HR Generalist

Hertha Metals is redefining how the world makes steel. We’ve developed a breakthrough single-step steelmaking process that uses gas reductants to convert iron ore of any grade or form, delivering lower production costs and emissions than blast furnaces—while improving product quality and scalability. Having operated the world’s largest single-step steelmaking pilot plant, we’re now scaling toward commercial deployment. Our mission is to redefine the foundation of modern industry by scaling cleaner, more efficient, and more cost competitive metalmaking systems. At Hertha, engineers, metallurgists, and operators work side by side to transform the future of steel making.

HR Generalist

Reports to: Director of Human Resources

Hertha Metals is on a mission to transform the global steel industry through our groundbreaking, single-step steelmaking technology. We are seeking a hands-on, highly organized HR Generalist to support people operations and technical recruiting as we scale from pilot operations toward commercialization. This role is critical to building the operational backbone of Hertha Metals’ workforce. The HR Generalist will support full-cycle recruiting for technical and industrial roles while also owning core HR processes that enable our team to operate efficiently, safely, and in compliance.

This is not a purely administrative role. The ideal candidate is comfortable operating in a fast-paced startup environment, supporting recruiting efforts for technical roles, and handling a wide range of HR responsibilities with a strong sense of ownership and accountability.

Key Responsibilities

To be successful in this role, the HR Generalist must have a strong understanding of core HR fundamentals and the ability to support technical recruiting across engineering, operations, and industrial roles. This position will partner closely with leadership, hiring managers, and operations teams to execute recruiting plans and maintain effective HR processes.

The HR Generalist will play a key role in coordinating candidates through the hiring process, supporting onboarding, maintaining HR documentation, and ensuring a positive employee experience across the organization.

Given the dynamic nature of a growing startup, this role requires flexibility, sound judgment, and the ability to manage competing priorities as business needs evolve.

Additional Skills

• Experience supporting full-cycle recruiting, particularly for technical, engineering, or industrial roles

• Ability to coordinate candidate pipelines, interviews, and hiring logistics across multiple teams

• Comfort reviewing resumes, conducting initial screenings, and supporting hiring manager evaluations

• Strong understanding of HR fundamentals, including onboarding, compliance, and employee documentation

• Familiarity with applicant tracking systems and HRIS platforms

• Strong organizational and time-management skills with attention to detail

• Ability to communicate professionally with candidates, employees, and leadership

• Comfort working with sensitive information and maintaining confidentiality

Your experience:

• 2–5+ years of experience in HR, People Operations, or a related role

• Experience supporting recruiting or talent acquisition efforts preferred

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field (or equivalent experience)

• Experience working in fast-paced, startup, or industrial environments preferred

• Strong judgment and comfort operating with evolving priorities

• Ability to balance administrative responsibilities with recruiting support

• Experience partnering with managers across technical and non-technical teams

• Proven experience building, leading, and mentoring multidisciplinary technical teams

• Effective cross-functional collaborator with experience engaging business leaders, partners, and external stakeholders

  
  PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

  Highly organized and dependable, with a proactive mindset and strong follow-through. Comfortable managing multiple priorities while maintaining attention to detail. Collaborative and approachable, with a strong sense of accountability and a service-oriented approach to supporting teams.

  LEVEL OF INDEPENDENCE

  Able to operate independently while owning day-to-day HR responsibilities and recruiting coordination, while escalating appropriately to the Director of Human Resources. Comfortable working with varying levels of guidance and partnering closely with leadership as needed.

  Location: Hertha Metals’ headquarters are in Conroe, TX, just outside of Houston. Hybrid or remote flexibility may be considered depending on experience.

  Hertha Culture:  

  Inspired by the work and character of the late Hertha Ayrton, we are pioneers, innovators, and risk-takers who are mission driven towards changing the world. We are: 

• Mission-Obsessed – We are deeply committed, driven, and passionate about achieving our mission of being the catalyst for decarbonizing metals production.  

• Anti-Bloat – We operate as a lean, efficient agile team to maximize impact.   

• Leave the “I” at home - We face challenges together, knowing that collaboration and unity are the keys to our success.   

• Safety First – Safety is our top priority in everything we do! NO EXCEPTIONS.  

• Aim High – We achieve what others consider impossible.   

  What we offer: 

• Competitive startup compensation package based on expertise. Compensation is increased based on achieved business development milestones. 

• Stock: ownership in a funded company that is innovating in a trillion-dollar industry 

• Paid + unpaid parental leave after 1 year at the company (12 weeks paid, with flexible working style to transition after parental leave such as part-time remote working) 

• Growth: our team is comprised of people with a growth mindset, and we want to help you achieve your future career goals accordingly 

• Time off: This is a fast-paced startup company working in one of the most exciting sectors and the last thing we want is our valuable team members to burn out.  

• 401k plan for employees that have been employed with us for at least a year.

  Hertha Metals is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We firmly prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind. In fact, we uniquely hold our shareholders and board members to higher standards than the majority of companies. All employment decisions at Hertha Metals are based on the expertise that the position calls for, without regard to race, religion, sex, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation or age.