Senior Director of People Operations

Apply for the Senior Director of People Operations role at Cohere
.

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

Generative AI represents a turning point for businesses across all industries. Cohere is at the centre of enterprise transformation, focusing on serving the enterprise sector, its developers and partners. The People Operations organization is pivotal to our growth and success. As the Senior Director of People Operations, reporting to our VP of People Operations, you will be a strategic business partner to the executive leadership team, providing thought leadership and expertise 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.

• 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.

• 7+ years of management experience, preferably leading a global team 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 – while 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.

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. Should you require any accommodations during the recruitment process, please submit an Accommodations Request Form, and we will work together to meet your needs.

• 🤝 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 mental health
• 🐣 100% parental leave top‑up for up to 6 months
• 🎨 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, London, and Paris, as well as a co‑working stipend
• ✈️ 6 weeks of vacation (30 working days)

Seniority level:
Director

Employment type:

Full‑time
Job function:
Human Resources
Industries:
Software Development