People Operations Lead

Role Overview

As the People Operations Lead at Turaco, you are the engine room of the People function — the person who converts HR processes into completed work, country by country, and keeps the employee lifecycle running smoothly across every market we operate in. You carry the daily load of recruiting, payroll, contracting, and documentation while directly managing a small team of People Operations Associates, so that routine work gets handled without the People Operations Manager needing to touch every detail. Your reliability in execution is what frees the wider People team to focus on projects and judgment calls, and what keeps Turaco moving at speed as we grow.

Key Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end recruitment for short-term hires and Customer Operations Associate roles — sourcing, screening, interviewing, and extending offers — while coordinating scheduling, shortlisting, and candidate communication for all remaining vacancies on behalf of the People Operations Manager.
• Keep the applicant tracking system accurate and up to date, giving hiring managers a clear, current view of pipeline movement at any point in the process.
• Prepare monthly payroll for your assigned markets, partnering with Finance and external payroll providers, and research plus apply the statutory and tax rules that govern payroll and benefits in each market.
• Manage the full contracting cycle: offer letters, renewals, confirmation of employment, and role-change documentation.
• Coordinate work permits, visas, and related paperwork for cross-border staff moves and expatriate hires.
• Deliver onboarding and offboarding end to end — first-day logistics, paperwork, the welcome experience, exit checklists, and exit interviews.
• Monitor leave utilisation and flag patterns of under- or over-use to line managers.
• Lead and support a team of People Operations Associates: assign work, review quality, unblock day-to-day obstacles, approve their proposed resolutions to routine HR matters, and escalate anything unusual to the People Operations Manager.
• Coordinate the logistics of performance review cycles, including reminders, form tracking, and documentation, and execute the culture and engagement initiatives designed by the People Operations Manager.

Requirements & Qualifications

• 3–5 years of generalist HR or People Operations experience, ideally with exposure to payroll spanning multiple countries or legal entities.
• Experience managing at least one direct report, or demonstrable readiness to step into people management.
• Background in a startup or fast-growth environment is strongly preferred.
• Comfort operating with ambiguity and doing hands-on, detail-heavy work — this is an execution role rather than a policy-design role.
• Practical experience with an HRIS and ATS (such as Breezy, BambooHR, or SeamlessHR); the People function here is highly automated.
• Confidence working with AI tools and a genuine interest in directing them well — we see fluency here as a real capability and efficiency advantage.
• Bachelor's degree in Management, Commerce, or a related field; an HR certification such as IHRM or CHRP is an added advantage.

What We Offer / Why Join

• Compensation: a competitive salary, set in line with your experience.
• Benefits: a comprehensive package that includes stock options, pension, and healthcare.
• Culture: a workplace that genuinely lives its values — pushing boundaries, working with excellence, and profound respect for the individual.
• Impact: your execution keeps the People function moving without escalation on every detail, which is exactly what allows the team to take on bigger projects.