Head of People

About Meridian Media Ventures

Meridian Media Ventures is a private investment and operating firm based in Washington D.C. active across technology politics and diverse business sectors. We operate with a hands-on approach partnering with visionary leaders to build scale and influence ventures that shape the future. As a dynamic and growing firm we place high value on talent performance and culture.

About the Role: Head of People

We are seeking a strategic and pragmatic Head of People to join our leadership team. This role will be critical in attracting and retaining top talent developing performance and skill-building systems and acting as a close partner to the CEO in managing our team. The ideal candidate combines operational excellence with emotional intelligence and thrives in high-stakes high-impact environments.

Tasks

1. Talent Acquisition & Recruitment (20%)

• Conduct end-to-end hiring for executive and senior roles including job scoping outreach interviews and onboarding.
• Collaborate with business leaders to clarify hiring needs define role requirements and anticipate future talent gaps.
• Develop proactive recruitment systems including talent pools referral networks and long-term pipelines across all business verticals.

2. Leadership Development & Growth Planning (40%)

• Design and oversee onboarding programs that embed new hires into Meridians leadership culture from day one.
• Create structured development pathways for emerging leaders including growth plans promotion tracks and feedback loops.
• Partner with managers and the CEO to identify high-potential team members and chart individualized development trajectories.

3. Cultural Design & Implementation (25%)

• Codify and evolve company culture translating values into behaviors rituals and expectations across teams.
• Facilitate culture-building workshops offsites and peer learning sessions that promote alignment and shared identity.
• Act as a culture champion modeling and reinforcing behaviors that reflect the firms commitment to excellence and impact.

4. Coaching & Internal Enablement (10%)

• Offer direct coaching to team leads and managers to enhance communication decision-making and team effectiveness.
• Support the CEO and leadership team in managing interpersonal dynamics performance challenges and team growth.
• Lead mentorship initiatives ensuring every team member has access to guidance and developmental support.

5. Performance & Organizational Health (5%)

• Develop tools and processes to evaluate leadership readiness team health and cultural fit.
• Run regular check-ins surveys or diagnostics to gauge employee engagement alignment and organizational performance.
• Refine performance frameworks to ensure feedback growth and accountability are built into daily operations.

Requirements

Experience & Background

• 7 years of experience in HR people operations talent development or leadership rolesideally in high-performance or cross-sector environments (e.g. startups consulting politics or media).
• Demonstrated success in recruiting senior-level talent and building leadership pipelines.
• Proven track record of designing and implementing people systems including onboarding development programs and culture-building initiatives.
• Experience supporting or partnering directly with CEOs or executive teams in managing team performance dynamics and development.

Skills & Abilities

• Strong strategic thinking with the ability to design scalable systems that serve both people and business needs.
• High emotional intelligence and excellent interpersonal skills; able to earn trust and influence at all levels of the organization.
• Skilled facilitator and communicator able to lead workshops feedback sessions and internal communications with clarity and impact.
• Deep understanding of organizational culture and leadership developmentwith a bias toward action and continuous improvement.
• Exceptional project management and execution skills; able to drive initiatives from concept to adoption.

Mindset & Approach

• Mission-driven and energized by building organizations that aim to shape culture and society.
• Discreet ethical and trusted with sensitive people matters.
• Curious coachable and open to feedback.
• Adaptable and unflappable in a fast-moving high-stakes environment.

PreferreD

• Experience in both structured and unstructured settingsable to build systems from scratch but comfortable refining existing ones.
• Familiarity with executive coaching assessments or leadership development frameworks is a plus.