Director of People Ops

LeanDNA•Austin, TX

21d

About The Position

We’re looking for a Director of People Operations to lead and scale our people function as we grow. This role owns the full employee lifecycle and builds the systems, programs, and culture that allow a high-performing SaaS organization to thrive. You’ll be a strategic partner to leadership and a hands-on operator — designing scalable people practices while staying close to the business and employees. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in fast-paced environments, loves building from ambiguity, and believes People Ops should be data-informed, human-centered, and operationally excellent.

Requirements

8+ years of progressive HR / People Operations experience, including leadership roles.
Prior experience in a SaaS or tech company environment.
Proven track record of building scalable people programs from early or mid-stage growth.
Strong knowledge of employment law, HR best practices, and people systems.
Highly collaborative with excellent judgment, communication, and executive presence.
Comfortable operating at both strategic and tactical levels — no task too big or too small.
Experience supporting distributed or global teams.
Background partnering closely with Product, Engineering, or GTM organizations.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a People Operations strategy aligned with company goals, growth plans, and values.
Partner with executive leadership on workforce planning, org design, and change management.
Serve as a trusted advisor to leaders on performance, engagement, and team effectiveness.
Lead and mentor the small People Ops team.
Own and continuously improve the end-to-end employee experience: recruiting partnership, onboarding, development, performance, compensation, and offboarding.
Ensure managers are equipped to lead effectively through strong frameworks, training, and coaching.
Drive consistent, fair, and scalable performance management and career development processes.
Champion company culture and values, embedding them into policies, programs, and day-to-day practices.
Design and run engagement initiatives (surveys, action planning, retention strategies).
Cultivate an inclusive environment with measurable goals and practices that drive belonging.
Own HR operations, policies, and systems (HRIS, payroll, benefits, compliance).
Ensure compliance with employment laws and regulations across all operating locations.
Build scalable processes that support growth while minimizing risk and friction.
Manage relationships with vendors, brokers, and external partners.
Partner with Finance and leadership on compensation philosophy, leveling, and annual cycles (merit, bonus, equity).
Ensure competitive, equitable, and transparent compensation and benefits programs.
Use people data and analytics to inform decisions, identify trends, and measure impact.