Director of People Operations & Employee Relations

About 1Password

At 1Password, we’re building the foundation for a safe, productive digital future. Our mission is to unleash employee productivity without compromising security by ensuring every identity is authentic, every application sign-in is secure, and every device is trusted. We innovated the market-leading enterprise password manager and pioneered Extended Access Management, a new cybersecurity category built for the way people and AI agents work today. As one of the most loved brands in cybersecurity, we take a human-centric approach in everything from product strategy to user experience. Over 165,000 businesses and millions of people trust us to provide seamless, secure access to their most critical information. 

If you're excited about the opportunity to contribute to the digital safety of millions, to work alongside a team of curious, driven individuals, and to solve hard problems in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, then we want to hear from you. Come join us and help shape a safer, simpler digital future.

We’re looking for an experienced and strategic Director of People Operations & Employee Relations to lead critical components of our People function. In this role, you’ll oversee our business-facing People Operations team and build a robust Employee Relations (ER) function from the ground up. You'll ensure seamless day-to-day employee support, lead sensitive employee matters with integrity, and champion high-trust, compliant, and scalable people practices.

This is a pivotal opportunity to shape the infrastructure that underpins a distributed, high-performance culture in a company committed to security, privacy, and employee care.

This is a remote opportunity within Canada and the US.

What we're looking for:

• 8+ years of progressive HR experience, with a minimum of 4 years in employee relations, investigations, and HR compliance.

• 3+ years of leadership experience, managing and developing high-performing HR or ER professionals.

• Deep knowledge of U.S. and Canadian employment laws and their application in fast-paced, tech-forward environments; global experience is a strong plus.

• Proven experience building or scaling employee programs within a high-growth or highly regulated company, bonus points for fully distributed teams.

• Strong investigation skills and ability to lead complex, sensitive cases involving ethics, harassment, discrimination, and other critical issues.

• Exceptional communication and mediation skills with the ability to influence across all levels, including senior leadership.

• High integrity and discretion when managing confidential or sensitive information.

• Strategic mindset paired with strong execution capabilities; able to balance business risk, employee advocacy, and legal compliance.

• Collaborative approach and comfort working cross-functionally with Legal, HRBPs, Operations, and business leaders.

What you can expect:

People Operations Leadership

• Lead the business-facing People Operations team responsible for supporting employees and leaders across the employee lifecycle—including data management, policy interpretation, leave administration, and general intake support.

• Build and scale operational processes that ensure efficient, high-quality service delivery and a seamless employee experience.

• Foster strong collaboration across People Operations, HRBPs, and Centers of Excellence (COEs) to drive alignment, reduce friction, and improve people processes.

Employee Relations Strategy & Leadership

• Design and lead a proactive, scalable ER framework encompassing investigations, performance management, conflict resolution, and corrective actions.

• Serve as a senior advisor and escalation point for complex or high-risk employee relations matters; partner closely with Legal and HRBPs.

• Lead and continuously improve our approach to employee investigations, ensuring fairness, timeliness, thorough documentation, and legal compliance.

• Identify ER trends and risks through data and case tracking; present actionable insights to senior HR and business leaders.

• Develop and deliver training, resources, and toolkits to upskill HRBPs and people managers in employee relations best practices.

• Ensure alignment of ER strategies with employment laws across the U.S., Canada, and other jurisdictions as we scale globally.

Policy, Compliance & Risk Management

• Own the development, implementation, and ongoing review of HR policies, the employee handbook, and compliance documents in collaboration with Legal.

• Lead the annual review of key people documents such as offer letters, settlement agreements, and our Code of Conduct.

• Establish and track key HR metrics (attrition, exits, ) to evaluate effectiveness and inform continuous improvement.

• Ensure the organization is proactively compliant with relevant employment laws, reducing legal exposure while maintaining our culture of care and transparency.

HRBP & Organizational Support

• Act as a trusted advisor to HR Business Partners on complex ER matters, policy interpretation, and risk mitigation.

• Embed ER insights and frameworks into broader people strategies including performance management, talent planning, and change management.

• Drive consistency and clarity in the application of policies and programs through education and cross-functional collaboration.

USA-based roles only: The annual base salary for this role is between $188,000 USD and $254,000 USD, plus immediate participation in 1Password's benefits program (health, dental, 401k and many others), utilization of our generous paid time off, an equity grant and, where applicable, participation in our incentive programs.

Canada-based roles only: The annual base salary for this role is between $163,000 CAD and $221,000 CAD, plus immediate participation in 1Password’s generous benefits program (health, dental, RRSP and many others), utilization of our generous paid time off, an equity grant and, where applicable, participation in our incentive programs.

At 1Password, we approach each individual's compensation with a promise of fair market value and internal equity commensurate with experience and specific skill set.

Our culture
At 1Password, we prioritize collaboration, clear and transparent communication, receptiveness to feedback, and alignment with our core values: keep it simple, lead with honesty, and put people first.

You’ll be part of a team that challenges the status quo, and is excited to experiment and iterate in search of the best solution. That said, 1Password is not for everyone. Our work is demanding, we strive for excellence, and the pace is fast. We need people who are keen to take on challenging problems, who seek feedback to grow, and who are driven to make an impact. If you're looking for a place where you can settle into a comfortable routine, this might not be the right fit for you. We’re looking for individuals who are proven experts in their fields, as well as those who are highly adaptable, can thrive in ambiguity and through change, are curious, and above all deliver results.

We are committed to leveraging cutting-edge technology—including AI—to achieve our mission. We also understand that thinking critically about AI in its current forms will help us create better solutions for our customers and ourselves with its future forms, which will help us continue to close the gap between security and privacy and achieve our mission. We want team members at all levels to take the approach of actively learning AI best practices, identifying opportunities to apply AI in meaningful ways, and driving innovative solutions in their daily work. Embracing the future of AI isn't just encouraged at 1Password—it's an essential part of how we will be successful at 1Password.

Our approach to remote work
We believe in the power of remote work, but recognize that in-person connection is important to help us achieve our mission. While we are a remote-first company, travel for in-person engagement is a part of almost all roles, and we require our employees to be ready and willing to take part. Frequency will depend on role and responsibilities, and may include, but is not limited to: annual department-wide offsites, team meetings, and customer/industry events.

What we offer
We believe in working hard, and rewarding that hard work through our benefits. While not an exhaustive list, here is a glance at what we currently offer:

Health and wellbeing
👶 Maternity and parental leave top-up programs
🩺 Competitive health benefits
🏝 Generous PTO policy

Growth and future
📈 RSU program for most employees
💸 Retirement matching program
🔑 Free 1Password account

Community
🤝 Paid volunteer days
🏆 Peer-to-peer recognition through Bonusly
🌎 Remote-first work environment
*Some roles in our GTM team are currently being hired for in-person hybrid work in Toronto and Austin. These roles will specify on the posting.

You belong here.

1Password is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive, diverse and equitable workplace that is built on trust, support and respect. We welcome all individuals and do not discriminate on the basis of gender identity and expression, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, colour, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, marital status, pregnancy, sex, citizenship, education, languages spoken or veteran status. Be yourself, find your people and share the things you love.

Accommodation is available upon request at any point during our recruitment process. If you require an accommodation, please speak to your talent acquisition partner or email us at [email protected] and we’ll work to meet your needs.

Remote work is a part of our DNA. Given that our company was founded remotely in 2005, we can safely say we're experts at building remote culture. That said, remote work at 1Password does mean working from your home country. If you've got questions or concerns about this, your talent partner would be happy to address them with you.

Successful applicants will be required to complete a background check that may consist of prior employment verification, reference checks, education confirmation, criminal background, publicly available social media, credit history, or other information, as permitted by local law.

1Password uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies, including natural language processing and predictive analytics, to assist in the initial screening of employment applications and improve our recruitment process. See here for the latest third party bias audit information. If you prefer not to have your application assessed using AI/ML features, you may opt out by completing this form. For additional information see our Candidate Privacy Notice.