Head of People Operations

Why we exist:

Swarmer develops software that makes drones autonomous and allows them to operate together, in large, coordinated teams — no pilots needed. Our technology has been battle-tested in Ukraine— the world’s most intense proving ground for drone warfare.

In March 2026, we became the first Ukrainian defense startup to go public on NASDAQ, following a $15M Series A — the largest investment in a Ukrainian defense tech company since the start of the war.

Working at Swarmer means operating at the intersection of engineering rigor and frontline reality. The problems and environments are complex, and the stakes are very real. We built this software to enable democratic nations to defend themselves.

If you are motivated by building resilient systems that matter and by seeing the direct impact of your work, you’ll find purpose here.

Who we’re looking for:

We are looking for a Head of People Operations to lead the People Operations function across three jurisdictions—building and managing the team that runs the employee lifecycle, payroll and benefits coordination, HRIS, and policy administration to a public-company standard—so that HR operations scale reliably with the organization and HR leadership capacity is released for organizational design, talent strategy, and executive-level work.

What you’ll do:

• Lead and develop the People Operations team across Ukraine, Poland, and the US: set priorities, define service levels and quality standards, and grow the team's capability as the organization scales.

• Own the HRIS (HiBob) as the system of record, delivered through the team: data integrity, workflow configuration, access management, and audit-ready employee records across all entities.

• Oversee the full onboarding and offboarding lifecycle across all three jurisdictions, ensuring the team executes consistently with EOR and payroll partners in each country.

• Ensure accurate, timely monthly payroll inputs and benefits administration: establish the controls, assign team accountabilities, and hold documented sign-off.

• Own policy administration as a managed system: maintain the policy map, assign ownership of country-specific addenda within the team, and run a controlled process for policy exceptions.

• Own the HR compliance calendar — allocate and track statutory filings, records retention, and documentation standards that meet public-company audit expectations.

• Partner with Legal on employment documentation, contract templates, and jurisdiction-specific labor law requirements.

• Operationalize frameworks designed with the HR Director — plan, delegate, and quality-control the execution of compensation cycles, performance review logistics, calibration scheduling, and record-keeping.

• Continuously improve People Operations processes: design the process architecture, and coach the team to identify friction, document workflows, and build lightweight, auditable solutions that scale.

What we need:

• Proven experience building and running end-to-end HR lifecycle processes at scale—treats operational reliability as a product.

• Strong command of a modern HRIS (HiBob or comparable): access control, data governance, reporting.

• Working knowledge of employment compliance across at least two jurisdictions, with the judgment to escalate to Legal early and stay mindful of local operational context.

• Ability to turn informal practices into documented, auditable processes—knowing when to add structure and when to leave room for flexibility.

• Track record of working effectively with Finance, Legal, and external vendors across multiple locations.

• Experience leading a distributed People Operations team: clear priorities, useful feedback, accountability for service quality.

What you’ll get:

• Mission-driven role in a company building technology that directly supports Ukrainian and global defense capabilities.

• High-performance, no-bureaucracy culture built on transparency, trust, and autonomy.

• Hybrid work model (Kyiv office + remote flexibility).

• Competitive salary and a full benefits package: medical insurance, paid sick leave, 20 paid business days off per year.

• Benefits of the defense sector (reservation, etc).

How’s the hiring process going:

✔️Recruiter Screen → ✔️Technical Interview →✔️Final Interview → ✔️Security Check → ✔️Offer Call

Ready to Apply?