Director, People Operations & Total Rewards

The Vita Coco Company; United States; Remote; USD 170,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Vita Coco Company is seeking a Director of People Operations & Total Rewards to lead compensation, benefits, payroll, HRIS, compliance, and people data as a strategic partner to Finance, Legal, IT and the Global People Team in a fast-growing public company.

You will partner with Finance, Legal, IT and the Global People Team to design and execute benefit and payroll strategies, strengthen internal controls, and deliver reliable people data that informs business decisions.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive experience in People Operations, HR Operations, or Total Rewards
• 5+ years leading compensation, payroll, and benefits programs
• Deep experience with payroll and compensation strategy in a public company
• Strong working knowledge of UKG HRIS (implementation or optimization preferred)
• Experience supporting multi-country / global workforces
• Strong knowledge of employment law and compliance frameworks
• Proven people leader

Responsibilities

• Lead U.S. market benchmarking and pay analysis using external surveys and internal data to ensure competitive and equitable compensation programs
• Design and oversee end-to-end U.S. compensation processes, including annual merit cycles, bonus planning, promotions, off-cycle adjustments, and pay equity reviews
• Play a key role in shaping and evolving Vita Coco’s compensation philosophy, frameworks, and governance
• Own benefits strategy and vendor management, including renewals, plan design, and employee experience enhancements
• Ensure compensation and benefits programs are compliant, scalable, and aligned with public-company standards
• Ensure accurate payroll processing and UKG HRIS ownership
• Lead UKG enhancements, integrations, testing, and process automation
• Maintain SOX-aligned controls for payroll, equity, compensation, and people data
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, local, and international employment laws and regulations
• Partner with Legal on audits, filings, and regulatory reporting (e.g., proxy statement, equity disclosures, wage and hour)
• Monitor regulatory changes and proactively update policies and practices
• Build data governance, dashboards, and reporting for headcount, turnover, compensation, payroll, and benefits
• Provide actionable insights to People and business leaders
• Build scalable processes, documentation, and SOPs
• Lead cross-functional projects with Finance, Legal, IT, and the Global People Team
• Manage vendors and contracts related to payroll, benefits, and HR systems
• Mentor and develop team members, fostering a high-performance operations culture

Job description

Vita Coco is the leading coconut water brand in the world, built on a simple idea: bring better-for-you, natural hydration to more people. Since starting in 2004,we’vegrown into a global business with teams in New York, London, and Singapore, andwe’renow publicly traded on NASDAQ under COCO.

As a Public Benefit Corporation and Certified B Corp,we’recommitted to supporting farming communities, sourcing responsibly, and building products that are better for people and the planet. We move fast, stay scrappy, and care deeply about doing the right thing.

We’renow looking for someonewho’sexcited to join a growing, purpose-driven company and help shape what comes next.

Our Values

• Human First: We lead with inclusivity, transparency, and empathy.

• Nothing is Impossible: We experiment, learn, and keep moving forward.

• United by Our Will to Win: We stay aligned, work collaboratively, and push toward shared goals.

• Part of Something Bigger: We’recommitted to uplifting the communitieswe’reconnected to locally and globally

The Director of People Operations & Total Rewards is a strategic and operational leader responsible for building and scaling best-in-class people operations across compensation, benefits, payroll, HRIS, compliance, and people data. This role ensures Vita Coco’s people infrastructure is accurate, compliant, scalable, and employee-centered while supporting our growth as a global public company.

You will partner closely with Finance, Legal, IT, and the Global People Team to design and execute benefits and payroll strategies, strengthen internal controls, and deliver reliable people data that informs business decisions. This role manages the People Operations Manager and People Coordinator and reports to the Global VP of People.

Work Location

We’d love our newest coconut to join us in person in NYC, but if you’re a great match for the role, we’d be happy to explore remote work together.

Key Responsibilities

Total Rewards

• Lead U.S. market benchmarking and pay analysis using external surveys and internal data to ensure competitive and equitable compensation programs

• Design and oversee end-to-end U.S. compensation processes, including annual merit cycles, bonus planning, promotions, off-cycle adjustments, and pay equity reviews

• Play a key role in shaping and evolving Vita Coco’s compensation philosophy, frameworks, and governance

• Own benefits strategy and vendor management, including renewals, plan design, and employee experience enhancements

• Ensure compensation and benefits programs are compliant, scalable, and aligned with public-company standards

Payroll & HRIS (UKG)

• Ensure accurate, timely, and compliant payroll processing

• Serve as system owner for global HRIS (UKG), ensuring system configuration, data integrity, and optimization

• Lead UKG enhancements, integrations, testing, and process automation

Public Company Compliance

• Maintain SOX-aligned controls for payroll, equity, compensation, and people data

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, local, and international employment laws and regulations

• Partner with Legal on audits, filings, and regulatory reporting (e.g., proxy statement, equity disclosures, wage and hour)

• Monitor regulatory changes and proactively update policies and practices

People Data & Analytics

• Establish data governance, documentation, and quality standards

• Build dashboards and reporting for headcount, turnover, compensation, payroll, and benefits

• Provide actionable insights to People and business leaders

Operational Excellence & Leadership

• Build scalable processes, documentation, and SOPs

• Lead cross-functional projects with Finance, Legal, IT, and the Global People Team

• Manage vendors and contracts related to payroll, benefits, and HR systems

• Mentor and develop team members, fostering a high-performance operations culture

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive experience in People Operations, HR Operations, or Total Rewards

• 5+ years leading compensation, payroll, and benefits programs

• Deep experience with payroll and compensation strategy in a public company

• Strong working knowledge of UKG HRIS (implementation or optimization experience preferred)

• Experience supporting multi-country / global workforces

• Strong knowledge of employment law and compliance frameworks

• Proven people leader

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience applying AI in HR to streamline workflows and improve the employee experience, with skills in HR process optimization and automation

This is a reasonable estimate of the current pay range for this position. The base pay actually offered may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

US Pay Range

$170,000—$190,000 USD

A NOTE FROM US

_We welcome you to apply—even if youdon’tcheck every box.We’rebig fans of curious, growth-minded people who want to learn, contribute, and make an impact. If you feel connected to our brands and our mission,we’dlove to hear from you._