Director of People & Culture

Surgo Health is a human-centric AI company that delivers the deepest understanding of human behavior to power better health for all.

A life-saving drug or treatment is of no use if people don’t take it. Surgo Health believes that a complete understanding of what drives people’s behavior – and how their context impacts them – is critical to ensure every person lives a healthy life. Our proprietary data and AI-technology platform produce fit-for-purpose intelligence, analytics, and recommendations that enable our partners to deliver more equitable, efficient, and cost-effective programs that improve health outcomes across the globe.

Our world-class team of healthcare experts and scientists use behavioral science, data science, and artificial intelligence to build innovative, scalable solutions that power patient-centric care and improve outcomes. We are a growing team with ambitious plans, and we're searching for top-class talent who want to roll up their sleeves and dive into a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.

Headquartered in Washington, DC, Surgo has teams across the US, UK, India, and Turkey. We are evolving from a consulting-led model toward a product-first business while continuing to deliver for clients. We are looking for adaptable, collaborative people who care about the mission and thrive in an entrepreneurial environment.

The opportunity
As Director of People & Culture, you will own the day-to-day People function and build practical, scalable programs that help Surgo hire, develop, and retain great people. This is a hands-on build-and-run role: you will improve how work gets done, partner closely with managers, and translate business priorities into clear People practices across four countries.

You will work with senior leadership on broader People priorities while taking direct accountability for implementation, reliable operations, and measurable results. As Surgo grows, there is room to expand your strategic contribution. Success in this role starts with sound judgment, thoughtful prioritization, and strong execution—not creating complex programs before they are needed.

What you will own

Talent acquisition and onboarding

• Partner with leaders to translate hiring plans into priorities, capacity needs, and realistic recruiting timelines across client delivery and product teams.
• Simplify hiring workflows, strengthen selection quality, and equip managers to interview and make decisions efficiently.
• Build repeatable sourcing and recruiting practices for product and engineering roles, including international markets and the Turkey technical hub.
• Own effective onboarding and offboarding processes, coordinating required background checks, access changes, and security training.

Retention, performance, and manager effectiveness

• Identify retention risks and implement practical actions informed by employee feedback and workforce data.
• Build manager capability through straightforward tools, coaching, and clear expectations.
• Run consistent performance, feedback, and promotion processes that work for both client delivery and product roles.
• Improve employee experience and cross-location communication without losing Surgo’s low-ego, adaptable culture.

People operations, compliance, and rewards

• Own accurate, responsive People operations, employee records, HR systems, and an up-to-date employee handbook.
• Coordinate employment compliance across the US, UK, India, and Turkey, working with local experts, payroll providers, and employer-of-record partners as needed.
• Manage benefits administration, enrollment, and broker/vendor relationships; support practical, market-aware compensation processes.
• Partner with Security and relevant teams on People-related SOC 2 and HIPAA controls.
• Maintain clear People metrics, budgets, and operating rhythms; recommend improvements based on evidence and business needs.

What you bring

• Meaningful progressive HR/People experience, including hands-on ownership of core People programs in a growing organization.
• Experience improving hiring, onboarding, performance, and People operations—not just designing strategy or advising others.
• Comfort operating as a pragmatic generalist in a lean team, with strong follow-through and good judgment about what to build now versus later.
• Ability to influence and coach managers and work effectively with senior leaders without needing a large team or extensive resources.
• Experience supporting distributed or international teams; familiarity with product/technology talent or a services-to-product transition is a plus.
• Working knowledge of employment compliance, HR systems, and vendor management; SOC 2/HIPAA-related People controls are a plus.
• A collaborative, adaptable, low-ego approach and excellent communication skills.

Location: Headquartered in Washington, DC / This role is based in DC with 2 days/week in the office.

Benefits

What you’ll love about Surgo:

• A collaborative, mission-driven team
• Competitive salary and equity compensation
• We pay 100% of premiums for a Platinum healthcare plan, for employees and dependents
• Flexible PTO with 11 holidays
• 401(k) employer match up to 4%
• 3 months paid parental leave
• Public Benefit Corporation with an impact mission

Surgo Health is committed to fair, equitable, and transparent practices. Compensation packages are based on several factors such as skill set, prior relevant experience, education, certifications, and market considerations. In addition to base compensation, individuals may be eligible for annual performance-based bonuses and equity (if applicable). We aim to pay salaries that are competitive, benchmarked against companies that are similar in stage, size, and market to Surgo Health. Our recruiter may be able to share more about our total rewards offerings and the specific salary range for the relevant role during the hiring process.

Our hiring philosophy
We hire for passion and core competencies.
We look for problem solvers and lateral thinkers.
We love it if you have done different things with your time.

If you think you are ideal for this position, write to us even if your experience doesn’t match all the requirements listed above.

Equal Opportunity and Diversity Policy
Surgo believes a diverse, inclusive staff makes a stronger team and more impactful organization and we are committed to building and developing this team and environment. Qualified people of all races, ethnicities, cultures, ages, sex, genders, sexual orientation, gender identities and expressions, languages, social class, marital status, religions, veterans status, and disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.