Director of People

San Jose, CA
People /
Full-time /
Hybrid
About Visby
Visby Medical is an ambitious, well-funded late-stage biotech startup. Driven by a belief that infectious disease diagnosis should be quick, accurate, and accessible to all, Visby has developed the world’s first single-use PCR platform that disrupts the traditional model and redefines the way infectious disease is tested and treated.

About the Role
As the Director of People, you will lead key elements of our people strategy and operations to support Visby’s next phase of growth. You’ll partner with the executive team and department leaders to build and scale programs that attract, retain, and develop high-performing teams. This is a hands-on leadership role, balancing strategic thought partnership with tactical execution.

How You’ll Make an Impact

    • Partner closely with senior leaders to provide guidance on organizational effectiveness, team dynamics, and leadership development.
    • Lead core HR functions including talent development, employee engagement, performance management, and Total Rewards execution.
    • Drive performance excellence by aligning feedback, goal-setting, and development systems with Visby’s values and business needs.
    • Collaborate on compensation planning, equity programs, and incentive strategies to ensure consistency and fairness.
    • Manage and continuously improve HR systems and processes across the employee lifecycle - from onboarding to offboarding - and deliver actionable data-driven insights.
    • Support DEIB initiatives and create a culture of inclusion and belonging.
    • Provide data-driven insights on People metrics and trends to inform decisions and prioritize initiatives.
    • Serve as a coach and thought partner to managers and employees across all levels.
    • Act as a cultural ambassador who models Visby values and drives employee experience.

On Your First Day We’d Like You to Have

    • Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or related field.
    • 8+ years of progressive HR experience across multiple functional areas.
    • Experience supporting leadership teams and managing People programs at scale.

It’s Great If You Have

    • Master’s degree or MBA with a focus in Human Resources or Organizational Development.
    • Strong business acumen and comfort working closely with executives.
    • Experience working in a regulated environment (e.g., FDA, ISO 13485) is preferred, given our focus on quality-driven manufacturing and compliance.
    • Analytical and data-driven, yet empathetic and intuitive in decision-making.
    • Skilled at building trust, listening actively, and driving clarity across stakeholders.
    • Able to operate both strategically and tactically in a fast-paced environment.
    • Entrepreneurial mindset with a focus on continuous improvement.
    • Excellent communication skills and ability to tailor messaging across audiences.

Salary Range

    • $180,000 - $215,000 (salary range for candidates based in San Jose, CA)
    • Compensation for the role is based on geographical location. 
    • Compensation also depends on a number of factors including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience and may fall outside of the range shown.
More about our benefits
Visby offers highly competitive health insurance through United Healthcare or Kaiser, including a company-funded HSA option.  We also offer flexible paid time off, 10 company holidays, and many other contemporary benefits and perks.
Visby is a proud recipient of the 2023 Cigna Healthy Workforce Designation.
Additional information
We believe that the unique contributions of all Visbees is the driver of our success. To make sure that our products and culture continue to incorporate everyone's perspectives and experience we never discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, pregnancy or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, or military or veteran status.
Full COVID Vaccination Required - Reasonable accommodations for medical or religious reasons considered.