Chief People Officer – Santa Monica, CA

Tala is on a mission to unleash the economic power of the Global Majority – the 4 billion people overlooked by existing financial systems. With nearly half a billion dollars raised from equity and debt, we are serving millions of customers across three continents. Tala has been named by the Fortune Impact 20 list, CNBC’s Disruptor 50 five years in a row, CNBC’s World’s Top Fintech Company, Forbes’ Fintech 50 list for eight years running, and Chief’s The New Era of Leadership Award. We are expanding across product offerings, countries, and crypto and are looking for people who have an entrepreneurial spirit and are passionate about our m ission. By creating a unique platform that enables lending and other financial services around the globe, people in emerging markets are able to start and expand small businesses, manage day-to-day needs, and pursue their financial goals with confidence. Currently, over nine million people across Kenya, the Philippines, Mexico, and India have used Tala products. Due to our global team, we have a remote-first approach, and also have offices in Santa Monica, CA (HQ); Nairobi, Kenya; Mexico City, Mexico; Manila, the Philippines; and Bangalore, India. Most Talazens join us because they connect with our mission. If you are energized by the impact you can make at Tala, we’d love to hear from you! Tala is at a rare and pivotal moment. We have built a globally recognized, mission-driven business that has already positively impacted millions of lives. Now, as we prepare for our next chapter, we are seeking a transformational People leader to be the architect. This is not a role for a caretaker; this is an opportunity to build, evolve, and scale a global People function that will power our mission for years to come, balancing and maintaining what’s core to our culture with the rigor of a world-class public company. Responsibilities • Executive Partnership & Talent Strategy: Design and launch a comprehensive talent management system that covers the full employee lifecycle—from acquisition to development and retention—to ensure we’re staffed for success • Organizational Design & Effectiveness: Lead initiatives to evolve our organizational structure, ensuring we are designed for speed, accountability, and scale. Drive our talent calibration and performance management philosophies to foster a culture of high performance. • Culture & Employee Engagement: Act as the primary champion for Tala’s culture and values. Develop and implement strategies to measure and enhance employee engagement, ensuring Tala remains a destination for top talent. • Total Rewards & IPO Readiness: Oversee the design and administration of all total rewards programs (compensation, equity, benefits) to ensure they are competitive and aligned with a public company framework. Lead the People team’s contribution to all aspects of the S-1 filing and subsequent public company operations. • People Operations, Systems & Analytics: Build a scalable, data-driven People Operations function that provides seamless support to our global employee base. Optimize our HR tech stack to deliver powerful insights and manage talent effectively. • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): Drive our global DEI strategy, fostering an inclusive environment that reinforces our position as an equal opportunity employer and reflects the diverse customers we serve. • Talent Acquisition & Management: Lead a best-in-class global talent acquisition function capable of attracting and hiring exceptional, diverse talent across all functions, from corporate to large-scale operational teams. Requirements • 10+ years of progressive People/HR experience, with at least 5 years in the senior-most People leadership role (VP or CPO) for a rapidly growing, global organization. • Proven track record of building and leading high-performing, globally distributed People teams. • Deep expertise in designing executive compensation and equity strategies for pre- and post-IPO companies. • Demonstrated ability to be a trusted advisor to the CEO and executive team with exceptional communication, low ego, and high empathy. • Experience in organizations with diverse employee populations, including corporate, technical, and large-scale operational teams (e.g., contact centers). Preferred Skills & Experience • Experience in the fintech or high-growth technology sectors. Hands-on experience in, or a deep passion for, emerging markets. • Direct, hands-on experience leading a company through a significant scaling event, such as an IPO or a period of hyper-growth. $325,000 – $375,000 a year We strongly believe that inclusion fosters innovation, and we’re proud to have a diverse team with various backgrounds and experiences. We focus on hiring talented people regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Apply tot his job Apply tot his job