River AI
People Lead
$200K–$380K
Palo Alto, CA +1 · Full-time · Posted Sep 19, 2026
- Location
- Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto, California, United States - Experience
- At least 7 years in HR; must have run HR/People operations at a startup or scale-up.
About the job
Own and improve River AI’s HR, payroll, benefits, insurance, workplace, and related operational systems as the company’s first People Lead.
What you'll do
- Run HR operations and payroll, including HRIS administration, onboarding and offboarding, benefits, and employee records.
- Manage insurance, benefits, compliance coordination, EORs, contractors, and consultants.
- Oversee workspace operations and improve processes, including by using AI tooling.
What they ask for
- At least 7 years of HR experience, including running HR/People operations at a startup or scale-up.
- Experience with HR platforms like Rippling (required).
- Able to work full-time on-site.
- Handle sensitive matters discreetly; communicate clearly and use sound organizational judgment.
Nice to have
- Familiarity with equity management platforms (e.g. Carta).
- IT training or background.
Pay
$200,000–$380,000 USD per year base salary
Tools
Rippling, Carta
AI focus
Use AI and AI tooling to automate repetitive operational work, improve processes, and develop policies and norms for an AI-native workplace, including acceptable use and data handling.
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative