Head of HR Centers of Excellence (CoE)

Papaya Global is a rapidly growing, award-winning B2B tech unicorn on a mission to revolutionize the payroll and payments industry.

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.