Senior Manager, People Operations

Who are we?

Cohere is the leading security-first enterprise AI company. We build cutting-edge foundation AI models and end-to-end products that are designed to solve real-world business problems.

We’re training and deploying frontier models for enterprises who are building AI systems. We believe that our work is instrumental to the widespread adoption of AI and we are looking for folks that want to be part of that.

We obsess over what we build. Each one of us is responsible for contributing to increasing the capabilities of our models and the value they drive for our customers. Cohere is a team of researchers, engineers, designers, and more, who are all passionate about their craft.

We are a global technology company co-headquartered in Toronto and San Francisco, with key offices in London, New York City, Montreal, Seoul, Germany and Paris. Join us!

About this role

We’re hiring a (remote) Senior Manager, People Operations to lead and build the operational backbone of the People function at Cohere during a period of intense global scale.

This is not a “keep the lights on” People Ops role, rather a high-ownership, systems-building role with huge scope and greenfield opportunity.

Cohere is one of the leading AI companies in the world, with real enterprise traction, rapid product growth, and huge momentum. We’re scaling quickly and need someone who can help architect the infrastructure that allows the People organization to scale effectively across a globally distributed workforce spanning both remote employees and physical office locations.

This role will be the lead owner of People Operations at Cohere, and will build the team underneath them over time.

Right now, we have fragmented tooling, inconsistent workflows, emerging operational infrastructure, and huge opportunity to rethink how a modern AI-native People function should operate.

There are very few sacred cows here. This is a rare opportunity to redesign and modernize the operational foundation of the People organization at scale.

You’ll own

• People systems and workflows

• HRIS and operational tooling

• shared services/helpdesk infrastructure

• onboarding and employee lifecycle operations

• operational analytics and reporting

• operational process design and scalability

This role will build and lead the People Operations team.

We’re looking for someone who

• has 10+ years of experience in core People Operations roles

• has directly managed and built People Operations teams/functions

• has experience operating in hypergrowth environments during rapid scale

• has supported globally distributed organizations across multiple countries and regions

• loves systems thinking, operational design, and scalable infrastructure

• is highly automation and AI-minded

• enjoys building elegant solutions to messy operational problems

• can scale through systems and leverage, not just headcount

Note: This role can be based remotely or from one of our office locations - there is no minimum in-office requirement. We care most about hiring exceptional people regardless of location, though please check the location listed on the posting for guidance around the core time zone or working hours alignment expected for the role.

Cohere is committed to fair and transparent pay practices. The salary range listed for this role reflects the expected base compensation. Actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level, job-related knowledge, skills, education, and experience. $160,000 - $245,000 USD

Full-Time Employees at Cohere enjoy these Perks:

• A weekly lunch stipend of $75/£75 or equivalent in your local currency for lunch.

• Full health and dental benefits, including a separate budget for mental health.

• RRSP matching, 401K, Pension Scheme.

• 100% Parental Leave top-up for up to 6 months, for either parent.

• Annual enrichment benefits:

  Arts & culture, fitness/wellness, quality time, and a workspace improvement credit.

  Education & learning stipend for conferences, courses, and coaching.

• 6 weeks of paid vacation (30 working days!)

• Budget for traveling to other offices if you are remote, plus an annual company offsite.

How and Where We Work:

• Cohere is remote-friendly. We have offices in Toronto, San Francisco, New York City, London, Paris, Montreal, and more coming soon.

• For those in the office: a daily lunch program, plenty of snacks, and regular community and social events.

• For those not near an office: a co-working benefit so you can work alongside others in your city.

• Everyone receives a $500 home office stipend to set up your workspace properly.

If any of the above doesn’t line up exactly with your experience, we still encourage you to apply.

We strive to create an inclusive work environment for all; we welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to providing equal opportunities. Should you require any accommodations during the recruitment process, please submit an Accommodations Request Form, and we will work together to meet your needs.

We may use AI-enabled tools to screen and assess applicants against the criteria for this position. This helps our recruiters identify potentially qualified candidates, but it doesn't limit the applications our recruiters may review or consider.