Job Description

Job Title: Head of Human Resources

Location: Charlotte, NC (Hybrid)
Reports To: COO
Employment Type: Full-Time

Company Overview

Ternus is a fast-growing private money lender committed to delivering flexible, efficient, and reliable capital to real estate investors and developers. Our mission is grounded in doing business the right way—with strong ethics, operational excellence, and a deep commitment to both our clients and our team. As we scale, we’re looking for a strategic, people-centric leader to build and lead our HR function from the ground up.

Role Summary

The Head of HR will be a key member of the management team, responsible for designing and executing Ternus’s human capital strategy. This role will lead all aspects of the employee lifecycle—recruitment, onboarding, performance management, total rewards, culture, compliance, and professional development. The ideal candidate has deep HR experience in high-growth environments, thrives in entrepreneurial settings, and is passionate about building scalable, people-first systems.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute a comprehensive HR strategy aligned with Ternus’s business objectives and values.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on all HR matters including organizational design, workforce planning, and change management.
• Partner with departmental heads to support business unit needs.

Talent Acquisition & Development

• Build and oversee a recruiting function to attract top-tier talent across lending, operations, technology, and support teams.
• Lead development of robust onboarding, training, and career pathing frameworks.
• Design and implement performance management systems that promote accountability, growth, and alignment with business goals.

Culture & Employee Experience

• Champion a positive, inclusive, and high-performance workplace culture that reflects Ternus’s mission and values.
• Own employee engagement initiatives, pulse surveys, and feedback loops to continuously improve the employee experience.

HR Operations & Compliance

• Maintain HR policies, handbooks, and procedures in compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws.
• Manage employee relations, investigations, and resolution processes.
• Oversee HR systems (e.g., HRIS, payroll, benefits platforms).

Compensation & Benefits

• Design competitive compensation structures and benefit offerings that attract and retain talent.
• Lead annual compensation reviews, benchmarking, and incentive planning.

Requirements

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of progressive HR experience, including 1+ years in a leadership role.
• Strong understanding of employment law, compliance, and HR best practices.
• Demonstrated experience scaling HR infrastructure in a startup or high-growth financial services or real estate environment is strongly preferred.
• Experience in lending, private equity, fintech, or mortgage operations is a plus.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills.

Benefits

What We Offer

• Opportunity to shape and grow a foundational department at a dynamic company.
• Competitive compensation and benefits.
• Mission-driven culture with a focus on ethical leadership and servant-minded values.
• Access to leadership, visibility into strategy, and input into key decisions.

Estimated Compensation Range – Head of HR (Ternus, Private Money Lender)

Base Salary

• $70,000-$85,000

Bonus/Performance Incentives

• 20% of base salary
• Typically tied to company performance, hiring milestones, employee retention, and engagement KPIs.

Other Considerations

• Benefits Package: Should include comprehensive medical/dental/vision/life, 401(k), paid time off, ESOP, and professional development budgets.

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