Director of People & TalentCanada - Remote

Director of People & Talent

FirstPrinciples is a non-profit organization advancing scientific discovery by developing an AI Physicist - an intelligent system designed to explore and uncover the fundamental laws of nature. Our goal is to build a new kind of research platform that goes beyond analyzing information : one that can ask deep scientific questions, reason across disciplines, and accelerate the generation of new ideas. By combining AI, symbolic reasoning, and autonomous research capabilities, we aim to transform how knowledge is discovered and help push science toward its next breakthroughs.

We are looking for a Director of People and Talent to own the full people journey at FirstPrinciples from talent acquisition to the development of long-term people engagement and retention strategies. Reporting into the Founder of FirstPrinciples, you will be at the center of hiring, people operations, and culture, making sure we attract mission-driven experts and give our world class talent the support they need to do their best work. The ideal candidate will be comfortable working on a team of one to develop and run the HR function, has a strong record of building and scaling people teams, pairing big-picture talent strategy with hands-on HR expertise to turn bold scientific goals into a well-supported, engaged and motivated team.

Key Responsibilities

Hiring Strategy :

• Work with the executive team to develop multi-year headcount plans across key functions, including AI research, engineering, data science, operations, admin and fundraising.
• Translate long term hiring plans into a clear quarterly roadmap, with details around role priorities, skill requirements, and budget impact.
• Develop and maintain up to date compensation bands that consider FirstPrinciples' nonprofit status, competitive market salaries and cost-of-living dynamics in hiring jurisdictions.

Full-Cycle Recruiting Execution :

Onboarding & Culture Integration :

HR Operations & Compliance :

Learning & Growth :

Qualifications :

Comfort in hiring engineers, researchers and other technical team members.

Has experience with or strong interest in physics and / or fundamental science topics.

Application Process :

Join us at FirstPrinciples and be a part of a transformative journey where science drives progress and unlocks the potential of humanity.