People Operations Lead

Watershed

People Operations Lead managing HR operations for Watershed, an enterprise sustainability platform. Building systems and infrastructure for a global People Operations function.

Posted 6/15/2026full-timeMexico City • 🇲🇽 MexicoSeniorWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Own the People Ops operating model: define how work flows across People Ops, People Partners, Recruiting, Finance, and Legal; clarify decision rights, SLAs, and the “system of record” for people information.
Build scalable infrastructure: evolve HR systems and data foundations so they are accurate, auditable, and usable for leadership and the business.
Scale employee support: design a durable approach to employee inquiries and knowledge management that increases self-serve resolution while maintaining high-quality experience.
Raise the bar on global compliance + risk management: partner with Legal/Finance/Security as needed to ensure the right controls, policies, and audit readiness as we grow into new geographies.
Lead vendor + partner strategy: decide what to outsource vs. build in-house and ensure partners (e.g., EOR, benefits, compliance support) are effective and accountable.
Drive continuous improvement: set metrics, prioritize the highest-leverage problems, and lead cross-functional initiatives that make People Ops simpler, faster, and more reliable.
Systems + data: own HRIS operations, data integrity, workflows, reporting, and change management so leaders can trust and use people data.
Employee lifecycle operations: ensure onboarding and offboarding run smoothly and consistently across geographies, including right-to-work checks where applicable.
Payroll + benefits operations: partner with Finance and benefits stakeholders to run reliable payroll operations and benefits administration (**US benefits experience is required**, including Open Enrollment).
Policies + compliance: partner with Legal/People Partners to maintain global policies and support audit readiness across geographies.
Mobility + immigration operations: manage the operational workflows and partnerships that support visas, relocations, and work authorizations.
Employee support + knowledge base: run the inbound support model and maintain a self-serve knowledge base to improve resolution time and reduce repeat questions.
Vendor management: manage key partners and renewals (e.g., EOR, benefits, compliance support) and continuously evaluate vendor vs. in-house ownership.

Requirements

What you’ll need

10+ years of experience in People Operations / HR operations in a scaling organization.
Experience leading teams and/or being a hands-on player-coach in a small, high-output People function.
Deep HRIS experience (Rippling preferred but not required) including system configuration, data governance, workflows, and reporting.
Prior ownership/oversight of benefits and payroll operations in the US (UK and Mexico a huge plus).
Experience with vendor management in the context of international expansion (e.g., EOR, HR administration, benefits, compliance partners).
Comfort learning and applying employment-law/compliance requirements across geographies (**US required; UK/EU exposure a plus; Mexico familiarity a plus**).

Benefits

Comp & perks

Must be willing to work from an office 4 days per week (except for remote roles)

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

HRISdata governanceworkflowsreportingpayroll operationsbenefits administrationcompliance managementvendor managementemployee lifecycle operationsknowledge management

Soft Skills

leadershipteam managementproblem-solvingcross-functional collaborationcontinuous improvementcommunicationorganizational skillsstrategic thinkingdecision-makingcustomer service