Senior Associate Director, HR Operations & Strategic Initiatives

If you are a current Barnard College employee, please use the internal career site to apply for this position.

Job:

Senior Associate Director, HR Operations & Strategic Initiatives

The Senior Associate Director, HR Operations & Strategic Initiatives is a senior leader responsible for operationalizing the College’s HR strategy and ensuring its effective execution across the function. This role drives the translation of strategic priorities into disciplined, trackable workplans, maintaining momentum, accountability, and alignment with institutional goals. Reporting to the Director of Human Resources, the position oversees HR operations, process design, and operational analytics, while ensuring that initiatives remain on pace, outcomes are measured, and resources are aligned.
This role serves as a central integrator across HR Centers of Excellence, monitoring progress against priorities, supporting project execution, and ensuring consistency and quality in service delivery. The Senior Associate Director also oversees the HR operating budget, tracking spend, forecasting needs, and ensuring alignment with strategic priorities.
In addition, this role provides operational leadership across the HR function, stepping in to fill gaps, support team capacity, and maintain continuity of operations as needed. The position works closely with the Associate Director of Labor and Employee Relations, providing operational coordination, handling complex and escalated matters, and ensuring alignment and process integrity across HR.

Job Description:

Key Responsibilities

HR Operations & Process Optimization

• Translate HR strategic priorities into actionable workplans with clear timelines, ownership, and deliverables.
• Track progress against HR initiatives, ensuring projects remain on pace and aligned with College priorities.
• Identify and address bottlenecks, resource gaps, and risks to execution.
• Serve as the central driver of HR project execution, ensuring initiatives move forward efficiently and effectively.
• Monitor and report on progress across HR priorities, providing visibility to leadership on status, risks, and outcomes.
• Oversee HR operational workflows, ensuring efficient, consistent, and high-quality service delivery across HR functions.
• Design, document, and implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) aligned with HR Centers of Excellence.
• Partner with Associate Director, Client Services to lead process improvement initiatives to streamline workflows and eliminate inefficiencies.
• Drive automation of routine HR transactions and processes through partnership with Centers of Excellence.
• Develop process maps and frameworks to support scalability and continuous improvement.

Metrics, Analytics & Reporting

• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and operational metrics for HR services.
• Develop dashboards and reporting tools to track workflow, service levels, and workforce trends.
• Analyze data to identify opportunities for optimization, risk mitigation, and improved service delivery.
• Provide regular reporting and insights to HR leadership to support strategic decision-making.

HRIS Operations Oversight

• Serve as primary collaborator with the Workday teams primarily servicing Workday HCM, managing priorities, workflow, and professional development.
• Partner with the Director, Workday HCM to align HRIS operations with system strategy and governance.
• Oversee HRIS-related processes including data integrity, reporting, and transactional workflows.
• Support system enhancements, reporting improvements, and automation initiatives.
• Ensure accuracy, compliance, and consistency of HR data across systems.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Act as a key operational partner to the Director of Human Resources in executing departmental priorities.
• Collaborate across HR Centers of Excellence to ensure alignment and integration of HR services.
• Mentor and support HR staff, fostering a culture of accountability, efficiency, and continuous improvement.
• Lead or support change management initiatives related to HR processes, systems, and organizational changes.
• Operate in the absence of Director of Human Resources

Employee & Labor Relations (Strategy, Integration & College Alignment)

• Serve as a strategic partner in shaping and advancing the College’s employee and labor relations approach, ensuring alignment with College priorities, risk management, and a consistent employee experience.
• Partner closely with the Associate Director, Labor and Employee Relations to align on overall strategy, using insights from investigations, grievances, and disciplinary