Head of People Operations - POps

The world of work is rapidly evolving, driven by shifting business conditions, demanding employee expectations, and the transformative impact of automation and AI. In response to these changes, Collabora is seeking a forward-thinking and execution focused Head of People Operations.

In this critical role reporting to the COO, you will lead our people operations function across all regions and drive operational excellence in People Operations service delivery, employee lifecycle management, global compliance, automation, and employee experience. Partnering closely with the senior leadership team, you will build and automate scalable processes that enable a world-class people experience while supporting the company's growth and transformation goals.

The role can be based in our Cambridge/UK or Montreal/CA office, or remotely in any country with a substantial amount of working hours overlapping both European and Canadian time zones.

Primary Responsibilities

• People Operations responsibilities have expanded well beyond traditional compliance, hiring, payroll, benefits administration, performance and “handling people stuff”.

• Strategic Leadership & Execution:

• Define and lead the global people operations strategy in alignment with overall business and people goals

• Scale and optimize people operations to support a distributed workforce across multiple countries

• Champion a data-driven culture by overseeing HR analytics and workforce insights

• HR Systems & Tools:

• Own the global HRIS strategy, implementation, automation, and optimization

• Lead the integration of technology and automation to improve efficiency and employee experience

• Employee Lifecycle Processes & Management:

• Own end-to-end employee lifecycle processes including recruitment, onboarding, offboarding, mobility, promotions, transfers, and employee changes

• Ensure consistency and compliance across all people processes and touchpoints with other departments

• Compliance & Risk Management:

• Ensure compliance with global labour laws, data protection (e.g., GDPR), immigration policies, and local regulatory requirements

• Partner with Finance and Delivery on audits, internal controls, and cross-border employment complexities

• People Services & Experience:

• Build scalable knowledge management (e.g., employee handbooks, policy libraries).

• Compensation & Benefits:

• Deliver quality inputs to Payroll (multiple payrolls in different countries)

• Handle benefits administration through external brokers/parties (across different countries).

• Conduct salary benchmarking

• Team Management:

• Build, develop, and mentor a high-performing global people operations team

• Foster a culture of accountability, agility, openness to change, collaboration, rapid iteration and continuous improvement

Experience

• At least 10+ years’ experience of working in People Operations, including 5 years’ experience in a managerial (leadership) role within an international environment

• Experience leading People Operations in technology-driven organizations, with a strong understanding of the unique challenges and pace of the tech sector

• Experience leading teams through digital transformation and leveraging HR technology to optimize employee experience

• Track record of implementing digital tools and platforms to enhance employee experience and streamline operations

• Proven success leading people operations in a global and high-growth environment

Essential Capabilities

• Deep understanding of HR systems, processes, and service delivery models

• Knowledge of global employment law (UK, Canada, US and France), compliance frameworks, and data privacy

• Analytical mindset with the ability to derive insights from data to inform strategy

• Exceptional leadership, communication, and proven ability to partner with cross-functional teams—including engineering, product, and business leadership — to align people strategy with organizational objectives

• Ability to think in an agile manner and approach challenges with an end-to-end perspective

• Strong project management abilities

• Ability to analyze and review People Operations data to identify trends

Collabora is a software consultancy specializing in bringing companies and the Open Source community together. We combine years of Open Source software leadership with an understanding of the challenges that businesses, non-profits, and governments face.

Collabora brings deep technical expertise in system integration & architecture, graphics, multimedia, web engines and communications to a number of market verticals, including mobile, IVI / automotive, set top box / smart TV, and a range of other specialized embedded applications.

Collabora has the unique business model of enabling enterprises to leverage Open Source software in their solutions. Having worked with notable industry leading companies in the automotive, aerospace and handset mobile verticals amongst many others, Collabora has established a broad customer portfolio.

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