Head of Talent

$150k – $190k • meaningful equity

Summary:

• Backed by some of the best in the game – Forerunner Ventures, YC, Lux, Soma, Paul Graham, Joe Montana, Innospark, the founders of Instacart and Dropbox, and many other top angels and funds
• Founders are recent Harvard grads with quant experience at Jane Street and BoA and years of experience as sharp sports bettors
• $300B annually bet on sports in the US and the size of the market is rapidly growing, particularly given the opportunity for operators to capitalize on the sweepstakes business model
• Currently the only way to bet is with retail sportsbooks, which have egregious margins, discriminatory and inefficient practices, and a stale betting experience
• Novig is a sports prediction market that guarantees users the best lines by allowing them to play directly against friends or the market, rather than against the house, making the sports trading experience more efficient, fair, and, most importantly, profitable

What will you do?

• Own the company-wide People strategy: build and execute a roadmap for how Novig develops, and retains world-class talent while scaling efficiently.
• Partner with leadership: work directly with the CEO, COO, and executive team on org structure, development, compensation design, and performance.
• Build and operationalize People infrastructure: implement HR systems, policies, and compliance processes while keeping them lightweight and scalable.
• Lead culture and engagement: create programs and rituals that strengthen belonging, recognition, and feedback across our team.
• Establish performance and growth frameworks: design leveling guides, review cycles, and development paths that drive accountability and fairness.
• Coach and enable managers: develop training and resources to make every manager a strong communicator, mentor, and decision-maker.
• Collaborate cross-functionally: partner with Finance, Legal, and Talent to ensure compensation, benefits, and equity align with Novig’s goals and market standards.

What are we looking for?

• 8–12+ years of People or HR experience, including 3+ in leadership roles at fast-growing startups.
• Proven success scaling an organization from ~30 to 100+ employees and building People systems from scratch.
• Strong foundation in both strategic HR (org design, compensation, culture) and operational excellence (systems, compliance, onboarding).
• Experience partnering directly with founders and executives as a trusted advisor.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, able to influence and inspire at all levels.
• Analytical and data-driven, comfortable creating dashboards and tracking engagement metrics.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and adaptable, with a bias toward speed and iteration.
• Deep passion for building inclusive, high-performance cultures that align with Novig’s mission and values.

Nice to Have

• Experience in regulated or high-stakes industries (fintech, trading, sports, or crypto).
• Background in compensation philosophy, equity planning, or multi-state compliance.
• Experience standing up HRIS, performance management, or engagement systems.
• Track record of coaching executives and managers through scale and change.
• Familiarity with People analytics, L&D programs, and culture design.
• Strong interest in sports, technology, or prediction markets.

Who is Novig?

At Novig, we have reimagined the sports betting landscape by building a sweepstakes-based sports prediction market. Our innovative platform allows users to engage in sports predictions without traditional gambling constraints. By leveraging the sweepstakes model, we ensure compliance with regulatory requirements while providing a unique, engaging, and profitable experience for our users. Our goal is to make sports prediction more accessible, fair, and enjoyable.

Novig’s founders, Jacob and Kelechi were sophisticated sports bettors who grew increasingly frustrated by the latency, discriminatory practices, monotony, and non-profitability of the retail sports betting experience.

As the regulatory landscape evolves in the United States, Novig is positioned to become a leading innovator with our unique focus on research and technology.

How does Novig approach compensation?

We are big believers in providing excellent compensation to everyone on the team as we build.

• We offer salaries at the top of the benchmarks you’d find for senior roles at big name companies
• We provide equity to all employees regardless of role. We are looking for people who can grow with us as we scale our team and product, and we think it’s important for all employees, especially our first few teammates, to have significant equity in the company so you have skin in the game and our incentives are aligned.

What benefits does Novig offer?

We are embarking on an ambitious journey and are committed to providing generous benefits, even at this early stage.

• Robust health, dental, and vision plans, covering 100% of health premiums and 90% of dental and vision premiums
• Generous 401(k) plan, matching up to 4% of base salary
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with $1,080 annual company contributions
• $27/day food or commuter stipend when working in our NYC office