Director, People Operations & Total Rewards

The Vita Coco Company • New York, NY

7d • $170,000 - $190,000

About The Position

Vita Coco is seeking a strategic and operational leader to build and scale people operations across compensation, benefits, payroll, HRIS, compliance, and people data. The role ensures the company’s people infrastructure is accurate, compliant, scalable, and employee-centered as Vita Coco grows as a global public company.

The Director partners closely with Finance, Legal, IT, and the Global People Team to design and execute benefits and payroll strategies, strengthen internal controls, and provide reliable people data for business decisions. The position manages the People Operations Manager and People Coordinator and reports to the Global VP of People. The company would prefer the role to be based in person in New York City, but is open to exploring remote work for a strong match.

The compensation range is $170,000–$190,000 USD. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may also be provided, along with medical, financial, and/or other benefits, depending on the level and position offered.

Requirements

• At least 8 years of progressive experience in People Operations, HR Operations, or Total Rewards.
• At least 5 years leading compensation, payroll, and benefits programs.
• Deep experience with payroll and compensation strategy in a public company.
• Strong working knowledge of UKG HRIS.
• Experience supporting multi-country or global workforces.
• Strong knowledge of employment law and compliance frameworks.
• Proven people leadership experience.

Nice To Haves

• UKG implementation or optimization experience.
• Experience applying AI in HR to streamline workflows and improve the employee experience, including HR process optimization and automation skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead U.S. market benchmarking and pay analysis using external surveys and internal data to support competitive and equitable compensation programs.
• Design and oversee U.S. compensation processes, including annual merit cycles, bonus planning, promotions, off-cycle adjustments, and pay equity reviews.
• Help shape and evolve the company’s compensation philosophy, frameworks, and governance.
• Own benefits strategy and vendor management, including renewals, plan design, and employee experience enhancements.
• Ensure compensation and benefits programs are compliant, scalable, and aligned with public-company standards.
• Ensure accurate, timely, and compliant payroll processing.
• Serve as system owner for the global UKG HRIS, overseeing configuration, data integrity, and optimization.
• Lead UKG enhancements, integrations, testing, and process automation.
• Maintain SOX-aligned controls for payroll, equity, compensation, and people data.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, local, and international employment laws and regulations.
• Partner with Legal on audits, filings, and regulatory reporting, including proxy statements, equity disclosures, and wage-and-hour matters.
• Monitor regulatory changes and proactively update policies and practices.
• Establish people-data governance, documentation, and quality standards.
• Build dashboards and reporting for headcount, turnover, compensation, payroll, and benefits.
• Provide actionable insights to People and business leaders.
• Build scalable processes, documentation, and standard operating procedures.
• Lead cross-functional projects with Finance, Legal, IT, and the Global People Team.
• Manage payroll, benefits, and HR systems vendors and contracts.
• Mentor and develop team members and foster a high-performance operations culture.

Benefits

• A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package.
• Medical, financial, and/or other benefits may be provided, depending on the level and position offered.

What This Job Offers

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