Director - People Operations

Director, People Operations Partners

Our mission is to scale intelligence to serve humanity. We're training and deploying frontier models for developers and enterprises who are building AI systems to power magical experiences like content generation, semantic search, RAG, and agents. We believe that our work is instrumental to the widespread adoption of AI.

Cohere is a team of researchers, engineers, designers, and more, who are passionate about their craft. Each person is one of the best in the world at what they do. We believe that a diverse range of perspectives is a requirement for building great products.

Join us on our mission and shape the future!

Generative AI represents a turning point for businesses in every industry. Cohere is at the centre of enterprise transformation and is laser-focused on serving the enterprise sector, and its developers and partners.

The People Operations organisation is pivotal to the growth and success of Cohere. As the Director, People Operations Partners (or POPs), reporting to our VP of People Operations, you will be a strategic business partner to senior leadership, providing thought leadership, and an expert on processes and systems to support HR priorities.

You will lead a growing team of People Ops Partners in shaping our organisational culture, fostering employee engagement, and driving talent development initiatives. This role calls for a seasoned HR professional with a passion for building high-performance teams in a dynamic and evolving startup environment, preferably with experience in scale-up tech companies of 250+ employees.

As our Director, POPs, you will:

• Act as a strategic thought partner to senior leadership on areas such as organisational design and team structure.
• Lead and mentor a team of People Ops Partners, providing expertise on HR processes and systems.
• Develop and execute HR strategies aligned with Cohere's business objectives.
• Provide strategic guidance to leadership on workforce planning and talent development.
• Implement initiatives to enhance employee morale, satisfaction, and retention.
• Foster a positive and inclusive workplace culture that aligns with Cohere's values.
• Oversee performance management processes, providing guidance to managers on goal setting, performance evaluations, and professional development.
• Collaborate with teams to identify training needs and design programs to enhance employee skills.
• Implement career development plans to support employee growth and retention.
• Drive continuous improvement in HR processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

You may be a good fit for this career opportunity if you have:

• 5+ years of management experience, preferably in a scale-up tech environment with 250+ employees.
• Proven experience as an HR leader in a startup or high-growth environment.
• Strong knowledge of HR best practices, employment laws, and industry trends.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Location flexibility - Whilst many of the People Ops team are Toronto based, this role can be based in any of our offices: San Francisco, New York, Toronto or London.

If some of the above doesn't line up perfectly with your experience, we still encourage you to apply! If you want to work really hard on a glorious mission with teammates that want the same thing, Cohere is the place for you.

We value and celebrate diversity and strive to create an inclusive work environment for all. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to providing equal opportunities.

Full-time employees at Cohere enjoy these perks:

An open and inclusive culture and work environment

Work closely with a team on the cutting edge of AI research

Weekly lunch stipend, in-office lunches & snacks

Full health and dental benefits, including a separate budget to take care of your mental health

100% Parental Leave top-up for 6 months for employees based in Canada, the US, and the UK

Personal enrichment benefits towards arts and culture, fitness and well-being, quality time, and workspace improvement

Remote-flexible, offices in Toronto, New York, San Francisco and London and co-working stipend

6 weeks of vacation