People & Culture Director

ABOUT APPLY

APPLY is the Agentic Customer Experience (ACx) partner for the world's most ambitious consumer and entertainment brands. We bring together deep domain expertise across Retail, CPG, Sports, and Media with AI-native delivery capability, designing and delivering agentic solutions that turn CX vision into commercial reality. We are the partner of choice for brands like Arc'teryx, NFL, Lululemon, and Kraft Heinz. For more information, visit applydigital.com.

LOCATION: APPLY is hybrid/remote friendly. The preferred candidates should be based in the Greater Toronto Area of Canada, working in hours that align to ET.

THE ROLE

You''ll lead a globally distributed team of HRBPs and People Operations specialists, ensuring that every employee has an exceptional experience — from the moment they join to the moments that matter most in their careers. Working closely with the Chief People Officer, you will translate People strategy into consistent, high-quality execution: embedding AI-powered tools and workflows across the function, championing our culture, and ensuring our HR operations run with precision and compliance across multiple jurisdictions.

This is a hands-on leadership role for a builder who is equally comfortable coaching an HRBP through a complex employee relations case and redesigning a clunky workflow. You bring strong EQ, a bias for automation, and a genuine belief that a lean, AI-augmented team can outperform a large transactional one.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• People Team Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of HR professionals.

• Create clarity of ownership across the team, ensuring each person operates at their highest leverage — with AI handling the repeatable, humans owning the judgment-intensive.

• Partner closely with the CPO to translate quarterly People OKRs into team-level execution plans.

• HR Business Partnering

• Provide direct BP coverage for select executive and senior leaders and act as the escalation point for both HRBPs on complex ER, investigations, and sensitive matters.

• Guide HRBPs in delivering talent reviews, performance calibrations, and succession conversations that are rigorous, fair, and consistent.

• Maintain a strong pulse on engagement and team health across both regions — using Hibob signals and AI-assisted dashboards to act early, not reactively.

• Lead change management for key People initiatives, including the rollout of AI-powered workflows to the broader employee base.

• People Operations & AI-First Workflows

• Own the operational integrity of our People tech stack, with HiBob as HRIS and Deel as our payroll and contractor engine — ensuring data is clean, automations are reliable, and the employee experience is seamless.

• Drive continuous improvement: identify manual, high-volume tasks across the team and build or commission AI-powered replacements — contract drafting, leave management, benefits queries, HRIS admin.

• Oversee payroll operations and compliance across jurisdictions in partnership with the Payroll & Compliance Specialist and Deel; own exception resolution and escalation protocols.

• Ensure benefits administration, reconciliation, and employee communication are accurate, timely, and handled with care — with AI handling routine queries and humans owning the moments that need empathy.

• Ensure employment law compliance across all active geographies — particularly NA, LATAM, and EMEA — in partnership with the Payroll & Compliance and external legal counsel where required.

• Programs, Culture & People Experience

• Oversee global People programs — talent cycles, engagement surveys, recognition, and onboarding — ensuring they are consistently delivered, AI-supported where possible, and meaningful to employees.

• Partner with the team to elevate the onboarding experience as a strategic moment, not an admin checklist.

• Maintain our P&C Playbooks and policy library as living documents — accurate, accessible, and well-understood by managers and employees.

REQUIREMENTS

• 8–10 years of progressive HR/People experience with the technology sector, including at least 2 years managing a team in a global, fast-paced environment.

• Proven experience as an HRBP or People Operations leader supporting 500–700 employees across multiple geographies.

• Background practicing HR within a professional services or consulting environment.

• Strong employment law literacy across at least two of: NA (specifically the US), LATAM, or EMEA.

• Hands-on experience with a modern HRIS (HiBob strongly preferred) and payroll/contractor platforms (Deel or equivalent).

• Track record of designing or implementing AI-powered HR workflows — not just evaluating tools, but shipping them.

• SKILLS & ATTRIBUTES

• A builder and operator: equally energised by setting direction for your team and rolling up your sleeves to fix a broken process.

• High EQ with excellent instincts for when to apply policy and when to apply judgement — especially in sensitive ER situations.

• Data fluency: comfortable building and reading a people dashboard, spotting a trend, and translating it into a recommendation for leadership.

• Strong communicator who can write a crisp policy update, facilitate a tough calibration conversation, and present a workforce health summary to the Executives — all in the same week.

• Genuinely excited about AI as a tool for doing more meaningful work

• Organised, calm under pressure, and dependable: your team and stakeholders know exactly what to expect from you.

LIFE AT APPLY

People are at the core of everything we do at APPLY. We provide you with modern tools, systems and approaches, value your time, safety, and health, and strive to build a work community where you can thrive and grow. Here are a few benefits we offer to support you:

Agentic Delivery: Our people work in a modern way to deliver client outcomes. Broaden your skills on a range of engagements with international brands that have a global impact.

An inclusive and safe environment: We’re truly committed to building a culture where you are celebrated and everyone feels welcome and safe.

AI & Strategic Upskilling: Accelerate your professional growth with generous training budgets and mentorship, with a specific focus on Agentic AI expertise and the critical human skills required for the future of work.

Generous vacation policy: Work-life balance is key to our team’s success, so we offer flexible personal time off (PTO); allowing ample time away from work to promote overall well-being.

Customizable benefits: Tailor your extended health and dental plan to your needs, priorities, and preferences.

Flexible work arrangements: We work in a variety of ways, from remote, to in-office, to a blend of both.

APPLY is a safe, respectful, and inclusive community where differences are celebrated. We are committed to equal opportunity and fostering a workplace where everyone belongs. Learn more in our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) section. For recruitment accommodations, please email careers@applydigital.com.

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