Chief People Officer

LOCATION: South San Francisco

DEPARTMENT: People Organization

REPORTS TO: CEO

Day One (NASDAQ: DAWN) was founded to address a critical unmet need: children with cancer are being left behind in a cancer drug development revolution. Our name was inspired by the “The Day One Talk” that physicians have with patients and their families about an initial cancer diagnosis and treatment plan. We aim to re-envision cancer drug development and redefine what’s possible for all people living with cancer—regardless of age—starting from Day One.

SUMMARY:

At Day One, we are looking for a passionate leader of people and culture to establish and scale our organization and the strategies and programs essential to engaging and developing our employees. As the Chief People Officer, you will lead all areas of Human Resources including Employee Experience, Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, Equity & Inclusion, Learning and Development, and Workplace strategy. In this role, you will deliver People strategies, programs, processes and policies to support Day One’s growing business; and will be equally focused on strategic and operational deliverables, ready to roll up your sleeves to execute on the work.

As the Chief People Officer, you will be working in a fast-paced, rapidly growing environment. We will rely on you for your expertise, professionalism, creativity and collaboration, and you’ll partner with peers across the organization. You will report directly to the CEO and will build and lead a collaborative People team to support our growing business.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Architect of talent – HR leadership that attracts, acquires and develops the best talent in the market
Expander of culture – keep the mission, storytelling and history of Day One maintained and embedded in the organization as it grows, by working closely with our communications team and the Executive Leadership Team (ELT)
Team builder – construct a purpose-built HR team that meets the needs of our specialized Day One team members and help them maximize team dynamics and hiring plans
Communicator - work closely with the corporate communications team to create a forward-looking plan for thoughtful internal and external messaging and partner with the CEO and the ELT to communicate those messages internally to team members
Unique opportunity to design and build out the employee experience life cycle from talent acquisition to inclusion, rewards and learning
Serve as an integral member of the ELT
Refine and communicate a compensation philosophy that is motivating, equitable and rewards a high-performing culture
Leader who works collaboratively with the CEO, our external compensation consultant and the compensation committee to plan and implement a comprehensive and compliant executive compensation program
Develop performance management systems and processes and actively manage employee performance with Day One managers, mediate performance issues when necessary and define our performance management process
Help design road maps and succession plans for team member growth and advancement that complement Day One’s long-term strategic plans
Generate and drive our “return to office” approach for both local and remote employees
Coach leaders to model a culture where positive and constructive feedback is embraced to evolve leadership and drive company performance
Foster robust equity and inclusion training and programs to support employees at all levels in the organization
Own, develop, and implement Day One’s People strategy, procedures, & policies

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/SKILLS:

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field required; Master’s or law degree highly preferred

Experience:

10+ years of experience as a People Leader; ideally in Biotech, Pharmaceuticals Healthcare, and/ or Life Sciences
7+ years of broad and deep experience as an HR Business Partner directly supporting executives and senior management leaders
Experience with planning, developing and delivering presentations to the Compensation Committee and the Board of Directors
At least 2+ years at early-stage and high growth startup(s) and have seen growth from around 50 to over 200 and beyond
Strong collaborator that is capable of building and managing strong working relationships across the organization
Hands-on, results-driven, self-motivated, and detail-oriented with the ability to multitask and prioritize in a dynamic environment, while having fun!
Experience managing the planning, development, implementation and administration of one or more Human Resources programs
Experience building teams, implementing and refining programs, processes and procedures in an emerging industry is strongly desired. Includes fluency with the implementation and use of leading-edge HR technology tools (ie. HRIS, ATS, etc.)

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

Excellent business judgment and discretion
Trustworthy, equitable, patient and open-minded
Ability to communicate effectively, facilitate interactions and resolve conflicts
Proven leadership, program management, and project management skills
Ability to communicate effectively, facilitate interactions and resolve conflicts
Exceptional interpersonal skills, including the ability to empathize with a diverse employee base
Familiarity with employment immigration law -- visa sponsorship, etc
Experience with scaling organizations -- aligned with growth, product launch and commercialization
Experience in successfully influencing and bring about major change even when there is not a direct reporting relationship
Must have strong financial management and budgeting skills

DISCLAIMER

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to the job.