People Operations Lead

Job description

ABOUT WATERSHED Watershed https://watershed.com/ is the enterprise sustainability platform. Companies like Airbnb, Carlyle Group, FedEx, Visa, and Dr. Martens use Watershed to manage climate and ESG data, produce audit-ready metrics for voluntary and regulatory reporting including CSRD, and drive real decarbonization. We are looking for team members who love product-building, want to work hard at a mission-oriented startup, and will collaborate with us in shaping the culture of a growing team. We have offices in San Francisco, New York, Denver, London, Paris, Berlin, Sydney, Mexico City, and remote team members across the US and Europe. We hope that you'll be interested in joining us! THE ROLE We’re looking for a senior People Operations leader to build the operating model, systems foundation, and global infrastructure that will let Watershed scale with both intensity and care. You’ll set direction for how People Ops runs end-to-end—combining strong judgment, high standards for compliance and data integrity, and a pragmatic approach to automation and tooling. This role is Mexico City–based, serving global operations, with a scope expected to be approximately 60–70% US operations and 30–40% global (Mexico, UK/Europe, Australia). WHAT YOU’LL DO (IMPACT) - Own the People Ops operating model: define how work flows across People Ops, People Partners, Recruiting, Finance, and Legal; clarify decision rights, SLAs, and the “system of record” for people information. - Build scalable infrastructure: evolve HR systems and data foundations so they are accurate, auditable, and usable for leadership and the business. - Scale employee support: design a durable approach to employee inquiries and knowledge management that increases self-serve resolution while maintaining high-quality experience. - Raise the bar on global compliance + risk management: partner with Legal/Finance/Security as needed to ensure the right controls, policies, and audit readiness as we grow into new geographies. - Lead vendor + partner strategy: decide what to outsource vs. build in-house and ensure partners (e.g., EOR, benefits, compliance support) are effective and accountable. - Drive continuous improvement: set metrics, prioritize the highest-leverage problems, and lead cross-functional initiatives that make People Ops simpler, faster, and more reliable. WHAT YOU’LL DO (FOCUS AREAS) - Systems + data: own HRIS operations, data integrity, workflows, reporting, and change management so leaders can trust and use people data. - Employee lifecycle operations: ensure onboarding and offboarding run smoothly and consistently across geographies, including right-to-work checks where applicable. - Payroll + benefits operations: partner with Finance and benefits stakeholders to run reliable payroll operations and benefits administration (US benefits experience is required, including Open Enrollment). - Policies + compliance: partner with Legal/People Partners to maintain global policies and support audit readiness across geographies. - Mobility + immigration operations: manage the operational workflows and partnerships that support visas, relocations, and work authorizations. - Employee support + knowledge base: run the inbound support model and maintain a self-serve knowledge base to improve resolution time and reduce repeat questions. - Vendor management: manage key partners and renewals (e.g., EOR, benefits, compliance support) and continuously evaluate vendor vs. in-house ownership. REQUIREMENTS - 10+ years of experience in People Operations / HR operations in a scaling organization. - Experience leading teams and/or being a hands-on player-coach in a small, high-output People function. - Deep HRIS experience (Rippling preferred but not required) including system configuration, data governance, workflows, and reporting. - Prior ownership/oversight of benefits and payroll operations in the US (UK and Mexico a huge plus). - Experience with vendor management in the context of international expansion (e.g., EOR, HR administration, benefits, compliance partners). - Comfort learning and applying employment-law/compliance requirements across geographies (US required; UK/EU exposure a plus; Mexico familiarity a plus). Must be willing to work from an office 4 days per week (except for remote roles) Watershed has hub offices in San Francisco, New York, London, and Mexico City and satellite offices in Denver, Sydney, Paris, and Berlin. Where we have offices, employees are expected to be in office for 4 days per week. Certain jobs are open to being remote and will be specifically noted on the jobs page and in the job description if so. What’s the interview process like? It starts the same for every candidate: getting to know the team members through 1 to 2 conversations about Watershed, your experience, and your interests. Next steps can vary by role, but usual next steps are a skill or experience interview (e.g. a coding interview for an engineer, a portfolio review for a designer, deeper experience call for other roles) which leads to a virtual or in person interview panel. We prioritize transparency and lack of surprise throughout the process. What if I need accommodations for my interview? At Watershed, we are dedicated to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process. We provide reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities, long-term conditions, mental health needs, religious observances, neurodivergence, or pregnancy-related support requirements. If you need assistance during your process, please contact your recruiter.