Director, People Operations & Total Rewards

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’ve grown into a global business with teams in New York, London, and Singapore, and we’re now publicly traded on NASDAQ under COCO.

As a Public Benefit Corporation and Certified B Corp, we’re committed 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’re now looking for someone who’s excited 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’re committed to uplifting the communities we’re connected 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 you don’t check every box. We’re big 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’d love to hear from you.

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