When should a climate-tech start-up hire a Head of People?

In today’s article we will discuss the topic of the ideal time to hire a Head of People vs using external staffing and HR providers and consultants. 

When should a VC-backed climate tech startup hire a Head of People?

It’s a common question between Series A and B, and the question is more complex than just a matter of headcount expansion.

Head of People

Some key indicators that you should invest in hiring a Head of People into your climate start-up

• You have a headcount plan of at least 20 net new hires in the next 6-12 months

• You are competing for top-tier talent and are starting to feel the impact

• The hiring quality and interview times are taking up significant time from the founding team

• You have yet to build structure around recruiting, employee engagement, onboarding or employer brand 

• You have reached “critical mass” where there are enough employees that have added complexity - in other words, if you have 10 people it is probably too early to hire a Head of People, usually if you have around 30-50 people you can start thinking about hiring a Head of People, prior to that some of the operational HR tasks can be handled by the founders, Chief of Staff or COO.

• You have enough funding and runway - to ensure that you are in growth mode 

• You have thought about employer brand and culture - but do not have the capabilities to build this yourself as you are focusing on growth and other business matters as a climate-tech founder

• You are currently unable to deal with employee related matters as a climate-tech founder any longer - these matters are taking you aware from other key business goals such as revenue, customer engagement etc

A great Head of People should have some of the following skills to bring value to your climate-tech start-up

• Strong experience in compensation structures - building them

• Creating professional and career development frameworks and paths

• Ability to create positive and consistent employee experiences across departments and teams 

• Programmatic experience such as employee onboarding, off-boarding, recognition and day to day support

• Strong operations experience: compliance, employee relations and people operations

• Compliance and legal experience: employment and labor laws 

• Experience building scalable hiring systems and processes

• Experience in diversity & inclusion topics

What about just using an HR consultant?

How do you determine if you should hire an HR consultant instead of a Head of People for your climate-tech start-up?

Here are the scenarios where it would make more sense to engage an HR consultant or staffing firm instead of making a full-time HR hire.

• You have short-term, specialized needs or projects— for example creating an employee handbook, implementing compliance processes, conducting an audit, or handling a tricky HR/legal matter.

• You’re early-stage (often <30–50 employees) and don’t need full-time HR leadership yet, as those responsibilities are being handle by the COO or Chief of staff

• Your current leadership can manage day-to-day people ops but needs expert guidance for specific projects such as employee relations, labor laws, onboarding principles or leadership principles

• Your budget is limited and you can’t yet justify a full-time senior HR hire, and need a few specific projects or tasks completed.

• You want a neutral, external perspective for sensitive matters like restructuring, investigations, or compensation benchmarking.

• You have a confidential search that requires discretion or have a few specialised open roles, which would be better suited to be filled by a staffing company

• You are expanding into a new market and have limited access to the talent pool

By hiring a Head of People into your climate-tech start-up,  you're not just adding headcount—you're enhancing your ability to scale, attract talent and have robust people operational systems that help your climate-tech start-up grow and succeed. 

At Jobs for Planet, we help climate tech start-ups grow and drive a sustainable future. Want to learn how we connect clients with top talent? Book at meeting or email us if you would like access to our talent network.