Director of People (HRBP)

Who is Sonar?

Sonar helps prevent code quality and code security issues from reaching production, amplifies developers' productivity in concert with AI assistants, and improves the developer experience with streamlined workflows. Sonar analyzes all code, regardless of who writes it — your internal team, genAI, or third parties — resulting in more secure, reliable, and maintainable applications. Rooted in the open source community, Sonar’s solutions support over 30 programming languages, frameworks, and infrastructure technologies. Today, Sonar is used by +7M developers and 400K organizations worldwide, including the DoD, Microsoft, NASA, MasterCard, Siemens, and T-Mobile.

We believe in developing great products that are supported by great internal teams and a strong culture.  We are highly committed and obsessed with the company, users, each other, and our open source community. We have high standards and hold each other accountable for acting with positivity, dedication, thoughtfulness, empathy, and passion daily. 

We are deliberate with our decisions with high clarity of intention. At the same time, we feel extreme urgency and move forward quickly. 

And lastly, we are highly effective and operationally efficient. We operate collectively as One Team to accomplish our goals.

At Sonar, CODE is more than just an acronym; it's a mindset that defines daily operations. 

Why You Should Apply: 

At Sonar, we’re a group of brilliant, motivated, and driven professionals working hard to help supercharge developers to build better, faster. Sonar helps to continuously improve code quality and code security while reducing developer toil. This means that developers can focus on doing more of what they love and less of what they don’t. Our solutions don’t just solve symptoms of problems – we help fix issues at the source – for all code, whether it's developer-written, AI-generated, or from third parties.

We have a dynamic culture with employees worldwide and hub offices in the USA, Switzerland, the UK, Singapore, and Germany. Team members should be able to come to work every day, work on a product they are proud of, love what they do, and feel energized by their peers. With our roots deep in the open source community, we’re all about the mission:supercharge developers to build better, faster.

The Impact You Will Have:

As the Director of People you will be a pivotal leader in shaping Sonar's global people strategy and fostering an environment where a talented team can thrive and drive the company's mission forward. The impact of this role will be far-reaching and deeply felt across several key areas, positioning the People function as a critical enabler of business success rather than merely a support service.

The day-to-day activities of the Director of People will be a dynamic blend of strategic thinking and hands-on execution, reflecting the needs of a fast-paced global technology company. Navigating global complexity will be a constant, requiring adaptability and a nuanced understanding of diverse operational contexts.

To be successful in this pivotal role, candidates must possess a strong foundation of technical HR knowledge coupled with exceptional leadership capabilities, profound business acumen, and a proven track record of operating effectively on a global stage. "Global" experience, in this context, signifies demonstrated success in navigating the multifaceted complexities of diverse cultures, legal systems, and business environments, particularly across The Americas, EMEA, and APJ regions.

• Partner closely with senior business leaders and executive team members across different functions and regions to understand their strategic priorities and translate them into actionable People plans and initiatives that drive business outcomes.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a distributed team of HR professionals fostering a collaborative, high-performing, and cohesive global People function.
• Drive the full cycle of global talent management, including strategic workforce planning, targeted talent acquisition for key and leadership roles, effective global onboarding processes, continuous performance management, leadership development programs, and proactive succession planning.
• Oversee and manage complex employee relations issues globally, ensuring fair and consistent application of company policies, strict compliance with local labor laws, and the cultivation of a positive and respectful work environment across all locations.
• Develop, implement, and iterate on global HR policies, programs, and systems (e.g., HRIS, performance management tools, engagement platforms) to enhance operational efficiency, improve the overall employee experience, and enable data-driven decision-making in all People matters.
• Collaborate effectively with HR Centers of Excellence (e.g., Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, People Operations) to design, refine, and deliver impactful People solutions that meet both global standards and local needs seamlessly.
• Stay continuously abreast of global HR best practices, significant changes in employment law across key operational regions, and emerging technology trends to ensure Sonar’s People strategies remain competitive, compliant, and innovative.
• Facilitate major organizational change initiatives, providing expert guidance and robust support to leaders and employees to navigate transitions smoothly and effectively, minimizing disruption and maximizing adoption.

• A minimum of 10 years of progressive Human Resources experience, with at least 5-7 of those years in a senior HRBP or HR leadership role entailing significant global responsibilities. 
• Proven, demonstrable experience in developing and implementing impactful HR strategies on a global scale, preferably within a fast-paced, agile, global technology company.
• Deep and practical understanding of global employment laws, prevailing cultural nuances, and HR best practices across multiple key global regions (e.g., AMER, EMEA, APAC)
• Strong track record in strategic talent management,organizational design and development, leadership development frameworks
• Exceptional leadership, coaching, and influencing skills, with a proven ability to build strong, trusting relationships and establish credibility with senior executives, managers, and employees at all levels across diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Excellent communication (written and verbal), presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly, concisely, and persuasively to varied audiences.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, coupled with a data-driven, results-oriented approach.
• Willingness to travel based on the needs of the organization 
• Prior experience providing HRBP support to Engineering or other highly technical client groups within a technology organization.

• Our culture and mission set us apart. We have a dynamic work culture that values respect and kindness and embraces the right to fail (and get right back up again!). 
• Great people make a great company. We value people skills as much as technical skills and strive to keep things friendly while still being passionate leaders in our domains. 
• We have a flexible work policy that includes a work-from-home day each week. 
• We have a growth mindset. We love learning and believe continuous education is critical to our success. In an ever-changing industry, new skills are necessary, and we're happy to help our team acquire them.
• As the leader in our field, our products and services are as strong as our internal team members.
• We embrace transparency with regular meetings, cascading messages and updates on the growth and success of our organization.

• We encourage usage of our robust time-off allocations with 27 PTO days for our employees based out of the Geneva region, plus additional days based on seniority and circumstances.
• We contribute 60% of the total cost for your pension; 13.5% to 15.5% of your base salary for savings; 2% for risk.
• Generous discretionary Company Growth Bonus, paid annually.  
• Commuting:Sustainable mobility options, including carpooling and the refund of 60% of the annual transportation subscription.
• Global workforce with employees in 20+ countries representing 35+ unique nationalities.
• We have an annual kick-off somewhere in the world where we meet to build relationships and goals for the company.

We Value Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:

At Sonar, we believe that our diversity is our strength. We are a global company that values and respects different backgrounds, perspectives, and cultures.

We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute their best. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and welcome all qualified applicants, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

All offers of employment at Sonar are contingent upon the precise results of a comprehensive background check and reference verification conducted before the start date.

Applications that are submitted through agencies or third party recruiters will not be considered.