Athena is a 4,000-employee, multi-country professional services organization generating approximately $100M in annual revenue and continuing to grow.

As we’ve scaled, HR ownership was distributed across multiple executives — payroll and compensation under Finance, talent processes under Operations, and HR systems under Technology. We are now consolidating People Operations under a single leader to modernize our infrastructure, unify governance, and build a scalable employee lifecycle experience.

This is a rare opportunity to step into VP-level scope and architect a global People Operations function at scale.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a high-impact, systems-oriented People leader — a Director or Senior Director level today — who is ready to step into enterprise VP scope.

You will lead a global team of approximately 20 and own the operational backbone of the employee lifecycle across multiple countries.

This role does not oversee Talent Acquisition or Learning & Development. Instead, it focuses on:

• People Operations strategy & governance
• Compensation and organizational design infrastructure
• Workforce planning and analytics
• HR systems (including WorkDay optimization)
• Global process standardization
• End-to-end employee lifecycle execution

If you are energized by building structure, modernizing systems, and scaling operational excellence — this role is for you.

What You Will Do

Lead Global People Operations

• Consolidate and unify People Operations under a clear model
• Define KPIs, dashboards, and executive reporting
• Establish governance, standards, and accountability across regions
• Lead and develop a 25-person global team located primarily in the Philippines, Kenya, and Guatemala

Modernize Infrastructure

• Optimize and expand WorkDay adoption
• Ensure clean data architecture and reporting rigor
• Identify automation opportunities and eliminate inefficiencies
• Build scalable, repeatable processes

Elevate Compensation & Org Design

• Standardize global leveling frameworks
• Renovate compensation structures and pay architecture
• Improve span-of-control discipline and org modeling
• Partner with Finance on workforce planning alignment

Strengthen the Employee Lifecycle

• Redesign onboarding and offboarding processes
• Standardize performance management governance
• Institutionalize succession planning infrastructure
• Lead engagement measurement and action planning
• Ensure consistent employee experience across countries

What Success Looks Like (First 18 Months)

• A unified and clearly defined global People Operations model
• Stabilized and optimized WorkDay ecosystem
• Standardized compensation and leveling architecture
• Embedded workforce planning discipline
• Clear, measurable People Operations KPIs
• Improved operational efficiency and employee experience metrics

Experience

What We’re Looking For

• 10–15 years progressive HR / People Operations leadership
• Currently Director or Senior Director (or equivalent) in a global organization
• Experience leading HR Operations, Total Rewards, or People Infrastructure
• Direct experience with enterprise Workday implementation
• Compensation architecture and org design exposure
• Experience managing multi-country teams & processes (i.e. particularly North America, LATAM, Kenya, Philippines)
• Extensive experience in a similar industry (i.e. professional services at an in-house capacity, not a consultant)

Capabilities

• Systems thinker who builds scalable infrastructure
• Strong financial and workforce planning acumen
• Data-driven and analytically rigorous
• Experienced people leader comfortable managing distributed teams
• Strong cross-functional partner with Finance and Technology
• Builder mindset — comfortable operating in evolving environments

Why This Role Is Compelling

• True VP scope with enterprise visibility
• Lead a global team
• Opportunity to build — not inherit — a mature system
• Direct exposure to executive leadership
• Chance to modernize People Operations for a 4,000-person organization

This is an opportunity to move from functional leadership into enterprise impact.

If you are ready to step into VP-level responsibility and build something enduring, we would love to meet you.