Director, People Rewards, Operations & Systems

ABOUT THE ROLE This is a founding role on Suno's new People Team, sitting at the intersection of strategy, infrastructure and experience design. This role is ideal for an HR leader with a sharp, progressive outlook on how total rewards, compensation, benefits, and operations can play in scaling organizations at the frontier of entertainment and AI. You're motivated to push beyond what “great” looks like in this space and build this function from the ground up. This role reports to Suno's Head of People and will sit on her Leadership Team. We are not looking for a traditional Head of Comp or a transactional HR Ops leader. We are looking for a systems architect. A builder. An operator with taste. Someone who believes rewards are culture encoded in numbers. That operations are product. That systems are leverage. That AI should give people time back — not create more noise. Ultimately, you are accountable for building a function that is automated, compliant, and human-centered. Applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S. This role requires working onsite in either our NYC or San Francisco or Cambridge office. Check out the Suno version of this role here! https://suno.com/s/p7PRH7eipVWQ82FQ WHAT YOU’LL BUILD Compensation & Benefits — Designing Rewards That Drive Performance You will design and lead Suno’s comprehensive Total Rewards strategy, ensuring our compensation and benefits programs attract, retain, and motivate world-class talent in one of the most competitive markets. You will: - Define and continuously refine Suno’s compensation philosophy in alignment with our performance culture and long-term business strategy. - Design and administer salary bands, leveling architecture, annual incentive plans, and long-term equity programs. - Support executive compensation and equity strategy in partnership with Finance and Legal. - Conduct rigorous pay equity analysis and compensation benchmarking across AI, tech, and creative industries. - Develop clear compensation communication frameworks that build trust and understanding. - Own equity administration and vendor partnerships. - Lead open enrollment and ongoing benefits design, broker selection, and vendor negotiations. - Ensure our benefits reflect Suno’s values while remaining cost-effective and competitive. - Contribute to headcount modeling, budget forecasting, and cost scenario planning. People Operations — Making the Employee Lifecycle Frictionless Your mandate: build simple, scalable, compliant systems that give employees and managers time back. You will: - Develop best-in-class standard operating procedures across the employee lifecycle: onboarding, offboarding, employment verification, leave administration, immigration, relocation, compliance, and documentation. - Establish strong partnerships with Payroll and Legal to ensure seamless compliance and reporting. - Create clear policies and internal controls that mitigate risk without slowing momentum. - Ensure compliance across key jurisdictions (primarily CA, MA, and NY). - Lead audits and documentation processes with rigor and clarity. - Build a service model that prioritizes responsiveness, clarity, and UX. - Drive continuous improvement through process redesign and automation. - Lead change management efforts tied to new rewards programs or operational upgrades. People Systems — Building an AI-Native Infrastructure You will own the design, implementation, and evolution of Suno’s People technology stack. You are hands-on with AI. You do not delegate experimentation — you lead it. You will: - Lead migration or overhaul of HRIS systems where needed. - Manage HRIS architecture, integrations, upgrades, and automation. - Identify service improvements through integrations, data pipelines, and workflow automation. - Partner with Corporate IT and Legal to ensure system security and data governance. - Develop and maintain employee data privacy standards and compliance frameworks. - Build dashboards and analytics that surface meaningful insights — not vanity metrics. - Use AI tools to model scenarios, automate workflows, generate reporting, and improve service quality. - Continuously experiment with automation to increase leverage and reduce manual work. WHO YOU ARE You think in systems. You design for user experience. You instinctively ask: “How do we make this 10x simpler?” You are: - Deeply business fluent — you understand budgets, financial tradeoffs, and growth models. - Highly analytical and comfortable modeling compensation scenarios and workforce costs. - Technically savvy — comfortable with HRIS architecture, integrations, and automation tools. - UX-oriented — you care how policies feel, not just how they function. - Comfortable balancing compliance rigor with startup speed. - Hands-on with AI tools and motivated to embed automation into daily workflows. - A strong people leader who can teach, mentor, and elevate a small but high-performing team. - Comfortable operating at both 30,000 feet and in the spreadsheet. WHAT YOU’VE DONE - 10+ years of progressive experience in Total Rewards, People Operations, Systems, or related leadership roles. - At least 5 years leading compensation and benefits strategy. - Demonstrated experience in executive compensation, equity strategy, and incentive design. - Led or materially contributed to an HRIS migration or major systems overhaul. - Built or transformed People Operations processes in a high-growth environment. - Demonstrated hands-on AI adoption to automate or enhance workflows. - Strong working knowledge of U.S. employment law and compliance (CA, MA, NY experience preferred). - Experience in high-growth technology or consumer companies; AI or creative tech experience is a plus. - Demonstrated experience managing global vendors and cross-functional partnerships. - Proven experience leading and developing high-performing teams. WHY THIS ROLE IS DIFFERENT Most rewards and operations roles maintain systems. This role invents them. You will build the architecture that enables Suno to scale responsibly, competitively, and intelligently. You will shape how compensation drives culture. How automation creates leverage. How compliance protects velocity. How systems give people time back to focus on creative and technical excellence. If you are motivated by building foundational infrastructure at the frontier of AI and entertainment — not just administering programs — this is your role. PERKS & BENEFITS - Company Equity Package - 401(k) with 3% Employer Match & Roth 401(k) - Medical, Dental, & Vision Insurance (PPO w/ HSA & FSA options) - 11 Paid Holidays + Unlimited PTO & Sick Time - 16 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave - Creative Education Stipend - Generous Commuter Allowance - In-Office Lunch (5 days per week) Suno is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital or family status, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis under provincial, federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances. We will also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of state and local laws, including the Massachusetts Fair Chance in Employment Act, NYC Fair Chance Act, LA City Fair Chance Ordinance, and San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.