I work like a senior hire — without the full-time price tag.

Most early-stage companies aren't ready for a full-time Head of People. But they're past the point where a founder can keep handling HR on the side. There's a gap there — and that's exactly where I fit in.

I embed into your organization as a fractional People leader. Not a consultant who shows up with a slide deck and disappears. I'm in your Slack, in your leadership meetings, doing the actual work — building the infrastructure, managing the complexity, answering staff questions, making sure the people side of your business keeps up with everything else.

Three ways to work together

Fractional Leadership

The most common engagement. I become your embedded People leader (typically 5 to 10 hours a week) for as long as you need. I work inside your org, not at arm's length from it. I join leadership conversations, build out your people infrastructure, and make sure nothing falls through the cracks while you focus on the business. Short-term or long-term. We figure out what makes sense.

Advisory

For founders and leaders who need a thought partner, not a full engagement. Maybe you're running into your first real performance situation. Maybe you're trying to figure out comp before your next hiring push. Maybe you just need someone who's been here before to pressure-test your thinking. We work through it together, on demand, without the overhead.

Embedded Talent

If you have a specific gap to fill:  a recruiting push, a leave to cover, a people ops project that keeps getting deprioritized. I can bring in the right resources and manage them directly. Project-based, flexible, scoped to exactly what you need.

What we actually work on

Every company is different, but after working with 25+ startups I've seen the same challenges show up at the same stages. Here's where I usually spend my time:

Compensation philosophy and role leveling. Most early-stage companies are making comp decisions one offer at a time, with no framework underneath. That creates equity problems, retention problems, and a lot of awkward conversations. We fix the foundation before it becomes a crisis.

Performance management that doesn't feel corporate. Founders resist this one. Until the first time they need to let someone go and realize they have nothing to stand on. A lightweight performance structure isn't bureaucracy. It's your tool for building a team that executes.

Onboarding. Day one is your chance to be who you said you were in the recruiting process. Most startups blow it. We build an onboarding experience that validates the hire decision and gets people productive faster.

Culture, the real kind. Not values posters. The actual operating norms, the way decisions get made, the signals leaders send without realizing it. We make it explicit so it's something you can actually build on.

Manager coaching. First-time managers are one of the most common failure points at growing startups. I work directly with your managers, not just on process, but on the hard human stuff that process can't cover.

Benefits and HR infrastructure. The operational side: benefits programs, compliance, systems, policies. Not glamorous, but important. I've done it from scratch at more than a dozen companies. We make it clean and get it off your plate.

What makes this different

I'm not a generalist HR consultant who works with anyone. I work specifically with early-stage tech companies and hospitality businesses — two industries that move fast, operate lean, and don't have patience for HR that feels out of touch with the actual business.

I've been an executive team member at startups. I understand what founders are dealing with. I'm not going to show up with an enterprise playbook and try to make it fit a 20-person company. Everything I build is designed to be lightweight enough to actually get used — and strong enough to hold up as you grow.

And I care about this work. Not just the org charts and the policies — the people inside them. The person who's been underperforming because nobody ever told them clearly what was expected. The manager who's burning out because nobody trained them for the job. The founder who's losing good people and doesn't understand why.

That's the work. And it matters.

Not sure if this is the right fit?

Book a quick consultative meeting. That's the most common place founders start. Pick a time below and we'll figure it out from there.