Director, People Operations and Total Rewards

LeanData•Santa Clara, CA

6d•$145,000 - $175,000•Hybrid

About The Position

LeanData helps the world’s fastest-growing companies automate, simplify, and accelerate revenue. As our business evolves, we’re building the People infrastructure to support what comes next. We’re looking for a Director of People Operations and Total Rewards who can strengthen our foundation, simplify how work gets done, and build programs that help us attract, retain, and support exceptional talent in our championship culture. You’ll own People Operations, compensation, and benefits, partnering closely with Finance, IT, and our People Business Partner. You’ll join a small, collaborative People team with the opportunity to shape the function, influence business decisions, and see the impact of your work directly. We share responsibility for the team’s success, support one another through competing priorities, and step in where we can make a difference. Some of our systems and processes were built for an earlier stage. Your opportunity is to determine what to keep, what to improve, and what to reimagine, creating capacity through better systems, clear ownership, and thoughtful automation.

Requirements

7+ years of progressive experience across People Operations, total rewards, or related HR disciplines, with accountability for a broad portfolio.
A track record of building or improving People infrastructure in a lean, changing environment.
Direct ownership of compensation programs, including benchmarking, salary structures, compensation cycles, and advising leaders on decisions.
Experience owning benefits renewals, broker relationships, program costs, and enrollment.
Strong HR systems and payroll process knowledge, including integrations, reporting, data quality, and controls.
Practical experience managing employment compliance and sensitive operational issues.
Financial and analytical confidence, including building cost models, evaluating market data, and making clear recommendations.
Evidence of delivering measurable process improvements through technology, automation, or simpler ways of working.
Strong communication, prioritization, and cross-functional leadership skills, with the willingness to stay hands-on.

Nice To Haves

B2B SaaS or technology company experience.
Experience supporting a primarily California-based workforce, with smaller teams in other locations, and coordinating immigration matters with external counsel.
Experience with BambooHR, ADP Workforce Now, Lattice, Pave, Radford, or comparable platforms.
Relevant HR, compensation, or benefits certifications.

Responsibilities

Set and execute the People Operations roadmap, prioritizing improvements based on business needs, employee experience, risk, and available resources.
Own reliable operations across onboarding, offboarding, employee records, leaves, accommodations, policies, and employee changes.
Partner with Finance on payroll, establishing clear responsibilities, accurate inputs, reconciliations, and timely resolution of issues.
Improve our HR technology stack, integrations, workflows, documentation, and data quality. Use AI and automation to reduce manual work while protecting sensitive information and validating results.
Establish service standards, controls, and escalation paths, and personally resolve complex operational issues.
Partner with the People Business Partner on performance-cycle operations, organizational changes, and program rollouts, with clear ownership and coordinated employee communication. Build a close working partnership that connects operational improvements with what employees, managers, and the business need.
Coordinate immigration matters with external counsel and internal stakeholders, ensuring dependable tracking, communication, and follow-through.
Develop and evolve our compensation and benefits strategy with the Head of People and Culture, People Business Partner, and Finance, balancing competitiveness, internal equity, affordability, and business priorities.
Lead market benchmarking, job architecture, leveling, salary ranges, pay equity analysis, and compensation review cycles.
Advise leaders on offers, promotions, incentives, and retention decisions, using market data and clear decision frameworks.
Partner with Finance and Legal on equity program administration, approvals, and employee communications.
Translate complex analysis into clear recommendations and help managers communicate compensation decisions with confidence.
Own benefits strategy and delivery, including renewals, plan evaluation, cost modeling, open enrollment, and employee communications.
Manage brokers, carriers, and vendors, holding partners accountable for service, accuracy, and value.
Use employee feedback, utilization, and market insights to recommend improvements that balance employee needs with cost.
Make benefits and leave programs understandable and accessible to employees.
Maintain compliant People practices across applicable employment requirements, with strong working knowledge of California and federal requirements and sound judgment about when to involve counsel.
Own operational audit readiness, records management, access controls, and documentation; identify and address risks proactively.
Partner with Finance, IT, Legal, and business leaders on workforce data, budgeting, systems, and operational priorities.
Build useful reporting on workforce trends, compensation, benefits costs, and operational performance.
Measure whether improvements reduce errors, save time, strengthen controls, and improve the employee experience.