HR Manager, China

Company Overview

At Veo, our mission is to end car dependency by making clean transportation accessible to all. A leading shared micromobility provider in North America, Veo provides millions of bike and scooter rides annually in over 60 cities and universities from Los Angeles to New York City.

Veo offers the most diverse and accessible vehicle fleet in the country built to expand who can ride and what trips are possible. We design and manufacture our vehicles, hardware, and software systems in-house and operate our local markets directly to ensure safe and reliable service. As the first profitable micromobility company in North America, Veo is built for long-term growth and partnership with cities.

Veo has been recognized as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies and a Top GreenTech Company by TIME. As we continue to scale, we are looking for exceptionally talented individuals who are excited to help shape the next era of micromobility.

Return-to-China Opportunity – Shenzhen-Based HR Leadership Role (US Applicants Welcome - but role will be located in Shenzhen)

Location: Shenzhen, China (Guangming District)

Department: People & HR

Reports to: Head of People (US Based)

About Veo

Veo is on a mission to end car dependency by making clean transportation accessible to all. We are a vertically integrated technology and mobility company that designs and operates fleets of shared electric vehicles—including e-scooters and e-bikes—across 50+ cities in North America, controlling the full stack from hardware to software to operations.

Our Shenzhen R&D center is the engineering heart of Veo's product development, housing software, hardware, and embedded systems teams working closely with our Santa Monica headquarters. As we continue to scale, we are looking for our first dedicated HR partner in China to help build a strong, cohesive team culture and operational foundation.

Position Overview

We are seeking a people-first HR Manager to serve as the foundational HR partner for Veo's China R&D team of ~25–30 engineers. This is a high-impact generalist role responsible for building team culture, establishing HR policies and practices, and serving as the key people conduit between our Shenzhen operations and global HQ.

Think of this role as a "political commissar" in the best sense—someone who understands both the startup agility of Veo and the operational realities of working within a manufacturing-adjacent environment. You will be the team's culture builder, policy architect, and people advocate.

Key Responsibilities

Culture & Employee Engagement

• Organize and lead team-building activities and cultural initiatives to foster a cohesive, motivated engineering team.

• Serve as the key communications bridge between team members and leadership—understanding team sentiment and ensuring issues are surfaced and addressed proactively.

• Help the Veo China team adapt to and thrive within a shared campus environment with the parent company (XiDeSheng), navigating cultural and operational differences constructively.

HR Policy & Operations

• Establish and continuously improve HR policies tailored to an internet/tech team operating within a manufacturing campus environment (attendance, dress code, performance review cycles, etc.).

• Develop and manage onboarding programs, employee handbook, and internal HR documentation.

• Handle day-to-day HR administrative operations including attendance management, employee records, and coordination of benefits administered through the parent company's payroll system.

Talent Acquisition

• Lead with recruiting efforts across software, hardware, and embedded systems teams, coordinating with executive search partners and managing internal referral processes.

• Guide workforce planning activities including onboarding, transfers, and offboarding with appropriate rigor and sensitivity.

• Collaborate with the US HR team on cross-border talent initiatives and alignment of global people practices.

Cross-Company Coordination

• Serve as the liaison between Veo and XiDeSheng on shared campus protocols, administrative coordination, and employee relations.

• Work closely with the China team lead (Kennis) and maintain communication with the US People team to ensure alignment on company values, compensation principles, and people programs.

Qualifications

• 5–8 years of HR generalist experience, ideally with exposure to both large corporations (500+ employees) and startup or tech company environments.

• Prior experience supporting engineering or R&D teams strongly preferred—you understand how engineers think and communicate.

• Background at a reputable large that gives you a solid grounding in structured HR processes, combined with the flexibility to adapt to a fast-moving startup context.

• Proven ability to navigate and reconcile different organizational cultures—you can appreciate structured corporate environments while championing a more agile, internet-company mindset.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; a natural relationship builder who earns trust across all levels of the organization.

• Hands-on and resourceful; comfortable being the sole HR presence on the ground and capable of prioritizing across diverse responsibilities.

• Familiarity with Shenzhen-area labor laws and HR compliance requirements.

• English proficiency in reading and writing is required — the role reports to a US-based manager and requires regular written communication with the Santa Monica team. Spoken English fluency is required.

• Willingness to be based on-site in the Guangming District, Shenzhen (housing support available).

Why Veo

• High impact and ownership: You will be the first HR hire in China, with broad scope to shape how Veo builds and sustains its engineering culture.

• International exposure: Work closely with a US-based company and team, with access to overseas counterparts and global best practices.

• Stability backed by scale: Veo operates profitably and is backed by a major global manufacturing partner, offering both startup dynamism and institutional support.

• Work-life balance: No mandatory weekend overtime; a more balanced working culture compared to pure domestic internet companies.

• Housing support available for candidates relocating to the Guangming area.