Global Head of HR Operations

Spire • Columbia, WA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Spire Global is seeking a Global Head of HR Operations to lead the operational infrastructure, systems, governance, and service delivery model of our global HR organization. Reporting directly to the Global Head of HR, this role will serve as a critical leader responsible for building and scaling the operational backbone of the People function across a complex, multi-country environment. This is both a strategic and hands-on leadership role requiring strong operational rigor, systems expertise, process transformation capability, and executive partnership skills. The ideal candidate is someone who thrives in fast-paced, evolving environments and can effectively balance scalability, employee experience, governance, and business execution. The Global Head of HR Operations will partner closely across HR, Finance, Legal, IT, Security, Payroll, and executive leadership to ensure operational excellence across the employee lifecycle while driving modernization of systems, workflows, controls, analytics, and global HR programs. This role will play a foundational part in helping evolve HR from a reactive support function into a proactive, business-aligned organization supported by scalable infrastructure, strong governance, and data-driven decision-making.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive HR Operations, HRIS, or People Operations leadership experience within complex, high-growth organizations.
• Experience operating within a global and/or public company environment.
• Deep expertise in HR systems, process optimization, operational governance, and scalable HR infrastructure.
• Experience leading HRIS implementations, integrations, and systems transformation initiatives.
• Strong understanding of global HR operations, compliance requirements, and employee lifecycle management.
• Proven ability to partner effectively across HR, Finance, Legal, IT, and executive leadership teams.
• Strong analytical mindset with experience leveraging workforce data and operational metrics to drive decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on execution in fast-paced environments.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Rippling or comparable modern HRIS platforms.
• Experience supporting SOX-controlled or audit-heavy operational environments.
• Experience building or transforming HR Operations functions, at scale.
• Experience supporting compensation cycles, workforce planning, and performance management operations.
• Strong change management and organizational transformation experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead and scale global HR Operations across all employee lifecycle processes including onboarding, offboarding, employee changes, documentation management, compliance administration, and workforce data governance.
• Build and operationalize scalable HR service delivery models, workflows, SLAs, escalation paths, and operational standards globally.
• Drive operational excellence and continuous process improvement across the HR organization.
• Establish clear ownership models and operational governance frameworks across HR processes and systems.
• Partner closely with HRBPs, Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, Payroll, and Finance to ensure seamless operational execution and employee experience.
• Own global HR systems strategy, administration, optimization, and governance, including HRIS, workflows, integrations, reporting, permissions, and employee data management.
• Lead continued evolution and optimization of Rippling and broader HR technology ecosystem integrations.
• Partner with IT, Security, and Finance to ensure HR systems maintain strong controls, audit readiness, data integrity, and scalable architecture.
• Drive process automation and systems enhancements that improve operational efficiency and employee experience.
• Manage HR technology vendors and support long-term HR systems roadmap planning.
• Build and maintain strong operational governance frameworks that support a global public company environment.
• Partner closely with Legal and HR leadership to operationalize compliant employee relations processes, documentation standards, investigation workflows, and policy governance.
• Ensure operational readiness for audits, controls testing, and regulatory compliance requirements across jurisdictions.
• Maintain oversight of HR policies, records retention practices, compliance tracking, and employee documentation processes globally.
• Proactively identify operational and compliance risks and implement scalable mitigation strategies.
• Build and scale HR reporting and workforce analytics capabilities that provide actionable insights to leadership.
• Develop operational dashboards, metrics, and reporting frameworks that support executive decision-making and workforce planning.
• Leverage data to identify organizational trends, operational gaps, employee experience opportunities, and talent risks.
• Partner with Finance and executive leadership on headcount governance, workforce planning support, organizational analytics, and operational forecasting.
• Lead operational execution of key HR programs including performance management cycles, compensation processes, organizational changes, and employee communications operations.
• Support implementation and operationalization of leadership development, engagement, recognition, and career framework initiatives.
• Ensure employee and manager experiences are supported through scalable processes, documentation, automation, and self-service resources.
• Drive operational consistency and process clarity across a globally distributed workforce.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing HR Operations and HRIS team.
• Serve as a trusted operational partner to HR leadership and executive stakeholders.
• Partner cross-functionally with Finance, Legal, IT, Security, and business leadership to drive alignment and execution across organizational priorities.
• Foster a culture of accountability, operational rigor, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Benefits

• Access to US export-controlled software and/or technology may be for this role. If needed, Spire will arrange the necessary licenses—this is not something candidates need to have before applying.

What This Job Offers

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