Head of HR

Tideworks Technology•Seattle, WA

5d•$150,000 - $180,000

About The Position

Tideworks is a standalone SaaS business recently carved out of Carrix. The Head of HR will be its first and initially only HR hire, responsible for building and operating the entire people function while the company works through a Transition Services Agreement (TSA) with its former parent. This is a hands-on individual-contributor role combining HR strategy with direct execution, including payroll, benefits, recruiting, and employee support. The role requires building the company’s HR infrastructure from the ground up and leading its transition to standalone operations ahead of the TSA deadline. The Head of HR will establish HR systems, policies, and programs for an approximately 120-FTE, multi-country workforce. They will oversee payroll and benefits across the United States, Mexico, and Panama; manage external PEO, EOR, payroll, and benefits partners; ensure compliance; and coordinate with the CFO, operating partners, the TMO, legal, finance, and company leadership. The role will also support future acquisitions, advise on people strategy, and assess when additional HR headcount is needed.

Requirements

Experience running HR for an internationally distributed workforce, including working with Employer of Record or PEO providers.
Basic familiarity with Latin American labor laws.
Hands-on experience implementing an HRIS from the ground up.
Proven full-cycle recruiting experience, including directly sourcing, interviewing, and closing candidates rather than solely overseeing a recruiting team.
Demonstrated ability to operate as a senior individual contributor and personally handle payroll administration, benefits enrollment, and recruiting.
Comfort with a private-equity ownership structure, board and operating-partner reporting, and the pace and ambiguity of portfolio-company environments.
Sound judgment under ambiguity and the versatility to handle both strategic decisions and administrative execution.

Nice To Haves

Spanish fluency is strongly preferred.
Experience building or materially rebuilding HR functions or infrastructure in a carve-out, spin-off, newly independent business, startup, or similarly complex transformation environment.
Experience managing a TSA exit, payroll or benefits migration, entity transition, HR systems separation, or similar HR infrastructure transition.
Prior experience leading HR diligence and post-close acquisition integration, including harmonizing payroll, benefits, systems, and culture.
Experience with HiBob.
Experience with international employment practices beyond Latin America.
Experience in SaaS or software, marine port, maritime, logistics, or broader transportation infrastructure businesses.

Responsibilities

Build standalone HR infrastructure, including HRIS, time and attendance, leave administration, and core policies and employee handbook.
Lead the HR workstream of the TSA exit, coordinating with operating partners, the CFO, and the TMO to transition payroll, benefits, and systems away from the former parent ahead of the 12-month deadline; plan contingencies for potential delays.
Implement HiBob HRIS and select and establish payroll and benefits vendors and brokers for an approximately 120-FTE, multi-country employer.
Lead end-to-end payroll and benefits operations across the United States, Mexico, and Panama, including processing, reconciliation, benefits administration, employee changes, and coordination with Finance.
Manage PEO, EOR, payroll, and benefits partners during the transition, and plan and execute the eventual move to standalone payroll and benefits administration.
Maintain compliant employment practices across the United States, primarily Washington and Florida, Mexico, and Panama, covering local labor laws, statutory benefits, contractor arrangements, and termination requirements; partner with legal and finance on structural decisions as needed.
Serve as the primary contact for EOR and PEO partners and ensure smooth employee experiences and handoffs as company infrastructure is established.
Lead HR integration for future tuck-in acquisitions, including aligning payroll, benefits, HRIS, and policies; mapping compliance requirements in new countries; and communicating with employees through transitions.
Securely migrate and validate employee records, compensation and history data, payroll data, benefits elections, leave balances, personnel files, and other required HR records from the parent company.
Establish compensation governance, market benchmarking practices, and job and leveling principles suited to the company's size and growth stage.
Implement onboarding, performance management, and career development practices for a lean, standalone SaaS organization.
Handle employee relations, workplace investigations, leave administration such as FMLA and equivalents, workers’ compensation, and required labor-law postings and notices across locations.
Manage internal HR communications, maintain the employee handbook, and develop culture-building initiatives for the newly independent company.
Advise the CEO and leadership team on organizational design, workforce planning, and people strategy.
Run full-cycle recruiting for open roles across the United States, Mexico, and Panama, including job descriptions, sourcing, screening, interview coordination, offers, and onboarding.
Establish hiring infrastructure such as a careers page, applicant tracking, and offer templates, and manage external recruiting agency relationships as needed.
Assess evolving people-function needs and recommend the structure, timing, and sequence of additional HR hiring, including a business case and operating model for leadership approval.