Head of HR Centers of Excellence (CoE)

Papaya Global is a rapidly growing, award-winning B2B tech unicorn with an ambitious mission to revolutionize the payroll & payments industry. With over $400M raised from multiple tier-one investors, our innovative technology provides a comprehensive solution for managing global workforces, encompassing everything from hiring and onboarding to managing and paying employees in over 160 countries.

As Papaya continues to scale globally, we are looking for a Head of HR Centers of Excellence (CoE) to lead our global HR domains and build the capabilities, practices, and experiences that support our growth as a global, high-growth unicorn with strong market presence.

This is a senior leadership role focused on elevating the depth and impact of each HR domain, and translating business strategy into effective, high-quality People practices. You will lead a global team of domain experts and shape a cohesive People strategy across all CoE functions, ensuring a consistent and meaningful employee experience across the organization.

This role requires a combination of strategic thinking and a hands-on, dynamic approach, with the ability to operate flexibly and creatively in a fast-changing environment.

Why Join Us:

• Opportunity to build and scale the People infrastructure of a fast-growing, global organization at a pivotal stage of scale.
• High-impact leadership role with strong visibility.
• Dynamic environment with room to shape and innovate.
• Perfect for ones who perceived themselves as- Leaders, Builders, Accelerators!

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and develop global functional leads across Total Rewards, Learning & Development, People Operations, HRIS, Talent Management and People Analytics.
• Elevate the depth, quality, and impact of each HR domain, ensuring best-in-class, forward-thinking People practices.
• Shape how People strategy is translated into day-to-day reality, ensuring practices are practical, relevant, and drive real business impact.
• Drive a cohesive and high-quality employee experience by connecting all HR domains into a consistent and meaningful lifecycle.
• Partner closely with HRBPs and leadership to understand business needs and translate them into impactful People solutions.
• Act as a thought partner on organizational design, workforce planning, and organizational effectiveness.
• Build and evolve organizational capabilities, strengthening leadership, management effectiveness, and overall performance.
• Foster innovation across People practices by continuously challenging existing approaches and introducing new ideas, tools, and ways of working, including the use of AI.
• Ensure strong operational foundations, systems, and data that enable scale, efficiency, and informed decision-making.
• Support the organization’s growth by building People practices that are ready for scale, global expansion, and increasing complexity.

• 10–15+ years of HR experience, including leadership of multiple HR domains or Centers of Excellence.
• Proven experience managing senior HR leaders across different disciplines.
• Strong experience building and evolving People practices in high-growth or global organizations.
• Deep expertise in at least two HR domains, with strong cross-functional understanding.
• Experience working closely with senior leadership and influencing at executive levels.
• Strong systems thinking and Data-driven mindset with experience in HR systems and analytics.
• A highly proactive, hands-on approach with the ability to dive into details.
• Strong creativity and problem-solving skills, with the ability to think beyond standard HR practices.
• Flexibility and adaptability in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Exceptional clarity of thought, intellectual rigor, strong judgment, and outstanding communication skills, with the ability to simplify complexity and influence diverse stakeholders.
• Advantage: Exposure to M&A and post-merger integration.