Director, Global People Operations & Total Rewards

About Andela: At Andela, we know brilliance is evenly distributed around the world, but opportunity is not. For over 10 years, Andela has connected its customers with top global, remote technical talent from over 135 countries with the majority residing in emerging markets like Africa and Latin America. As one of the world’s largest talent marketplaces, Andela gives companies greater flexibility to quickly deploy qualified technologists. With talent highly skilled in advanced technologies to support Application Development, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud & DevOps, Data Engineering, and much more, customers experience 33% faster project delivery. The company’s exclusive AI-powered platform, Andela Talent Cloud , is the industry’s only unified platform managing the complete global talent lifecycle and enables customers to fill individual roles or engage fully managed teams up to 66% faster. Andela is on the precipice of two breakout industry transformations: one in staffing/hiring and the other in software development, both accelerated by generative AI. Are you exceptional and hungry to work in a scaling business through transformation and growth? Join us and change the world. Job Summary: As the Director, People Operations & Total Rewards, you will serve as the primary architect of our global internal HR infrastructure, transforming complex organizational needs into streamlined, automated, and scalable workflows. By bridging the gap between high-level strategy and operational rigor, you will own the evolution of our tech stack, integrating HiBob, Deel, Paylocity, and Carta, while safeguarding the business through SOC2 compliance, robust SOP frameworks, and the delivery of competitive global Total Rewards. Your mission is to eliminate operational friction and ensure data integrity, building a world-class People Ops engine that empowers a global workforce while maintaining the agility of a mid-size tech company on the precipice of growth. Reporting to the VP, People, you’ll run a tight ship and inspire a team of 3 People Operations specialists. Exceptional Leadership As an Andelan, you’ll serve as a role model for the rest of the company, you do not need to manage people to be a leader at Andela! Think about the feedback your peers typically give you – if it usually sounds like the below, we want to hear from you. Low ego, low drama : You share credit, take blame. You like being wrong because it means someone else had an even better idea. One team mentality : You break silos across teams. You put the company and mission first above your team alone. Great listener, hungry for feedback: You’re always seeking to improve – our product, our business, yourself. You solicit diverse opinions and deeply listen. Owner, not renter: You see a problem, you fix it or find someone who will. The buck stops with you. Team-player: You roll up your sleeves and get scrappy. You do this by proactively collaborating with your team while actively engaging in important details that matter. Business problem solver : You’re not just a functional expert; you consistently get praise for approaching your function through the lens of solving business problems. Key Responsibilities System Optimization & Automation Infrastructure Integration: Lead the end-to-end integration and optimization of our core People tech stack (HiBob, Deel, Paylocity, Carta), ensuring seamless data flow, minimal manual intervention, and a true single source of truth. HRIS Strategy & Data Governance: Own the People systems architecture, including data integrity, access governance, and scalable design to support global growth and reporting needs. Process Automation & AI Enablement: Identify and implement automation opportunities across People Operations, leveraging technology and AI to increase speed, accuracy, and team efficiency. SOP Development: Architect and maintain a comprehensive People Ops SOP library, documenting and standardizing workflows to drive consistency and operational excellence across regions. Process Refinement: Continuously audit and improve global people processes, applying lean methodologies to reduce friction, increase responsiveness, and enhance the employee experience. Compliance & Governance Global Compliance Management: Ensure adherence to US and international labor laws, including employment practices, leave administration, immigration, and contractor compliance. Audit Leadership: Serve as the primary People Ops lead for SOC2 and other audits, ensuring all people-related controls are documented, tested, and maintained. Policy Development & Governance: Develop, maintain, and evolve global People policies that are clear, compliant, and aligned with company values and operating principles. EOR & Global Employment Oversight: Oversee Employer of Record (EOR) relationships and global employment structures, ensuring compliant and scalable international hiring practices. Total Rewards & People Programs Compensation & Bonus Programs: Lead the design and execution of compensation programs, including annual compensation reviews, new hire offers, and the Leadership Bonus program—ensuring fairness, competitiveness, and alignment with company performance. Equity Strategy: Partner with Finance and Leadership to develop and operationalize a sustainable equity strategy that supports retention and long-term value creation. Global Benefits Strategy: Design and manage a global benefits framework, continuously evaluating market trends to ensure competitive and locally relevant offerings. Operations, Analytics & Execution People Operations Delivery: Operationalize end-to-end people processes across the employee lifecycle (hire to exit), ensuring a seamless, compliant, and high-quality employee experience globally. Workforce Analytics & Reporting: Build and maintain dashboards, reporting, and analytics to inform decision-making, headcount planning, and strategic workforce insights. Cross-Functional Partnership: Partner closely with People Business Partners, Recruiting, IT, Finance, and Legal to translate strategy into scalable, operational execution. Change Management & Communications: Lead change management efforts for new systems, policies, and programs, ensuring clear communication, strong adoption, and minimal disruption. Project Leadership: Drive high-impact, cross-functional projects and initiatives that support company growth and evolving organizational needs. Team Leadership & Capability Building Team Leadership: Build, lead, and develop a high-performing People Operations team, fostering a culture of ownership, speed, and continuous improvement. Operational Excellence Mindset: Establish clear standards for execution, accountability, and service delivery across the People Operations function. Qualifications: Experience: 10+ years of progressive HR/People Operations experience, with at least 3 years in a team leadership role ideally within a high-growth tech environment. Technical Mastery: Proven track record of implementing and integrating HRIS, Payroll, and Operational Rigor: Deep experience with process refinement, SOC2 compliance and building internal SOP libraries from scratch. Analytical Mindset: Strong competency in compensation modeling, equity mechanics, and data-driven decision-making. Global Perspective: Experience managing People Operations across multiple international entities and understanding the nuances of global benefits and labor compliance. Education: Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, or a related field; SHRM-SCP or SPHR certification is a plus. #LI-REMOTE #LI-RDR