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Interim VP/Senior Director, People & Culture – North America

San Francisco or New York City

This role is hybrid and based in either San Francisco or New York City area with occasional travel as needed. This is a 6 Month Fixed Contract.

About you...  

You’re a strategic and hands-on People & Culture leader with a proven track record of guiding organizations through growth and transformation. With deep experience in core HR operations and a passion for building high-performing, value-driven teams, you bring both structure and heart to your work.

Trusted by senior leaders, you’re a clear communicator, thoughtful coach, and confident in navigating change. You know how to balance big-picture strategy with day-to-day execution, and you thrive in dynamic, fast-paced environments, especially those rooted in creativity and collaboration.

Whether rolling out initiatives in talent, engagement, or development, you bring clarity, empathy, and accountability. You’re ready to step into this interim role and make an immediate, lasting impact across Hotwire and ROI·DNA in North America.

About us... 

We are the pre-eminent global tech communications and marketing consultancy. We are a group of expert communicators and marketers who are fanatical about tech and are here to help businesses ignite their possibilities. Our local experience and global scale allow us to deliver bold but pragmatic guidance to tech companies all over the world.

When you work with us, we connect and support you in a way that allows you to achieve limitless success and career growth. For years now, we’ve been named a Best Place to Work by PR Week, PRNews and Crain’s New York.

When you work with us, we connect and support you in a way that allows you to achieve limitless success and career growth.  We are curious, ambitious and connected, but most of all we are one team working together to be the global alternative. At Hotwire, we aim to be the best consultancy our clients and our people will ever work with. At the heart of this ambition is our belief that you can achieve limitless success when working with Hotwire. We build this belief on three core pillars:

  1. We grow our culture with you
    We believe people are the heart of our business. Together, we create an environment where careers thrive, diverse perspectives are celebrated, and every team member feels empowered to grow, contribute, and lead. Your voice shapes the culture we’re proud of.
  2. We are connected by purpose and people
    Our global network is more than offices and time zones, we’re a united team driven by shared values and mutual respect. We foster connection and collaboration across borders, bringing together the best minds to support our people and clients with clarity, care, and consistency.
  3. We deliver a people-first experience
    We don’t just talk about culture; we design it intentionally. From onboarding to career development, from wellness to inclusion, we craft experiences that support our teams and elevate their impact. We lead with empathy, act with integrity, and yes, we have fun along the way.

We are looking for an exceptional People & Culture leader to join our North America team in a 6-month interim role, supporting Hotwire and ROI·DNA through a pivotal period of growth and transformation. 

The Interim People & Culture Lead sits on our North America Senior Leadership team and plays a critical role in driving our people strategy during a period of transformation. In this role, you’ll oversee core HR operations, guide employee experience initiatives, support organizational development, and provide strategic counsel to senior leadership across Hotwire and ROI·DNA. 

You’ll lead key priorities across talent, engagement, and change management, ensuring we have the right structures, systems, and culture in place to support business growth. You'll also help optimize our resourcing, support leadership development, and contribute to recruiting efforts that align with our future vision. This role partners closely with our global Chief People Officer to ensure alignment across regions and functions. 

Accountabilities 

People Leadership & Execution 

  • Lead day-to-day HR operations across North America, providing guidance and direction to the local P&C team and ensuring consistent delivery of services across Hotwire and ROI·DNA. 
  • Advise business leaders on employee performance, talent decisions, organizational structure, and people initiatives, ensuring alignment with business goals and cultural values.  

Business Partnering 

  • Serve as a trusted partner to the Hotwire CEO, North America; Managing Director, ROI·DNA; and senior leaders to align people strategies with business needs.  
  • Work closely with global P&C and local teams to deliver on global initiatives and processes including annual performance review and merit process, DEIB & Engagement Survey follow-up and action planning, company process improvement, new leader onboarding and learning and development initiatives. 

Talent Planning & Acquisition 

  • Oversee recruitment and onboarding process for key roles. Drive short-term talent planning efforts including succession risk reviews and 9-box updates.  
  • Collaborate with North America leadership and client teams to support the resourcing process across accounts, including active participation in weekly resourcing meetings to address performance issues, identifying talent and skill gaps, assessing recruitment needs, and communicating talent movements such as resignations, leaves, and staffing changes.  

Engagement & Culture 

  • Activate and scale initiatives that enhance employee engagement, belonging, and team connection. Provide continuity and ensure execution of programs supporting culture and experience. This includes DEIB initiatives, recognition programs, and Employee Engagement Survey feedback action planning.  

Performance & Development 

  • Support cyclical performance and development processes. Provide coaching to managers and ensure alignment with company frameworks.  
  • Provide strategic guidance and hands-on support for performance improvement plans, employee relations issues, and terminations to ensure fairness, compliance, and alignment with company values.  

Compensation & Benefits Support 

  • Lead or support annual compensation planning (merit, bonus, promotion), benefits administration, and pay equity reviews in partnership with the global CPO and PEO partners.  

Change & Communication 

  • Lead and communicate change initiatives tied to business or organizational shifts. Ensure employees feel informed, supported, and aligned.  

Compliance & Policy Guide  

  • Maintain compliance with employment laws and best practices across U.S. jurisdictions. Provide expert counsel on employee relations matters, partnering with legal counsel when necessary. 

HRIS Systems & Policy Guidance 

  • Use HR data and tools to track key metrics, support reporting, and enable better decision-making.  

You’ll Bring: 

  • 8-10 years of progressive HR leadership experience, ideally in professional services or fast-paced, high-growth environments 
  • Proven ability to operate both strategically and tactically within a dynamic and matrixed organization 
  • Strong knowledge of U.S. employment law and multi-state HR practices  
  • Demonstrated success in business partnering, team leadership, and change enablement  
  • Experience supporting cross-functional teams and working with global counterparts  
  • Highly collaborative, adaptable, and outcomes-oriented  
  • Proficient with HRIS platforms, Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, and communication tools  
  • Available to work across U.S. time zones, be on-site in the SF and/or NYC office locations 1-2 days per week and travel occasionally, if needed  

Why Us:

  • Flexibility – We understand that life doesn’t always fit around the 9-5; and that work/life integration is crucial. We expect our team members to be in the office at least 1-2 days per week on “Anchor Days” and as needed, dictated by business, team or client needs. 
  • Global Reach & Opportunity – You will have the opportunity to work within global teams and travel within the US and globally to connect with clients and colleagues.
  • Great Benefits - Strong benefits package includes paid time off, holidays, sick leave, cultural celebration days off, paid time off for community involvement, medical, dental and vision insurance, disability and life insurance, 401K match and a paid 6-week sabbatical after every 4 years of continuous employment. Hotwire offers a variety of bonus opportunities including business development, annual company bonuses and referral bonuses. Additional benefits include wellness allowance, internet, and phone reimbursement.
  • Development Opportunities – A strong learning and development program with training opportunities at all levels.
  • Autonomy – The freedom and support to be limitless, and the opportunity to own your career and create the future you want.
  • Variety – No day is the same as the last. Both within our own walls, and with our clients, we navigate change daily and there’s always an opportunity to stretch your skills, learn something new, seek out a new challenge, and gain expertise.
  • Our Amazing Team – We are connected, ambitious, and friendly. We don’t step on toes to get ahead, we build each other up, develop and teach each other and understand that each person’s individual success is a win for all.

We engage in Thoughtful Working, empowering our talent to determine the best way to work for our clients, our team and Hotwire every single day.  

Compensation Range: $131,500 - $197,300, depending on level of experience

The range listed is just one component of Hotwire’s total compensation package for employees, which includes bonus opportunities and a variety of benefits mentioned above. Hotwire takes into consideration a candidate’s education, training, and experience, as well as the position’s work location, expected work to be performed, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees. A potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions,

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