People Technology Lead (HR Systems)

Who We Are

NEXT Ventures is where ambition takes shape and momentum becomes movement. As a global platform revolutionising access to performance-based capital, we empower the world’s most driven individuals to rise. Through our flagship brand, FundedNext, we empower dreamers to become doers, and potential to turn into performance. With 500+ driven minds across five countries, we power a global rhythm 220,000+ daily users from 170+ nations, each chasing greatness in their own way.

Your Role in Our Mission

As the Lead, you’ll own the vision, direction, and delivery of the entire People technology ecosystem at NEXT Ventures. You’ll set the strategy for how People systems, platforms, and data serve the business  and guide the team that builds and runs them.

Your scope covers everything from core HR platform operations and data governance to custom-built internal platforms, OKR and performance management systems, AI-powered automation, and people analytics. You’ll define what gets built, how it’s architected, and in what order then direct the team to deliver it.

Reporting directly to the Chief People Officer, you’ll be the single point of ownership for People technology: translating business and HR strategy into a technology roadmap, making build-vs-buy decisions, setting engineering and data standards, and ensuring every system your team ships moves the organisation forward.

This role is about direction and ownership, not solo execution. You set the course, define the standards, remove the blockers, and hold the bar. But you need to be technically fluent enough to make sharp calls on architecture, data, and AI you can’t guide what you can’t evaluate.

How You’ll Make an Impact

Strategic Direction & Roadmap Ownership

• Define and own the People Technology roadmap spanning platform operations, custom system development, OKR management, performance systems, AI/agentic automation, and people analytics.

• Set the technical vision and architectural direction for the function; ensure every system decision aligns with where the business is headed.

• Make build-vs-buy and vendor decisions; advise the CPO on technology investment, platform strategy, and long-term architecture.

• Identify and eliminate technical debt, duplication, and fragmentation across the portfolio proactively.

Process Ownership & Governance

• Own and continuously improve the processes that keep People systems reliable, accurate, and compliant - data governance, system administration standards, change management, and release practices.

• Establish and enforce standards for data integrity, privacy, and security across all People platforms and operating jurisdictions.

• Define how requirements flow from business stakeholders into the team’s backlog: intake, scoping, prioritisation, and delivery cadence.

• Own the end-to-end lifecycle of People technology from ideation and requirements through architecture, build, deployment, and ongoing maintenance.

Platform & Systems Oversight

• Direct the administration, configuration, and evolution of the core HR tech stack ensuring platform availability, data accuracy, and a seamless experience for HR and end users.

• Guide the development and scaling of custom-built internal platforms, including the proprietary HR portal and associated tools.

• Oversee the OKR platform (company, department, team, and individual OKR management) and the Performance platform (grading, metrics, PIP/PSP workflows), ensuring both evolve with organisational needs.

• Direct the automation of HR lifecycle workflows onboarding, offboarding, probation, leave, approvals across systems.

AI, Agentic Systems & Innovation

• Set the direction for AI and agentic automation across the function deciding where LLM integrations, agent workflows, and intelligent automation create real operational leverage.

• Guide the team in building, deploying, and hardening AI-powered tools and features into production-grade systems.

• Lead AI enablement for HR personnel directing training programs on tools like any AI so non-technical users can apply AI in their workflows.

• Stay current with emerging HR technology, AI tooling, and platform trends; bring the outside in and translate it into actionable direction for the team.

Reporting, Analytics & Insight

• Own executive-level People dashboards and reporting headcount, turnover, attrition, retention, OKR progress, performance distribution, flight risk, and workforce planning.

• Ensure the team delivers actionable, decision-ready insight to leadership, not just data.

• Direct the build of self-service analytics and reporting capabilities for HR and business users.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team - setting priorities, quality standards, and ways of working.

• Build a high-performance culture where builders ship quality work, grow their skills, and take ownership.

• Define and track team OKRs across delivery, data quality, platform reliability, automation coverage, and innovation.

• Build capability, succession, and career paths within the function as scope and headcount scale.

• Guide individual contributors through technical and professional growth  coaching, code and architecture review, and structured feedback.

Stakeholder Management & Alignment

• Partner with HR, IT, Data/Analytics, Finance, and business leaders to ensure People technology is aligned to organisational objectives.

• Act as the single point of accountability for People technology delivery to the CPO and HR leadership.

• Translate business requirements into clear technical direction for the team; translate technical constraints back to stakeholders without losing fidelity.

• Drive adoption, training, and change management across the organisation for every system the team ships.

What You Bring

• 5+ years in HR technology, People systems, or a related engineering/platform leadership role, including at least 2 years directing a team.

• Experience owning a People technology roadmap end to end — strategy, prioritisation, architecture decisions, and delivery accountability.

• Hands-on experience with HRIS platforms (HiBob, BambooHR, Workday, Workable etc.), ATS (Recruitee, Greenhouse, SmartRecruiters), and performance management systems - not just as a user, but as someone who has configured, integrated, or built on them.

• Technical fluency across the full stack: backend, frontend, APIs, databases, and DevOps. You can evaluate architecture, review technical trade-offs, and hold your team to a high bar even if you’re not writing production code daily.

• Proven experience directing the build of custom platforms, internal tools, or AI-powered systems from concept to production.

• Working knowledge of AI/LLM integrations, agentic automation, and applied AI in a business context.

• Experience with OKR frameworks, performance management systems, or people analytics platforms ideally having directed the build or deep configuration of one.

• Strong stakeholder management and communication across technical and non-technical audiences from engineering reviews to CPO-level strategy.

• Working understanding of data privacy and security regulations across multiple jurisdictions.

Your X-Factor

• You give direction, not just tasks. Your team knows why they’re building something, not just what.

• You’re technically fluent enough to be dangerous. You don’t write every line, but you can challenge an architecture, spot a shortcut, and know when something is built well.

• You think in platforms, not projects. Every system your team ships is part of a whole that will still make sense a year from now.

• You bridge HR and engineering fluently, you understand what an HRBP needs and what a developer needs, and you translate between them without losing fidelity.

• You own outcomes, not activity. You measure your function by what it delivers to the business, not by how busy it looks.

Your Journey After Applying

• Stage 1: Screening call with the Talent Acquisition team.

• Stage 2: Strategic discussion with the Chief People Officer  vision for People Technology, leadership approach, and how you’d set direction for the function.

• Stage 3: Final interview with the Chief People Officer and senior leadership.

• Stage 4: Peer Session with the Team.

Why Join NEXT

At NEXT Ventures, people are our greatest advantage and our boldest investment. Here, HR isn’t a support function; it’s a growth engine. You’ll lead a People Technology function that builds the systems powering how a fast-scaling, multi-country fintech manages its most important asset: its people.

You won’t inherit a finished playbook. You’ll write it setting the vision, the architecture, and the culture for how People technology works at NEXT. If you want to own the direction, lead a team of builders, and see your decisions shape how 500+ people work across five countries, this is where you do it.

Your next big move starts here.