VP of People (Remote, US) - Maze

About Maze

Maze is the user research platform that helps companies build the right products faster by making user insights available at the speed of product development.

Our platform enables researchers, designers, and product managers to quickly recruit participants, run studies autonomously, and surface insights that drive product decisions. Maze is a Series B company backed by top-tier investors (Felicis, Emergence & Amplify), operating a global remote workforce supporting customers like Uber, Amazon, Atlassian, and Anthropic.

The Opportunity

Maze is looking for a VP of People to lead our global People function and serve as a strategic partner to our CEO and executive team.

We're entering a new chapter as we continue to grow our core business while building new opportunities in AI-powered research. We are looking for someone who understands that a great People function is both a strategic business partner and an operationally excellent team—equally comfortable advising the CEO on organizational strategy, coaching a manager through a difficult conversation, and rolling up their sleeves to solve a problem.

About the Role

Reporting directly to our CEO, you'll be a member of Maze's executive team and lead a small, experienced People team spanning Talent Acquisition and People Operations. Your scope will cover the full employee experience, including talent strategy, organizational design, compensation and benefits, performance, leadership development, employee relations, and culture.

What You'll Do

Be a strategic partner to the business

• Partner closely with the CEO and executive team to shape organizational strategy, business priorities, and leadership effectiveness.
• Guide organizational design, workforce planning, and change management as Maze evolves.
• Bring sound judgment, business acumen, and a thoughtful perspective to complex people and business decisions.
• Bring a global perspective to executive decisions, surfacing employment, compliance, and cultural implications across operating countries.

Lead, develop, and empower the People team

• Lead and develop a talented People team, building on their strengths and creating meaningful growth opportunities.
• Foster a culture of trust, autonomy, and accountability where team members are empowered to own decisions.
• Act as a coach and thought partner, helping the team build capabilities and expand their influence.
• Set clear priorities and provide the resources needed to do impactful work without unnecessary complexity.

Build and develop a high-performing organization

• Lead our talent strategy, ensuring we attract, hire, and retain the people needed to achieve business goals.
• Partner with leaders to build strong teams, clarify expectations, and develop managers.
• Evolve performance management, career development, and recognition programs.
• Use engagement data, employee feedback, and business context to continuously improve the employee experience.

Own compensation, benefits, and People operations

• Navigate complex employee relations and employment matters with sound judgment, empathy, and consistency.
• Oversee our global total rewards strategy, including compensation, equity, benefits, and pay transparency.
• Ensure People operations are efficient, scalable, and compliant across operating countries.
• Partner closely with Finance on headcount planning, compensation strategy, and responsible team investments.

Shape our culture through growth and change

• Preserve and evolve company culture as business strategy and organization change.
• Build trust through clear communication, transparency, and thoughtful change management.
• Create meaningful opportunities for connection, recognition, and collaboration across a distributed team.

Build a modern, AI-enabled People function

• Bring an AI-first mindset to how the People team operates, identifying ways to simplify work and improve decisions.
• Use technology, data, and automation to make People programs more effective and scalable.
• Champion effective AI use across Maze, helping teams move to impactful workflows and automations.

About You

• Experienced People leader: Significant experience leading People functions in high-growth, venture-backed environments, ideally within SaaS or technology companies.
• Business-minded executive partner: You connect People decisions to company outcomes and can confidently advise senior leadership.
• Comfortable with complexity and change: Proven track record helping organizations navigate growth, restructuring, or strategic shifts.
• Strong across the People function: Deep experience in organizational design, talent strategy, total rewards, performance management, and employee relations.
• Experienced in global, distributed teams: Deep understanding of supporting employees across countries, particularly the US and UK/Europe, including local employment regulations.
• A builder and an operator: Able to set long-term strategy while remaining hands-on to ensure strong execution.
• AI-forward and curious: Actively use AI in your daily work and excited about how it can transform People operations.
• Exceptional communicator: Clear, warm, and candid communicator who builds trust across all levels.

Bonus Points

• Experience supporting a company through a major business model evolution or new product line launch.
• Familiarity with modern People tools like Rippling, Ashby, Oyster, or similar platforms.
• Direct experience working closely with a founder or CEO in a fast-paced environment.
• Hands-on experience building custom AI workflows or automations connected to operational systems.

Inclusivity and Pay

At Maze, we approach compensation equitably across the world, regularly benchmarking salary ranges against venture-backed companies. Holistic and generous benefits packages are provided with every role. Specific compensation expectations will be discussed during initial recruiter conversations.