Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Director of People & Culture

🎯 Role Definition

The Director of People & Culture is a senior strategic HR leader who partners with the executive team to design and deliver the end-to-end people strategy that attracts, develops, rewards, and retains top talent. This role owns culture, employee experience, total rewards, organizational design, performance management, DEI initiatives, and HR operations, using data-driven insights to support business growth and change. The Director of People & Culture leads cross-functional HR programs, builds high-performing people teams, and acts as a trusted advisor to leaders on workforce planning, people analytics, and employee relations.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior HR Business Partner
Head of People / Head of HR
Talent & Organizational Development Lead

Advancement To:

Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)
VP of People & Culture / VP HR
Chief People Officer / Executive People Leader

Lateral Moves:

Director of Talent Acquisition
Director of Total Rewards
Director of People Operations

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop and own a multi-year People & Culture strategy aligned to the company's business plan, translating organizational goals into measurable people objectives across talent, engagement, rewards, and development.
Lead, mentor, and scale the People & Culture team (HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, Learning & Development, People Operations) to deliver operational excellence and strategic HR programs.
Design and implement a modern performance management framework that drives continuous feedback, development plans, objective-setting (OKRs/KPIs), and high-potential identification to accelerate talent growth.
Build and execute a total rewards strategy, including compensation philosophy, salary bands, incentive plans, equity programs, benefits design, and vendor partnerships to remain competitive and equitable.
Own end-to-end talent acquisition strategy and employer branding for senior and high-impact roles; partner with hiring leaders to reduce time-to-hire and improve candidate experience while scaling headcount responsibly.
Lead workforce planning and organizational design initiatives, advising business leaders on span-of-control, role definition, team structure, and cost vs. capability trade-offs during growth and restructuring.
Develop and execute Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) strategy with measurable goals, inclusive hiring practices, training, ERG support, and metrics to ensure diverse representation and equitable career pathways.
Drive employee engagement programs, pulse surveys, action planning, and cultural rituals that increase retention, discretionary effort, and alignment to company values.
Serve as a trusted advisor and coach to the executive team and senior leaders on people-related matters including performance, talent calibration, succession, and change leadership.
Oversee employee relations, investigations, policy development, and compliance with local, state, and federal employment laws, ensuring consistent, legal, and fair people practices globally as applicable.
Lead organizational change and transformation programs (e.g., restructures, integrations, new operating models), partnering with communications, finance, and legal to minimize disruption and retain critical talent.
Implement and optimize HRIS, people analytics, and HR tech stack (APIs, integrations, ATS, performance tools), ensuring data integrity, automation of processes, and scalable workflows for growth.
Design and run leadership development programs, coaching, mentoring, succession planning, and career frameworks that prepare managers and high potentials for next-level roles.
Create and maintain the company Employee Value Proposition (EVP) and employer brand across recruiting channels, social media, and events to attract target talent segments.
Manage compensation cycles, promotions, and merit processes; develop salary and equity modeling for hiring and internal moves while communicating changes transparently to employees.
Define and monitor key HR metrics and dashboards (turnover, retention, time-to-fill, engagement, cost-per-hire, diversity metrics) to drive decisions and present insights to the executive team and board.
Negotiate and manage third-party HR vendors and benefits brokers (payroll, benefits admin, EAP, insurance carriers) to deliver cost-effective, high-value solutions for employees.
Lead wellness, mental health, and benefits programs that support holistic employee experience and productivity while aligning programs with budget and business priorities.
Drive compliance and risk mitigation across payroll, benefits, leaves of absence, immigration support, employment contracts, and HR documentation to protect the company and employees.
Champion culture initiatives that reinforce company values, recognition programs, onboarding experience, internal communications, and cross-functional collaboration.
Act as the primary HR liaison during M&A activity, leading people due diligence, integration planning, harmonization of policies and benefits, and retention strategies for critical talent.
Steward executive compensation and board-level people reporting, providing clear, data-backed recommendations for leadership rewards, equity allocation, and retention incentives.
Create scalable people policies and employee handbooks that support hybrid/remote work models, flexible arrangements, and global workforce considerations.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc people analytics requests and exploratory HR data analysis to answer strategic business questions and validate people interventions.
Partner with Finance to develop People & Culture budgets, forecasting for hiring, compensation cycles, and people program investments.
Contribute to the organization's HR technology roadmap, prioritize HRIS improvements, and participate in vendor selection and implementation projects.
Collaborate with legal to update employee policies, standardize contracts, and ensure employment law compliance in multi-jurisdictional environments.
Partner with Marketing and Communications to amplify EVP, recruitment campaigns, and internal comms to reinforce culture and employer brand.
Facilitate cross-functional initiatives that increase collaboration, knowledge sharing, and alignment between product, engineering, sales, and people teams.
Conduct exit interviews and trend analysis to identify retention risks and implement targeted interventions.
Lead pilot programs to test new people practices (e.g., flexible PTO, skills-based pay, manager enablement tools) and scale successful pilots enterprise-wide.
Advise on workplace safety, return-to-office strategies, and pandemic/contingency planning to protect employees and support operational continuity.
Support board and investor diligence requests related to people metrics, organizational health, and HR compliance documentation.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

HR Strategy & Planning: Proven track record designing multi-year people strategies that scale companies from growth to enterprise.
Total Rewards Design: Deep experience building competitive compensation, equity, and benefits programs for diverse workforces.
Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding: Expertise in building high-performing recruiting functions, candidate experience design, and sourcing strategies for senior talent.
Performance Management Systems: Implementation and operational management of performance cycles, calibration sessions, and development plans.
HRIS & HR Tech: Practical experience with HR systems (e.g., Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, BambooHR, ADP, 15Five, Lattice) and integrations to automate workflows.
People Analytics & Workforce Planning: Ability to create dashboards, interpret turnover/engagement data, model scenarios, and present insights to executives.
Organizational Design & Change Management: Skills in designing structures, job architectures, spans of control, and leading change initiatives.
Employment Law & Compliance: Knowledge of employment regulations, benefits administration, global labor law considerations, and risk mitigation.
Learning & Development Strategy: Designing leadership development, management training, and upskilling programs tied to business outcomes.
DEI Program Design & Measurement: Building inclusive hiring practices, ERGs, bias mitigation, and diversity metrics that drive accountability.
M&A Integration & Due Diligence: Experience leading people-related M&A activities including retention plans, harmonization, and integration playbooks.
Vendor Management & Contract Negotiation: Managing benefits brokers, payroll providers, and HR technology vendors to optimize cost and service.

Soft Skills

Strategic Leadership: Ability to think strategically, translate vision into operational plans, and lead teams through ambiguity.
Executive Presence & Influence: Comfortable advising C-suite and board members with credibility and persuasive communication.
Coaching & People Development: Strong coaching mindset to develop managers and high-potential leaders across the organization.
Emotional Intelligence: High self-awareness and interpersonal skills to handle sensitive employee relations and conflict resolution.
Communication & Storytelling: Excellent verbal and written communication to articulate people strategy and present data-driven narratives.
Stakeholder Management: Proven ability to build partnerships across functions, balance competing priorities, and drive consensus.
Problem Solving & Decision Making: Data-informed, pragmatic approach to solving complex people challenges under time pressure.
Project Management: Plan, prioritize, and deliver large-scale HR programs on time and within budget.
Cultural Sensitivity & Adaptability: Inclusive leadership that respects global and cross-cultural workforce dynamics.
Resilience & Change Agility: Capacity to lead during rapid growth, restructuring, or crisis with composure and focus.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Psychology, or a related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree (MBA, MS in Organizational Psychology, MA in Human Resources) or relevant senior HR certifications (SPHR, SHRM-SCP, CIPD).

Relevant Fields of Study:

Human Resources Management
Organizational Development / Organizational Psychology
Business Administration / Management
Industrial-Organizational Psychology
Labor Relations

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

8–15+ years in Human Resources with progressive leadership responsibility; 5+ years leading people teams or HR functions at scale.

Preferred:

Proven experience as Director-level People/HR leader in fast-growing startups, high-growth technology companies, or multi-site enterprises.
Demonstrated success scaling HR systems, implementing performance and compensation frameworks, and leading DEI initiatives.
Experience managing global workforces, HRIS implementations, M&A integrations, and cross-functional stakeholder relationships.
Track record of using people analytics to inform strategic decisions, reduce turnover, and improve engagement and productivity.