Senior Lead, People Team

The Role:

We’re looking for a Senior Lead, Human Resources to lead the HR function for our Costa Rica office of ~80 employees. You’ll be the onsite go-to for all People matters—managing recruiting, employee engagement, performance management, benefits administration and compliance—while serving as a close, trusted partner to the Costa Rica leadership team and collaborating with the global People team. This is a hands-on role for a trusted advisor who can balance strategic initiatives with day-to-day execution.

Responsibilities:

HR Site Leadership

Serve as the primary HR contact for all Costa Rica employees and managers; coach leaders on org design, performance, and employee relations.

Localize and implement global HR policies, programs, and culture initiatives.

Provide HR metrics and insights to local and global leadership.

Build a close, collaborative partnership with the Costa Rica leadership team – aligning HR priorities with site business goals and serving as a strategic thought partner on people decisions.

Employee Relations & Performance

Guide managers on performance management, PIPs, and career development with fair, consistent practices.

Manage investigations and employee relations issues to timely, compliant resolution; maintain rigorous documentation.

Facilitate company performance processes including performance reviews and compensation planning.

Support learning initiatives, including live and on-demand training using our LMS. Facilitate learning experiences to meet employee and business needs.

Talent Acquisition & Onboarding

Partner with Talent Acquisition Lead to scope roles, assess candidates, and adhere to established processes.

Own the local onboarding experience (pre-boarding through 90-day check-ins) and drive continuous improvement.

Serve as surge resource for candidate sourcing and selection for non-Costa Rica hiring.

Compensation, Benefits & Payroll Coordination

Administer local benefits (e.g., CCSS/Caja, INS workers’ comp, supplemental plans) and manage vendor relationships.

Support annual compensation cycles and promotions with market-aligned recommendations.

Coordinate payroll and pay changes with finance team and/or external providers; ensure accuracy of planilla, aguinaldo (13th month), vacation accruals, and statutory deductions.

Compliance & HR Operations

Ensure adherence to Costa Rican labor law and regulations from the Ministerio de Trabajo; maintain compliant policies, contracts, terminations (e.g., preaviso, cesantía), and leave programs.

Maintain HRIS data integrity, personnel files, and audit readiness; drive process automation and SOPs.

Culture, Engagement & DEI

Orchestrate local communications, recognition, and community events aligned with company values.

Promote an inclusive, psychologically safe workplace; advise local inclusion efforts.

Liaise as needed with US-based managers of Costa Rica employees to assure a consistent employee experience.

Promote use of company reward and recognition tools and resources.

Health, Safety & Facilities Partnership

Partner with site leadership to support occupational health obligations.

Coordinate incident reporting and accommodations in partnership with legal/insurance.

Required Qualifications:

6–8+ years of progressive HR experience, including site-lead or sole-HR responsibility in Costa Rica for a 50–150 employee population.

Deep working knowledge of Costa Rican labor law, payroll practices, and statutory benefits; experience working with CCSS/Caja and INS.

Proven experience managing formal reporting requirements with CCSS and INS.

Direct experience working within U.S.-based multinational companies, with the ability to adapt global policies and practices to Costa Rican labor legislation.

Up-to-date knowledge of recent and ongoing labor law reforms in Costa Rica, ensuring compliance and best practices.

Proven experience in employee relations, performance management, policy implementation, and change management.

Comfortable operating in a global company (matrixed stakeholders, cross-border policies, US/other international counterparts).

Strong data fluency (HRIS, spreadsheets/BI, KPIs); excellent judgment and confidentiality.

Experience leading full lifecycle recruiting process and ability to critically assess candidate fit.

Bilingual: Native/fluent Spanish and fluent English (written and verbal).

Preferred Qualifications:

HR certification (e.g., SHRM-CP/-SCP, HRCI, local equivalents).

Experience in software/technology or professional services environments.

Hands-on experience with BambooHR, Greenhouse.

Non-US international HR experience

Tools you’ll use

HRIS (Bamboo), ATS (Greenhouse), Microsoft productivity suite, Teams, Nectar (rewards & recognition) e-signature tools, and survey platforms.

Compensation & benefits

Competitive salary in CRC.

Private supplemental health and life insurance.

Generous paid time off aligned with Costa Rican law plus company holidays and additional time off after one year of service for birthday, anniversary and Tico Time.

Please submit your application and resume in English.