HR Director

HR Strategy 

• Define and drive Welo Data’s people strategy in alignment with business objectives and the 4 Pillars framework, with a particular focus on organizational health, workforce compliance, and scalable HR infrastructure. 

• Serve as the primary HR authority and strategic partner to the Welo Data leadership team, providing counsel on org design, people risk, employment law, and workforce structure across all geographies. 

• Build a scalable, fit-for-purpose HR function for a growing AI data services business — including policies, governance frameworks, and operational processes that can support Welo Data at scale. 

Staffing Program Design & Compliance 

• Partner closely with the Head of Talent to ensure that all talent strategies, staffing programs, and workforce plans are structured in a manner that is legally compliant across every jurisdiction Welo Data operates in. 

• Own the compliance architecture for Welo Data’s staffing programs, including co-employment risk management, worker classification, client-embedded workforce governance, and third-party service delivery structures. 

• Review and advise on the design of high-volume staffing programs for managed services client engagements (AI data annotation, QA, robotics teleoperations) to ensure they reflect applicable labor law requirements in each operating country. 

• Translate workforce expansion plans into compliant org structures: defining employment types, contract frameworks, and jurisdictional requirements before staffing programs are executed. 

• Maintain current intelligence on regulatory changes across jurisdictions that could affect how Welo Data structures or executes its staffing programs; proactively advise the Head of Talent and leadership accordingly. 

Organizational Development 

• Lead org design and organizational effectiveness initiatives for Welo Data, including role architecture, job family structures, spans and layers analysis, and headcount modeling in support of business growth. 

• Drive the design and implementation of the future-state people operating model for Welo Data, including the global HR Generalist team structure and the people processes required for the business to operate effectively at scale. 

• Champion employee engagement, culture, and retention programs appropriate for a globally distributed, high-growth AI data services business. 

• Identify structural or organizational risks in Welo Data’s workforce model and work with leadership to address them proactively through org design, policy changes, or program investment. 

• Partner with Finance and Operations on workforce cost modeling, headcount planning, and organizational change initiatives to ensure people decisions are data-driven and financially sound. 

HR Operations & Employee Lifecycle 

• Oversee and standardize end-to-end HR operations globally including onboarding, offboarding, contracts, payroll and benefits coordination across all Welo Data geographies. 

• Ensure Workday data integrity, audit-compliant employee records, and consistent HR process execution. 

• Establish and maintain HR policies and an employee handbook aligned to Welo Data’s operating model and compliant with local employment law across all geographies. 

• Deliver accurate and timely headcount, attrition, and workforce reporting to Finance and leadership. 

Employee Relations & Multi-Jurisdictional Compliance 

• Serve as the global escalation point for complex employee relations matters, including grievances, performance improvement plans, disciplinary actions, terminations, and sensitive investigations. 

• Maintain deep expertise in multi-jurisdictional employment law, with particular strength in California labor law, multi-state US compliance, co-employment law, EU works council requirements, and employment frameworks in India and Japan. 

• Advise and coach managers globally on performance management, People Success policies, and legally compliant HR practice; ensure consistency of application across all geographies. 

• Own statutory compliance obligations across all operating countries, including employment contracts, mandatory reporting, right-to-work verification, and regulatory filings. 

• Act as the compliance backstop on all people matters: reviewing proposed talent strategies, org changes, and workforce programs for legal or regulatory exposure before implementation. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Employment Law, Business Administration 

• Minimum 10 years of progressive HR experience, with at least 4–5 years in a senior HR management or people leadership role with multi-country responsibility. 

• Deep, practical expertise in multi-jurisdictional employment law — required competency includes California labor law, multi-state US compliance, EU employment frameworks (works councils, GDPR-adjacent people data), and working knowledge of India and Japan employment law. 

• Demonstrated experience structuring and governing staffing programs in managed services, BPO, or operational delivery environments, including co-employment risk management, worker classification, and client-embedded workforce compliance. 

• Proven track record in organizational development: org design, job architecture, spans and layers analysis, and building or restructuring HR functions to support business scale. 

• Experience partnering with a dedicated Talent Acquisition function rather than owning TA directly — comfortable operating as the compliance and org development authority while a separate team owns the recruiting execution. 

• Proficiency with HRIS platforms (Workday preferred); comfort with workforce analytics, headcount reporting, and people data governance. 

• Demonstrated ability to operate as both a strategic partner and a hands-on operator — capable of advising at the executive level while ensuring rigorous operational execution across a distributed team. 

• Excellent communication and influencing skills; ability to translate complex employment law and compliance requirements into practical guidance that business leaders can act on. 

• High degree of professionalism, integrity, and discretion; experience navigating sensitive organizational and legal contexts with sound judgment. 

• Background in the AI/ML, data annotation, managed services, or technology-enabled services industry. 

• Experience advising on or implementing workforce structures for variable-demand, high-volume staffing programs with fluctuating headcount needs. 

• Formal employment law qualification or significant experience working alongside in-house or external employment counsel. 

• SPHR, SHRM-SCP, or equivalent senior HR certification. 

• Spanish language ability (beneficial given the US and Mexico managed services workforce demographics). 

• Familiarity with HR technology ecosystems beyond Workday — including ATS integrations, workforce management tools, and people analytics platforms.