Talent lead — people, culture & founder support

The Studio is part of Utopia Capital’s integrated venture platform — combining AI-native venture building, capital, and shared infrastructure to help founders build faster and smarter. Every role here directly contributes to launching and scaling AI-native companies across the Global South, from idea to Series A.About The StudioThe Studio is an AI-native venture builder for the Global South, purpose-built to transform high-barrier problems into scalable, investable companies.Partnering with domain experts & high-agency founders from concept to Series A, it both builds new ventures and re-engineers existing ones for AI-driven growth.Powered by UTOPIA OS — a modular, adaptive stack tailored to each venture — it compresses the path from concept to Series A to under 24 months.About the RoleWe're hiring a Talent Lead to build and nurture the people systems that power the Studio, its founders, and the ventures we build.You’ll lead culture, talent, and people systems across the Studio — helping founders attract, develop, and retain exceptional teams.You’ll support internal platform HR and performance management, working closely with the Head of Operations & Compliance to ensure consistency across Utopia’s shared functions.This is a hands‑on, early‑stage role for someone who thrives at the intersection of venture building, talent design, and founder support — building scalable systems for hiring, onboarding, and learning that make “talent as a service” one of Utopia’s most valuable offerings.Reports to:Studio DirectorsDotted line:Managing Partner (for platform-wide HR and performance initiatives)Growth path:Head of People / Partner, Talent & CultureResponsibilitiesTalent Strategy & RecruitmentLead end-to-end recruitment across the Studio — hiring world-class engineers, operators, and entrepreneursDesign and run recruitment processes for EIRs, venture teams, and platform hiresBuild and manage a founder talent pipeline aligned with our EIR model, Fellowship, and PODs systemPartner with leadership to define roles, evaluate candidates, and ensure cultural fitCreate hiring playbooks and interview frameworks that reflect our AI-native, founder-centric approachLeverage analytics and AI tools to improve sourcing, candidate assessment, and hiring efficiencyUse AI tools for sourcing intelligence, talent mapping, and predictive hiring insights — designing data-driven recruitment strategies that improve quality and speed.Prototype and pilot “AI-native” talent processes such as automated screening, culture-fit evaluation models, and adaptive job design to support fast-changing venture needs.Culture & Team DevelopmentEmbed Utopia's AI-native culture across the Studio — fostering curiosity, speed, and collaborationChampion a one-team culture — ensuring the Studio, Funds, and Platform teams work cohesively, with shared rituals and aligned values across all parts of UtopiaLead onboarding and internal learning programs so every team member and founder understands our mission, tools, and approachOrganize rituals, workshops, and events that build belonging and psychological safetyCoach team leads and founders on people leadership, feedback, and performance practices that scaleImplement performance frameworks that balance accountability with learningSupport leaders in designing incentive and retention models that align talent growth with venture outcomesExperiment with AI-enabled learning systems, internal mobility tracking, and real-time feedback tools that make performance data actionable.Collaborate with the Design Lead and Platform Engineers to create “people dashboards” that align team metrics (learning, engagement, retention) with venture KPIs.Pilot early experiments with AI copilots and HR assistants to enhance candidate experience, onboarding, and internal learning workflows.Founder & Venture People SupportProvide HR advisory and culture-building support to founders within Studio venturesHelp early-stage companies design hiring systems, onboarding processes, and talent development plansBuild a network of advisors, coaches, and specialists who can support founders with leadership and team-building challengesDevelop "people playbooks" that help ventures scale while keeping strong cultureCoach founders on organizational design for AI-native teams — balancing technical depth, creative autonomy, and operational focus.Help early-stage teams structure roles, OKRs, and collaboration patterns for speed and clarity.Design simple toolkits that help founders run effective feedback and learning cycles without heavy HR infrastructure.People Operations & SystemsSet up and manage foundational HR systems for the Studio (payroll, contracts, policies, compliance) in collaboration with the Head of Operations & Compliance and CFO on payroll and compliance processesUse AI-native HR tools (People GPT, Deel, Ashby, Notion AI) to automate workflows and improve decision-makingKeep Studio and venture talent data up to date and compliant with QFC and Qata