renewal, resolving an employee issue, or fixing a workflow as you are advising leaders and designing programs.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

• Shape the People strategy and roadmap
• Partner with the Head of People and leadership to translate business goals into a focused People roadmap
• Help define our People philosophy, operating rhythms, decision-making practices, and measures of success
• Deliver priority initiatives, iterate with feedback, and identify when to add specialist expertise and team capacity
• Build programs that enable performance and growth
• Design, launch, and administer programs across performance, manager development, career growth, and engagement, including communications, manager resources, and follow-through
• Support compensation planning, market benchmarking, and review cycles in partnership with the Head of People and Finance
• Equip managers to set expectations, give feedback, and build an employee-first culture with high standards and accountability
• Establish reliable People operations
• Own day-to-day employee lifecycle operations, including onboarding, offboarding, and benefits administration—from employment documentation and triaging questions to open enrollment, renewals, and vendor coordination
• Establish and maintain multi-state HR compliance practices, proactively identifying gaps and partnering with Legal, Finance, and external advisors to address risk as the company grows
• Manage and continuously improve Rippling, employee records, workflows, and reporting, building scalable processes and applying thoughtful automation to improve accuracy, reduce administrative work, and deliver a consistent employee experience
• Partner with leaders and employees
• Advise leaders on team structure, talent planning, and organizational change
• Provide day-to-day guidance on policies and performance; manage sensitive matters with discretion and sound judgment, partnering with the Head of People and/or counsel as needed
• Synthesize qualitative and quantitative data, employee feedback, and management insights to inform People priorities and organizational decisions

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

• 10+ years of progressive HR experience spanning People strategy, operations, programs, and business partnership, including building in resource-constrained startups and leading at scale
• Relevant hands-on experience managing employee lifecycle processes, benefits administration, HR systems, and multi-state compliance, with accountability for both accurate execution and continuous improvement
• A track record of establishing scalable processes and programs that evolve with the business
• Excellent judgment, business acumen, and communication skills, with demonstrated success advising senior leaders, navigating complex people decisions, and translating business priorities into effective organizational practices. Strong grounding in multi-state compliance and operational risk
• Experience leading teams, managing vendors and external partners, and delivering complex initiatives from strategy through execution. You’re equally comfortable setting direction, developing others, and launching programs—and thrive in the details and hands-on work that make them successful