Director of People Operations

ALSO • Palo Alto, CA

21h • Hybrid

About The Position

ALSO is an electric mobility company originally conceived as a part of Rivian. We’re a passionate team of builders, dreamers, doers and innovators, focused on creating entirely new (not to mention, innovative and delightful) vertically integrated, small EVs designed to meet the global mobility challenges of today and tomorrow. Our mission is to inspire everyone to ride ALSO—replacing many local car, truck and SUV miles with ones on vehicles that are more affordable, more enjoyable and 10-50x more efficient.

We’re bringing on a Director of People Operations to be the operational engine of our People function, driving the full spectrum of people programs. Total rewards is your core strength and the capability that complements our existing People team, but this role goes well beyond comp and benefits. You’ll build and scale the processes, infrastructure, and programs that support a fast-moving, global business, and you’ll do it with direct access to business leaders. This is a lean, high-trust role: you’ll report to our VP of People, lead a small team, and operate with the autonomy that comes from being close to the decisions that matter. If you’re energized by building the machine, not just running it, this is your kind of role.

Requirements

• 8–12 years of progressive People or People Ops experience, with at least 5–7 years focused specifically on compensation, benefits, or total rewards
• Experience leading people and programs in a high-growth or startup environment — you know what it means to build, not just maintain
• Deep knowledge of compensation design, equity programs (ISOs, RSUs), and benefits administration in a multi-state and/or international context
• Comfort operating across multiple geographies and navigating the compliance complexity that comes with global teams
• Strong analytical skills — you can build a comp model and you know how to use data to tell a story that lands with leadership
• High emotional intelligence and discretion; people trust you with sensitive information at every level of the org
• A builder's mindset: you're energized by creating structure where there isn't any, and you don't need a large team to do great work

Nice To Haves

• Experience in hardware, EV, or consumer product companies
• Familiarity with pre-IPO equity compensation and the complexity that comes with it
• Experience supporting global market entry and the people infrastructure it requires
• CCP, SHRM-SCP, or CEBS certification

Responsibilities

• Evolve and steward ALSO's compensation philosophy — job architecture, salary bands, leveling frameworks, and equity programs that work across our US and global teams
• Lead compensation cycles on a regular cadence: merit, bonus, and additional equity grants, in close partnership with Finance and the VP of People
• Own benefits strategy end-to-end — plan design, broker and vendor relationships, open enrollment, and ongoing benchmarking to ensure we remain competitive as we grow into new markets
• Partner with the People Partner and Talent Acquisition on compensation for new hires and promotions, maintaining consistency and fairness at every level
• Partner with our People Ops Manager to evolve our HRIS and broader People tech stack, building on the deep investment of these systems and experience on the team — data integrity, system integrations, and self-service tooling that makes life easier for employees and managers alike
• Build and maintain scalable People Ops processes across the full employee lifecycle: onboarding, offboarding, leave administration, performance cycles, and internal mobility
• Ensure compliance across federal, state, local, and international employment law requirements — with a particular focus on our growing global footprint
• Keep our people infrastructure lean and smart; we're not building for headcount, we're building for impact
• Partner with the People Partner to develop and run employee engagement programs, recognition initiatives, and feedback loops that reflect ALSO's culture and values
• Use people data and surveys to surface insights that help leadership make better decisions about our team
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the VP of People and senior leadership on compensation, org design, and people operations
• Translate complexity into clarity — whether that's communicating a new comp framework to the team or presenting a benefits recommendation to the exec team
• Lead and develop a small, high-impact team: setting clear priorities, modeling operational excellence, and creating an environment where people do their best work
• Be a player-coach: you set direction and you also do the work, and you're proud of both

Benefits

• Robust health coverage. Excellent health, dental and vision insurance covered up to 100% by ALSO with FSA & HSA options.
• One Medical membership and dedicated insurance advocates.
• Rich fertility and family building benefits with Progyny.
• Flexible time off.
• 401(k) match.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed