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People & Culture Manager

Onsite – San Mateo, CA (4 days M-Th, Remote Fr)

Full-Time

Company Description

Our diverse team at ZOLA Electric, dispersed across 4 continents and 13+ different nationalities, share a common vision and commitment to solving the Energy Access challenge that afflicts over 3 billion people and hundreds of millions of businesses, hospitals and schools globally. This is one of the world's great problems, impacting our most vulnerable and driving inequality across income, healthcare, education and climate change. As one of us, you are equally passionate about making an impact as you are creating the technologies that will eradicate Energy Inequality.

ZOLA Electric was born in and around the Serengeti in Tanzania, initially installing smart, connected devices (batteries and solar) that powered basic energy needs such as lighting and connectivity for rural communities. Our theory that thousands of networked, connected and controlled devices will form the basic architecture of energy provision in emerging markets holds true today. ZOLA today empowers Energy Service providers to grow, sustain and finance their operations through our ZOLA technology platform, enabling our enterprise customers to deliver reliable and affordable power to their communities, improving the lives of the 3 billion people across the globe that need it the most. Our technology platform consists of a hardware layer, control layer and Ai enabled SaaS application layer, ZOLA Intelligence (ZI). Today we are proud to say that our network delivers reliable, affordable and smart power to over 3 million people and commercial facilities across over 10 countries and 4 continents. We have a bold vision and mission, and we are only just beginning.

This may be your dream job if you’re someone who dreams of combining your knowledge and skills to help ZOLA Electric. You need to be passionate about bringing energy technology to the Global South with the unique social, technical, and business challenges that come along with it. You are inspired by the opportunity to unleash human potential, and motivated to help build a truly epic business.

Position Overview

We’re seeking a People & Culture Manager to lead ZOLA’s people function and build the systems, processes, and culture that support a globally distributed, high-performing workforce.

This is a builder role, ideal for someone who thrives in early-stage environments, owns full-cycle recruiting, and embraces automation and emerging tools (including AI-based platforms) to streamline and scale HR.

It’s also a great opportunity for someone stepping into their first people management role. You’ll have meaningful ownership, executive visibility, and the ability to grow into a broader leadership path as the company scales.

You’ll report directly to the CEO, manage and support two HR resources, one overseas, and work onsite 4 days/week from our San Mateo office.

What You’ll Do

• Design and implement Ai enabled HRIS, Recruiting, Performance and Engagement, and other systems and processes to support a growing, globally distributed workforce.
• Streamline people operations using modern tools and automation to reduce manual tasks, increase efficiency, productivity and outcomes
• Own all people operations, including onboarding, offboarding, compliance, employee relations, and performance practices
• Manage the Office Manager, who currently supports payroll, benefits, and HR administration
• Own full-cycle recruiting across departments — including sourcing, process design, interview coordination, and offer management
• Advise leadership on people topics and serve as a partner on team planning, engagement, and development
• Build and reinforce company culture, ensuring ZOLA remains a values-driven, inclusive, and mission-aligned workplace
• Ensure HR compliance with employment regulations across California, the U.S., and our international footprint (with external support as needed)

What You Bring

• 5–7 years of experience in HR or People Operations, ideally in a high-growth or startup environment
• Proven ability to lead both HR operations and full-cycle recruiting independently
• Experience implementing modern HR systems and tools — AI or automation components
• Prior experience managing or mentoring others — or readiness to step into your first formal people leadership role
• Clear, empathetic communicator who thrives in fast-moving, mission-driven environments
• Bachelor’s degree
• PHR, SHRM-CP, or equivalent certification is a plus (but not required)
• Based in or near San Mateo, with the ability to be onsite 4 days/week

Compensation & Benefits

• Base salary: $100K–$115K, plus participation in incentive bonus program
• Strong equity opportunity
• Medical, dental, vision, and other benefits
• A chance to build meaningful systems and culture at a company solving one of the world’s most urgent challenges

Ready to apply?

We can’t wait to meet people who are passionate, driven, and inspired by what we’re building. Apply now and help us shape the future of energy access.