Osanni is Designed for Sight. We are creative & agile innovators, passionate about developing breakthroughs to save eyesight.  At Osanni, we are creating a uniquely different biotech company with the talent and unconventional thinking to deliver therapies to prevent and reverse blindness caused by retinal diseases.  

We focus where others aren’t. Retinal diseases are multi-factorial, so we are using our energy and ingenuity to navigate our own original path to address these sight-threatening conditions.  Our approach to drug development brings creativity to science through design thinking.  We are committed to tackling the toughest challenges and creating fundamentally different approaches to save vision.  Our belief is that if we hold patients’ eyesight and physician practices as are our North Star, it will enhance our purpose, decision making, and our impact. 

We are building a highly skilled and passionate team that truly enjoys the agility course of drug development and entrepreneurship. People are our greatest asset in achieving our ambitious mission at Osanni. 

Job Summary:
The Vice President, People & Culture will serve as a strategic partner to the Chief Business Officer, CEO and executive leadership team. This role is responsible for designing and leading a people-first organization that attracts, engages, develops, and retains world-
class talent while enabling scientific excellence and operational scale.

As a key member of the Senior leadership team, the VP, People will shape and steward the company’s culture, values, and leadership behaviors. They will build scalable people systems and programs that support growth from early-stage to commercialization while ensuring compliance, equity, and a strong employee experience. This leader will balance strategic vision with hands-on execution and bring a deep commitment to creating an exceptional workplace where employees can do the best work of their careers.

Key Responsibilities:

People & Culture Strategy

  • Champion company culture, values, and employee experience, ensuring they are intentionally designed, clearly articulated, and consistently lived.
  • Partner with the executive team to align people strategy with business goals, scientific priorities, and growth plans.
  • Lead culture-building initiatives that foster employee engagement and embody Osanni values.
  • Act as a trusted advisor and coach to senior leaders on organizational effectiveness, leadership capability, and change management. 

Talent Strategy & Workforce Planning 

  • Design and execute a comprehensive talent strategy encompassing workforce planning, talent acquisition, onboarding, retention, and succession planning.

  • Build scalable hiring processes to attract top scientific, technical, and corporate talent in a competitive Bay Area market. Ensure equitable, inclusive, and bias-aware recruiting and advancement practices. 

  • Anticipate future talent and capability needs as the organization evolves through key inflection points (e.g., clinical milestones, commercialization, IPO/M&A). 

Leadership & Employee Development 

  • Create and lead leadership development programs that build strong people managers and future executives. 

  • Establish clear career frameworks, growth paths, and development opportunities across functions. 

  • Implement performance management practices that are continuous, transparent, and development focused. 

  • Foster a culture of feedback, learning, and accountability at all levels of the organization. 

Employee Engagement & Experience 

  • Design and deliver programs that drive high employee engagement, well-being, and connection. 

  • Regularly assess engagement and organizational health through surveys and translating insights into action. 

  • Ensure a best-in-class employee experience from onboarding through offboarding. 

  • Champion initiatives that support employee wellness, resilience, and work-life integration. 

Total Rewards & HR Operations 

  • Oversee the development and scaling of HR infrastructure, policies, and systems to support growth. 

  • Ensure competitive, equitable, and scalable compensation, benefits, and equity programs aligned with biotech market benchmarks. 

  • Ensure HR policies, programs, and systems are compliant with federal, state, and local employment laws. 

  • Lead HR operations, including HRIS, people analytics, and employee relations. 

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) 

  • Integrate DEI principles into all people practices, including hiring, development, promotion, and compensation. 

  • Partner with leadership to set measurable DEI goals and ensure accountability. 

  • Foster an inclusive culture where diverse perspectives are valued and employees feel a strong sense of belonging. 

Change Management & Organizational Design 

  • Lead organizational design and change initiatives to support rapid growth and evolving business needs. 

  • Guide the organization through periods of transformation with clarity, empathy, and transparency. 

  • Use data and insights to inform decisions related to structure, roles, and capabilities. 

Required Skills and Background: 

  • Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business Administration, or related field preferred. 

  • Relevant HR or leadership certifications (e.g., SPHR, SHRM-SCP, executive coaching credentials) are a plus. 

  • 12+ years of progressive HR/People leadership experience, with significant time in high-growth, venture-backed, or startup environments. 

  • Prior experience in biotech, life sciences, healthcare, or similarly complex, regulated industries strongly preferred. 

  • Proven track record of building and scaling people functions in organizations undergoing rapid growth and change. 

  • Experience serving as a senior advisor to CEO and executive teams. 

  • Demonstrated success leading culture, engagement, and leadership development initiatives. 

  • Strong ability to translate business strategy into people initiatives that drive results. 

  • Deep passion for creating an exceptional, values-driven culture and employee experience. 

  • Trusted, authentic leader with high emotional intelligence and executive-level communication skills. 

  • Strong knowledge of HR operations, employment law, and people analytics. 

  • Skilled in leading organizations through ambiguity, growth, and transformation. 

  • Comfortable rolling up sleeves in an early-stage environment while building for scale. 

  • Commitment to equity, inclusion, and belonging, with the ability to lead difficult conversations thoughtfully. 

The expected base pay range for this position is $275,000 - $315,000 plus bonus and comprehensive benefits. The base pay range reflects the target range for this position, but individual pay will be determined by additional factors such as job-related skills, experience and relevant education or training. 

 We are committed to creating a diverse environment and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. 

We will provide an intellectually stimulating, collegial and fast-paced environment. If you are ready to be a part of designing the future of sight-saving therapeutics, then we are excited to hear from you!