Director, People Operations & Total Rewards
- Pay
- $170,000 – $190,000 per year
- Location
- New York, NY
- Listed
- 8 days ago
About the role
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.
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
Pay and benefits
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.
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.
From The Vita Coco Company's careers page, first listed on Rolev.ai on November 2, 2026. Rolev.ai is not the employer.
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Common questions
What is the salary for the Director, People Operations & Total Rewards role at The Vita Coco Company?
The Director, People Operations & Total Rewards posting at The Vita Coco Company states compensation of $170,000 – $190,000 per year. Final pay may depend on location, experience, and interview evaluation on The Vita Coco Company's official career site.
Where is the Director, People Operations & Total Rewards job at The Vita Coco Company located?
This Director, People Operations & Total Rewards position at The Vita Coco Company is located in New York, NY. Always check The Vita Coco Company's application page for specific state eligibility or relocation policies.
How do I apply for the Director, People Operations & Total Rewards position at The Vita Coco Company?
This listing links directly to The Vita Coco Company's Greenhouse application page. You can apply directly on The Vita Coco Company's site, or use Rolev.ai to check your resume fit, generate a zero-hallucination tailored resume and cover letter for this posting, and autofill the Greenhouse application form in 1 click with the Rolev.ai Chrome extension. You always review the form and press Submit yourself.