Head of People & Performance

Do you want to empower organizations to build smarter compensation strategies while ensuring fair pay for all employees? Syndio is a Series C technology company leveraging advanced technology and responsible AI to accelerate decision-making, streamline compliance, and democratize insights for consistent, equitable compensation practices at scale. Backed by $83M in investments from Bessemer Venture Partners, Voyager Capital, and Emerson Collective, we are expanding our team and products to help companies align their rewards strategies with their business goals. Our customers are our greatest asset. Syndio partners with many of the world’s most recognized and respected enterprises, helping them implement leading-edge compensation solutions with expert guidance. We analyze pay for over 10 million employees across dozens of countries, ensuring fair, defensible rewards that drive better business outcomes. Join us in our mission to help companies make smarter pay decisions they can trust! About the role Syndio is in the middle of a meaningful transformation - and we need a people leader who wants to help build what comes next - an AI-native operating model. Not one that reacts to the business, but one that helps shape it. This role is the strategic head of the People function, reporting directly to the CEO and owning the roadmap that connects culture, performance, and organizational capability to business outcomes. You’ll lead a small, talented team and be a genuine thought partner at the leadership table — someone who brings a clear point of view and moves quickly from strategy to action. This is a builder's role. The team is talented and the foundation is solid. What’s needed now is a leader who can elevate the organization beyond transactional work, strengthen leadership effectiveness across the company, and architect the people systems an AI-native business actually requires. *** Please do not email the CEO directly about your candidacy. Why this job is exciting Leadership Effectiveness You’ll define what strong leadership looks like at Syndio. Not through training programs alone — through clear behavioral standards, real accountability, and operating norms that actually stick. Establish a clear model for who owns culture, performance, and development — and make sure leaders actually own it. Performance & Organizational Design You own the performance architecture, from goal-setting through performance conversations, all the way to how individual work connects to company outcomes.. Evolve how Syndio defines and measures strong performance for an AI-enabled workplace. Lead org design and change management as Syndio's operating model continues to shift. Culture & Engagement You’ll lead the culture roadmap. Diagnose what’s working, identify what needs to shift, and build what’s missing. Design engagement approaches tied to what actually drives retention and performance. Build conditions for greater accountability and ownership at every level of the organization. AI-Native People Strategy Champion an AI-native approach to People work — automating the transactional processes, while amplifying human judgment, coaching, and leadership. You’ll own the human side of AI transformation: job design, reskilling, performance evolution, and change enablement. Partner with the CEO and senior leadership to translate business strategy into people strategy at the speed the company requires. Talent, Rewards & Operations Oversee talent acquisition strategy to attract and close candidates who thrive in transformation environments. You own compensation philosophy and total rewards. Competitive, equitable, and aligned to how Syndio actually values contribution. Ensure People operations are scalable, automated where appropriate, and not consuming strategic capacity. About you Senior HR leadership in technology companies, through meaningful periods of transformation or scaling. A track record of building strategic People functions — not primarily complian