Director, People Operations and Total Rewards

The posting, as LeanData wrote it

Santa Clara, CA | Reports to the Head of People and Culture

LeanData helps the world’s fastest-growing companies automate, simplify, and accelerate revenue.

As our business evolves, we’re building the People infrastructure to support what comes next. We’re looking for a Director of People Operations and Total Rewards who can strengthen our foundation, simplify how work gets done, and build programs that help us attract, retain, and support exceptional talent in our championship culture.

You’ll own People Operations, compensation, and benefits, partnering closely with Finance, IT, and our People Business Partner. You’ll join a small, collaborative People team with the opportunity to shape the function, influence business decisions, and see the impact of your work directly. We share responsibility for the team’s success, support one another through competing priorities, and step in where we can make a difference.

Some of our systems and processes were built for an earlier stage. Your opportunity is to determine what to keep, what to improve, and what to reimagine, creating capacity through better systems, clear ownership, and thoughtful automation.

This is a hybrid role, with 3 days onsite (M/W/Th) in our Santa Clara office.

WHO WILL THRIVE HERE

You’re a builder who enjoys turning complexity into something practical and easy to use. You can set a direction, make a recommendation, and get into the details to deliver it. You take pride in both the quality of your decisions and the reliability of everyday operations.

You understand that People Operations is part of how the business performs. You bring financial discipline and employee empathy to decisions, explain trade-offs clearly, and build trust through sound judgment and follow-through.

You’re curious about what’s possible with AI and automation, and are thoughtful about where human judgment matters. You challenge processes that no longer serve their purpose, learn quickly, and move improvements forward without waiting for perfect conditions.

You’re a strong teammate who listens before making changes, respects the expertise others bring, and builds solutions with the people who will use them. You share information openly, welcome feedback, and work through disagreements directly and respectfully. You’re comfortable leading an initiative, supporting someone else’s, and rolling up your sleeves when the team needs help.

Our values should feel familiar in how you work

• Champion Customers: Understand the needs of the employees and leaders you support and make their experience better.
• Wonder Why: Ask questions, investigate root causes, and stay open to a better approach.
• Own It: Take accountability from identifying a problem through delivering a lasting solution.
• Build Bold: Test new approaches and turn ideas into measurable improvements.
• One Team: Work with low ego, share context, and build solutions across functions. Follow through on commitments, address challenges

[…]
ensation, benefits costs, and operational performance.

• Measure whether improvements reduce errors, save time, strengthen controls, and improve the employee experience.

WHAT YOU BRING

• 7+ years of progressive experience across People Operations, total rewards, or related HR disciplines, with accountability for a broad portfolio.
• A track record of building or improving People infrastructure in a lean, changing environment.
• Direct ownership of compensation programs, including benchmarking, salary structures, compensation cycles, and advising leaders on decisions.
• Experience owning benefits renewals, broker relationships, program costs, and enrollment.
• Strong HR systems and payroll process knowledge, including integrations, reporting, data quality, and controls.
• Practical experience managing employment compliance and sensitive operational issues.
• Financial and analytical confidence, including building cost models, evaluating market data, and making clear recommendations.
• Evidence of delivering measurable process improvements through technology, automation, or simpler ways of working.
• Strong communication, prioritization, and cross-functional leadership skills, with the willingness to stay hands-on.

EXPERIENCE THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL

• B2B SaaS or technology company experience.
• Experience supporting a primarily California-based workforce, with smaller teams in other locations, and coordinating immigration matters with external counsel.
• Experience with BambooHR, ADP Workforce Now, Lattice, Pave, Radford, or comparable platforms.
• Relevant HR, compensation, or benefits certifications.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

Employees and managers experience accurate, responsive support. Our systems require less manual work, our data is dependable, and responsibilities across People and Finance are clear. Leaders have practical frameworks for compensation decisions, and the People team has more capacity to support the business as it evolves.