Director of Global Human Resources at Percona

Position Overview

At Percona, the Director of Global Human Resources plays a pivotal role in ensuring the seamless operation of core HR functions across a globally distributed workforce of fewer than 400 staff in approximately 50 countries. This unique, genuinely global position serves as a trusted advisor to staff, contractors, and managers throughout the entire employee lifecycle, from onboarding to offboarding. Reporting to the SVP of Global HR and collaborating with Talent Acquisition and Learning & Development, the Director embodies a proactive, adaptable, and solutions-oriented business partner mindset. Success in this role requires intellectual curiosity to understand underlying issues, confidence in navigating ambiguity and complexity, and a continuous drive to enhance the HR experience for employees worldwide.

Key Responsibilities

• Stay informed on emerging HR trends and evolving workforce expectations, providing insights for workforce planning, leadership development, team effectiveness, and organizational design.
• Address people and workplace challenges with intellectual curiosity, exploring the “why” behind behaviors and deepening knowledge of diversity, neurodiversity, communication styles, and global cultural differences to offer informed guidance.
• Oversee day-to-day Core HR operations, leading and developing a global team while fostering empowerment and accountability.
• Build trusted relationships and act as a senior HR business partner to directors and executive leaders, applying sound judgment and HR expertise to facilitate alignment and sustainable change.
• Guide managers through sensitive staff relations, workplace concerns, conflict resolution, performance issues, and investigations with fairness, discretion, and sound judgment.
• Navigate the complexities of a global workforce of employees and long term contractors, promoting a consistent and equitable staff experience while addressing varied employment requirements and engaging local expertise.
• Anticipate organizational needs and continuously refine Global HR programs to support growth, identifying areas for improvement, simplification, automation, or delegation.
• Oversee the entire staff lifecycle, from onboarding to offboarding, partnering with Talent Acquisition for smooth transitions and strong onboarding experiences.
• Lead core HR programs and operations, including compensation and bonus administration, policy development, leave management, HR communications, and other essential staff programs.
• Facilitate immigration and relocation matters as needed, coordinating with staff, managers, and external partners for compliant transitions.
• Oversee Leadership and Citizenship development camps within Percona’s Learning & Development program, collaborating with stakeholders for other program areas.
• Manage global benefits and well-being programs, including vendor relationships, renewals, enrollment, staff education, and support. This includes facilitating Percona’s U.S. 401(k) investment committee and managing the plan provider relationship.
• Lead the performance management program, ensuring its integration with compensation and Learning & Development initiatives.
• Oversee HR systems, workflows, data integrity, reporting, and people analytics, utilizing technology and automation to streamline processes, identify trends, and improve decision-making.
• Act as a change agent, identifying needs and opportunities across the organization, and partnering with the SVP of Global HR to translate emerging issues into practical strategies and coordinated action.
• Champion Percona’s culture and values, strengthening its reputation as an exceptional workplace.

Required Experience and Qualifications

• 8-12 years of progressive human resources experience, with at least five years in an HR leadership capacity.
• Significant experience supporting a global workforce, particularly within a globally distributed organization with a substantial U.S. staff presence.
• Comprehensive HR generalist experience spanning staff relations, benefits, compensation, performance management, compliance, HR operations, and the employee lifecycle.
• Broad experience as a global employment practices generalist, demonstrating exposure to employment requirements across multiple countries and the ability to apply judgment to determine when local expertise is needed.
• Proven experience leading and developing HR staff.
• Experience overseeing or contributing to Learning & Development programs, especially those focused on leadership and culture.
• Strong HR systems, reporting, and process improvement expertise.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including active listening, synthesizing complex information, and providing clear recommendations.
• Sound judgment, strong organizational abilities, and the capacity to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• SPHR, SHRM-SCP, CIPD, or an equivalent HR certification.
• Experience supporting a fully remote workforce.
• Experience supporting staff in Canada, India, the UK, and multiple European countries.
• Experience working with a workforce composed of both employees and contractors.
• Experience improving HR operations through technology, automation, and people analytics.
• Experience designing or facilitating leadership and organizational citizenship development programs.

Work Style and Culture Fit

The ideal candidate brings global awareness, sound judgment, curiosity, and a strong sense of ownership. You are analytical yet creative, organized yet adaptable, and confident in operating through ambiguity. You communicate with diplomacy and candor, consistently follow through on commitments, and actively seek clearer and more effective ways to work.

About Percona

Percona believes in an open world, committed to enabling innovation through the best open source database software, support, and services. They help databases and applications run more efficiently with their unique blend of expertise and open source software, built collaboratively with the community. Their technical teams are experts in MySQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, and MariaDB.

Percona proudly operates as a remote only and globally dispersed workforce, with colleagues in over 50 countries. They offer a collaborative, highly engaged culture where ideas are valued and voices are heard. Employees receive generous benefits including flexible work hours, various paid time off programs, remote office equipment, funds for career development (training, certifications, conferences), ongoing connectivity allowances, and the opportunity to participate in their equity incentive plan. Benefits supporting work life balance include The Percona Adventure Team, Work from Anywhere, FlowDays, FryDays, and overall flexibility. Percona also supports social responsibility through its PAVE volunteering program and Women Transforming Technology initiatives. If you are passionate about working with a high growth tech company recognized globally as a leader in the open source database space, Percona encourages you to connect.