Strategic Direction & Roadmap Ownership

• Define and own the People Technology roadmap spanning platform operations, custom system development, OKR management, performance systems, AI/agentic automation, and people analytics.
• Set the technical vision and architectural direction for the function; ensure every system decision aligns with where the business is headed.
• Make build-vs-buy and vendor decisions; advise the CPO on technology investment, platform strategy, and long-term architecture.
• Identify and eliminate technical debt, duplication, and fragmentation across the portfolio proactively.

Process Ownership & Governance

• Own and continuously improve the processes that keep People systems reliable, accurate, and compliant - data governance, system administration standards, change management, and release practices.
• Establish and enforce standards for data integrity, privacy, and security across all People platforms and operating jurisdictions.
• Define how requirements flow from business stakeholders into the team’s backlog: intake, scoping, prioritisation, and delivery cadence.
• Own the end-to-end lifecycle of People technology from ideation and requirements through architecture, build, deployment, and ongoing maintenance.

Platform & Systems Oversight

• Direct the administration, configuration, and evolution of the core HR tech stack ensuring platform availability, data accuracy, and a seamless experience for HR and end users.
• Guide the development and scaling of custom-built internal platforms, including the proprietary HR portal and associated tools.
• Oversee the OKR platform (company, department, team, and individual OKR management) and the Performance platform (grading, metrics, PIP/PSP workflows), ensuring both evolve with organisational needs.
• Direct the automation of HR lifecycle workflows onboarding, offboarding, probation, leave, approvals across systems.

AI, Agentic Systems & Innovation

• Set the direction for AI and agentic automation across the function deciding where LLM integrations, agent workflows, and intelligent automation create real operational leverage.
• Guide the team in building, deploying, and hardening AI-powered tools and features into production-grade systems.
• Lead AI enablement for HR personnel directing training programs on tools like any AI so non-technical users can apply AI in their workflows.
• Stay current with emerging HR technology, AI tooling, and platform trends; bring the outside in and translate it into actionable direction for the team.

Reporting, Analytics & Insight

• Own executive-level People dashboards and reporting headcount, turnover, attrition, retention, OKR progress, performance distribution, flight risk, and workforce planning.
• Ensure the team delivers actionable, decision-ready insight to leadership, not just data.
• Direct the build of self-service analytics and reporting capabilities for HR and business users.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team - setting priorities, quality standards, and ways of working.
• Build a high-performance culture where builders ship quality work, grow their skills, and take ownership.
• Define and track team OKRs across delivery, data quality, platform reliability, automation coverage, and innovation.
• Build capability, succession, and career paths within the function as scope and headcount scale.
• Guide individual contributors through technical and professional growth coaching, code and architecture review, and structured feedback.

Stakeholder Management & Alignment

• Partner with HR, IT, Data/Analytics, Finance, and business leaders to ensure People technology is aligned to organisational objectives.
• Act as the single point of accountability for People technology delivery to the CPO and HR leadership.
• Translate business requirements into clear technical direction for the team; translate technical constraints back to stakeholders without losing fidelity.
• Drive adoption, training, and change management across the organisation for every system the team ships.

What You Bring

• 5+ years in HR technology, People systems, or a related engineering/platform leadership role, including at least 2 years directing a team.
• Experience owning a People technology roadmap end to end — strategy, prioritisation, architecture decisions, and delivery accountability.
• Hands-on experience with HRIS platforms (HiBob, BambooHR, Workday, Workable etc.), ATS (Recruitee, Greenhouse, SmartRecruiters), and performance management systems - not just as a user, but as someone who has configured, integrated, or built on them.
• Technical fluency across the full stack: backend, frontend, APIs, databases, and DevOps. You can evaluate architecture, review technical trade-offs, and hold your team to a high bar even if you’re not writing production code daily.
• Proven experience directing the build of custom platforms, internal tools, or AI-powered systems from concept to production.
• Working knowledge of AI/LLM integrations, agentic automation, and applied AI in a business context.
• Experience with OKR frameworks, performance management systems, or people analytics platforms ideally having directed the build or deep configuration of one.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication across technical and non-technical audiences from engineering reviews to CPO-level strategy.
• Working understanding of data privacy and security regulations across multiple jurisdictions.

Your X-Factor

• You give direction, not just tasks. Your team knows why they’re building something, not just what.
• You’re technically fluent enough to be dangerous. You don’t write every line, but you can challenge an architecture, spot a shortcut, and know when something is built well.
• You think in platforms, not projects. Every system your team ships is part of a whole that will still make sense a year from now.
• You bridge HR and engineering fluently, you understand what an HRBP needs and what a developer needs, and you translate between them without losing fidelity.
• You own outcomes, not activity. You measure your function by what it delivers to the business, not by how busy it looks.

Your Journey After Applying

• Stage 1: Screening call with the Talent Acquisition team.
• Stage 2: Strategic discussion with the Chief People Officer vision for People Technology, leadership approach, and how you’d set direction for the function.
• Stage 3: Final interview with the Chief People Officer and senior leadership.
• Stage 4: Peer Session with the Team.

Why Join NEXT

At NEXT Ventures, people are our greatest advantage and our boldest investment. Here, HR isn’t a support function; it’s a growth engine. You’ll lead a People Technology function that builds the systems powering how a fast-scaling, multi-country fintech manages its most important asset: its people.

You won’t inherit a finished playbook. You’ll write it setting the vision, the architecture, and the culture for how People technology works at NEXT. If you want to own the direction, lead a team of builders, and see your decisions shape how 500+ people work across five countries, this is where you do it.

Your next big move starts here.