Head of People Operations

Job Description

Job Description

About Urban Sky :

Urban Sky is a venture-backed aerospace startup that pioneers utilization of the stratosphere and reimagines the way humans view and analyze the earth. We design, build, operate, and sell stratospheric balloon systems, and the data we collect supports a wide range of applications, from real-time wildfire monitoring to urban mapping. Our technology is also employed by government customers including the Department of Defense (DoD), NASA, and others. Urban Sky sends flight vehicles to the stratosphere on a weekly basis.

Our team consists of engineers, makers, developers, and doers who believe in the power of human potential when passion meets utility within a small, supportive team. At Urban Sky we strive to create a team culture grounded in candor, inclusion, respect and empowerment.

We aim to build the next chapter of stratospheric history in Denver and are seeking self-starting, open-minded, and hard-working team members.

About The Role :

Urban Sky is seeking a Head of People Operations to build and lead our People Operations department in Denver, CO. As a key member of the leadership team, you will architect and own the full employee experience—from recruiting and onboarding through engagement, performance, and offboarding. Inspired by Google's data-driven People Operations philosophy, this leader will build systems and processes that elevate organizational performance, foster a culture of empowerment, and drive strategic people outcomes tied directly to business growth.

This role requires a leader who is both technically fluent and operationally driven —someone who can design and deploy systems as rigorously as an engineer, while embodying the human-centered, data-backed approach. You'll experiment, measure, and iterate to create people programs that are innovative, evidence-based, and deeply aligned with our mission. The ideal candidate combines empathy with analytics, systems thinking with tactical execution, and a passion for building an environment where people thrive and the organization performs at its best.

You will report directly to the Co-founder / CEO and will be responsible for transforming Urban Sky's people function into a data-informed, technically capable, and tactically excellent department that scales with the company's growth.

Key Responsibilities :

• Organizational Design & Strategy

Build the People Operations function from the ground up, including frameworks for recruiting, onboarding, growth, performance, and offboarding.

Design and execute a talent strategy that attracts top performers across engineering, operations, and business teams.

Shape and sustain our culture.

Establish clear, fair, and inspiring performance management processes focused on personal growth over ratings.

Create and manage HR policies, systems, and compliance processes in alignment with employment law and Urban Sky contracts (including DoD and government contracts and associated requirements).

Qualifications :

Nice-to-Haves / Preferred Skills :

Requirements :

Benefits :

Urban Sky is required to post this salary range per Colorado law. Your salary will be determined based on your abilities and experience.

Colorado Pay Transparency

$130,000—$165,000 USD

We expect all team members to actively leverage and continuously adapt to emerging AI tools as a core part of their daily workflow. Proficiency with job-relevant modern AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, GitHub Copilot) is expected and integral to success in this role.

NOTE : Research suggests that women and BIPOC individuals may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone who believes that they have the skills and the passion necessary to succeed here to apply for this role.

This position may require the candidate to deal with commodities, software, technology, defense articles, and / or technical data which are subject to the Export Administration Regulations and / or the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Additional information may be requested so as to determine whether export authorization is required from the Bureau of Industry and Security and / or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. If authorization is required, employment will be contingent upon the Company successfully obtaining such authorization from the relevant government agency.

Urban Sky is an equal opportunity employer, and we value diversity. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.