The People Partner at SwiftSku is the whole function in one person — running the systems that keep the company compliant and organised, while also being the adviser managers turn to when they have a performance conversation to navigate or a team structure that isn’t working. You will be in the HRMS at 1pm and in a sensitive ER conversation at 8pm. That’s the role.

The role sits at the intersection of people, process, and systems — and is critical to delivering a reliable employee experience at scale.

We need someone who has scaled people functions before, not at a 5,000 person company with 20 HRBPs, but at a company that looked a lot like us — a 50+ headcount and growing steadily: fast, distributed, ambitious. Someone who can set up the infrastructure that lets us hire well, retain the people who drive outcomes, and build managers who don’t need hand-holding.

This is a builder role, not a maintainer role. If you need a fully staffed HR team and mature processes to do your best work — this isn’t the right fit.

WHO YOU ARE

You have 8–15 years of HR/People experience , with meaningful experience owning a broad HR function in a growing organisation
You have built or significantly improved HR infrastructure in a company that was scaling fast, you know what corners to cut and which ones you can't
You have worked closely with founders and senior leaders and are comfortable being their people adviser, not just an HR service provider
You to understand the business, team and context before jumping to a solution
You think in systems, not transactions
Y ou solve the root problem, not the symptom You are direct with founders and leaders, you give your view, disagree openly when needed, and commit fully once a decision is made
You don't need a large HR team to do the work well. You can execute alongside the people you're enabling
You are credible on the technical details, employment law, compensation mechanics, HRMS administration, payroll and compliance, without getting lost in them
You care about people's outcomes. You measure yourself by what actually changes, not by programs launched
You are comfortable operating in ambiguity and building structure where there isn't a perfect playbook
You can move seamlessly between strategic people decisions and hands-on execution

WHAT WE OFFER

A seat at the leadership table, not a support function that gets consulted after decisions are made
Direct ownership of the People function, with the opportunity to shape how it evolves as SwiftSku grows
The scope to improve and build the people function with leadership that will back the right calls
Competitive compensation with meaningful equity, we will share the upside with the people who build it
A company that genuinely cares for its people, the decisions you make will help define the culture for years

ROLE DETAILS

People Infrastructure

The foundation that makes everything else possible

Own and continuously improve the people operations framework: processes, policies, employment structures and employee lifecycle
Own Keka as the HR system of record: data integrity, workflows, reporting and adoption
Maintain and improve documentation standards across the employee lifecycle
Own payroll operations and ensure payroll inputs, validation and processing are accurate and timely Identify gaps in existing people infrastructure and build simple, scalable solutions
Ensure the company remains compliant as we grow across locations and geographies

HR Business Partnership
Strategic counsel to leadership and founders

Act as a trusted adviser to f ounders and the leadership team on people matters
Partner with leaders on organisational decisions, team health, performance, difficult cases and growth trade-offs
Make people data useful: surface patterns, flag risks and present options
Own sensitive Employee Relations matters end-to-end: investigations, documentation and resolution, with consistency and without unnecessary escalation
Represent the employee perspective in leadership decisions, not as a blocker, but as someone who helps the company make better calls
Spend time with leaders to understand their teams and help them become better managers
Build credibility across the organisation so employees and managers see People as a trusted partner

Culture & Engagement
Distributed by structure, connected by intention

Own the engagement signal: pulse cadence, synthesis and action, not just survey scores, but what changes because of them
Build and improve the rituals and systems that sustain culture as we grow
Own recognition and engagement initiatives that are meaningful rather than performative
Maintain a flight-risk radar and work with leaders on proactive retention before people have already decided to leave
Be the honest voice in the room about culture drift: call it when you see it, propose solutions and track whether they're working

Compensation, Payroll & Rewards

Own payroll operations end-to-end, ensuring inputs are collected, validated and processed accurately and on time
Build and maintain compensation bands that provide consistency across offers, promotions and raises
Partner with leadership on compensation decisions and ensure they are grounded in a clear framework
Build and manage the annual compensation review process
Review and improve the benefits approach as the organisation scales

Talent & Hiring

Partner with hiring managers and leadership to define role scopes, success profiles and hiring bars before roles open
Partner with the TA function to ensure hiring processes are structured, consistent and aligned with organisational needs
Work with leadership on workforce planning and anticipate future people requirements 2 - 3 quarters ahead rather than reacting to headcount pressure
Own and continuously improve the new hire experience, from offer acceptance through onboarding and early integration
Ensure new employees understand how the organisation works, what is expected of them and how they can succeed

Manager Effectiveness

Define what good management looks like at this company: expectations, cadences, and non-negotiables, and make them explicit, not assumed
Build the enablement layer: toolkits, templates, and coaching that give managers what they need to run their teams well (1:1s, feedback, performance conversations, hiring decisions)
Coach managers through feedback, performance conversations, hiring decisions and difficult people situations
Diagnose manager gaps systematically and drive structured improvement plans with accountability, not just advice
Build a feedback loop between team health signals and manager behaviour, so problems surface before they become attrition

Performance & Org Design

Own the performance cadence: lightweight, consistent, and actually run
Drive goal-setting discipline across the org: every employee knows what they’re accountable for and how their work connects to company outcomes
Support leaders on performance decisions — not by making the call for them, but by ensuring they have the right framework, documentation, and consistency
Advise leadership on org design: team structure, role clarity, decision rights, and span of control — especially during rapid headcount growth
Build and maintain clear career paths so employees understand how they can grow within the organisation
Develop succession planning for critical roles and capabilities as the organisation matures
Own the improvement and exit framework: structured, documented, and executed fairly across geographies
Help leadership identify where the organisation needs more structure, where it needs less, and what should change as we scale

People Programs & Compliance

Own and continuously improve core people policies and processes rather than creating complexity for its own sake
Identify future People priorities, including L&D, as the organisation's needs evolve
Oversee POSH compliance and the internal committee

People Partner

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