Director, People and Culture

Upgrade helps customers move in the right direction with affordable and responsible financial products. Since 2017, we’ve helped over 7.5 million customers access over $42 billion in consumer credit. With a relentless focus on improving our customers' financial well-being, we build products that put more money in their pocket and support their journey toward a better financial future. We’re backed by some of the most prominent technology investors and were most recently valued at $7.3B.

We’re consistently recognized for our collaborative and inclusive culture. Most recently, we were named one of the World’s Top Fintech Companies by CNBC, Best Places to Work by Built In, Best Places to Work by the San Francisco Business Times, America’s Greatest Workplaces by Newsweek, Best Startup Employer by Forbes, and Healthiest Employers by Phoenix Business Journal. 

We’re looking for new team members who get excited about designing and delivering new and better products. Come join us and help build a better financial future for millions of people.

 

About the Role:

As the Director of People and Culture, you will be a transformational leader responsible for cultivating a purpose-driven, inclusive, and high-performing culture across the organization. You will lead and inspire a team of Culture Champions (HRBPs) and Employee Relations professionals, partnering with senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to drive strategies that elevate employee engagement, foster belonging, and promote a culture of continuous growth and innovation. This role is both strategic and operational, focused on aligning people practices with business outcomes, mitigating organizational risk, and enhancing the overall employee experience. This is an in-office role based in Phoenix, Arizona, reporting to the VP, People Operations, who is the top HR leader in the organization.

What You’ll Do:

• Champion the organization’s mission, vision, and values by embedding them into all people-related programs, policies, and initiatives.
• Lead the design and implementation of a cohesive people and culture strategy aligned with organizational goals, driving engagement, equity, and excellence at scale.
• Coach and mentor a high-performing team of HR professionals, building capability in employee relations, business partnership, and change management.
• Design and launch enterprise-level initiatives to measure and improve employee engagement, and sense of belonging.
• Leverage data and insights to shape strategies that enhance culture, reduce attrition, and boost employee satisfaction and performance.
• Develop and execute proactive employee relations strategies to foster a psychologically safe, respectful, and legally compliant work environment.
• Anticipate and mitigate risks by identifying trends and implementing preventative measures. Provide expert counsel to leaders on conflict resolution, complex case management, and employee investigations.
• Serve as the subject matter expert on employment law, ethics, and compliance, ensuring policies and practices meet evolving legal and regulatory requirements.
• Partner with Legal and HR leadership to assess, develop, and operationalize policies that mitigate risk and promote fairness and equity in the workplace.
• Identify current and future organizational capability needs. Partner with L&D to design impactful, inclusive training programs focused on leadership development, DEI, compliance, and performance enablement.
• Foster a culture of feedback, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Lead the development of dashboards and reporting tools that deliver actionable insights on employee relations, engagement, retention, and culture health.
• Drive data-informed decision-making by analyzing trends and advising on strategic interventions.
• Partner closely with Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, L&D, HR Operations, and senior business leaders to deliver seamless, employee-centric HR solutions.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the executive team, influencing people strategy and change initiatives across the enterprise.

 

What We Look For:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field (Master's degree preferred).
• 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in HR, with a focus on performance management., employee engagement, and e