Associate Director, People Operations & Transformation

Overview

The Associate Director, People Operations & Transformation plays a critical hands‑on role in building, optimizing, and operationalizing our HR service delivery ecosystem. This leader partners closely with the VP, People Experience to execute transformation initiatives, re‑engineer processes, and deliver measurable improvements in how employees experience People programs and services.

Ideal candidates bring a consulting mindset with an execution bias—someone who thrives in ambiguity, rolls up their sleeves, maps, and re‑engineers processes, builds scalable frameworks, and drives adoption through strong stakeholder engagement. The Associate Director will stand up and manage a service ownership model, optimize ServiceNow workflows, identify HR optimization opportunities, and embed continuous improvement practices across the People Experience organization.

This is a hybrid role based primarily in Cambridge, MA.

Responsibilities:

Service Ownership & Operational Frameworks

• Establish and operationalize a service ownership framework across HR, including service catalog design, defining roles, KPIs, SLAs, and governance structure.
• Build and maintain dashboards that track service performance, experience metrics, and operational health.
• Partner with service owners to drive accountability, continuous improvement, leverage AI and ensure consistent delivery standards.

Business Process Re‑Engineering & Continuous Improvement

• Lead end‑to‑end process mapping, redesign, and documentation across the employee lifecycle.
• Apply Lean, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies to reduce complexity, eliminate friction, and enable scalable, automated workflows.
• Conduct root‑cause analysis, develop recommendations, and implement solutions that improve efficiency and experience.

Design Thinking & Experience Improvement

• Facilitate design‑thinking workshops, journey mapping sessions, and stakeholder interviews to surface pain points and co‑create solutions.
• Translate insights into actionable prototypes, process changes, or technology enhancements.
• Socialize recommendations with key stakeholders and drive alignment and adoption.

Technology, ServiceNow & AI Optimization

• Partner with IT and HRIS to optimize ServiceNow HRSD capabilities, including case management, knowledge management, workflow automation, and service catalog architecture.
• Identify opportunities to leverage AI and automation to enhance accuracy, speed, and employee experience.
• Support testing, rollout, and adoption of new tools and enhancements.

Stakeholder Engagement & Change Enablement

• Collaborate closely with HRBPs, COEs, IT, Finance, and Communications to ensure alignment and smooth execution of transformation initiatives.
• Develop change strategies, communications, and training materials to support new processes and tools.
• Influence stakeholders at all levels, building trust and commitment through credibility and results.

Program & Roadmap Execution

• Manage project plans, timelines, risks, and deliverables for transformation initiatives.
• Ensure disciplined execution with clear outcomes, transparency, and measurable success metrics.
• Support the development and ongoing management of a multi‑year People transformation roadmap.

Qualifications:

• 7–10+ years of experience in HR operations, HR transformation, shared services, or related functions; consulting experience (internal or external) strongly preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.
• Demonstrated experience executing business process re‑engineering, service delivery redesign, or operational transformation.
• Hands‑on experience standing up or managing service ownership frameworks, including KPIs, SLAs, and continuous improvement cycles.
• Strong knowledge of ServiceNow HRSD or similar HR case management platforms, with demonstrated optimization experience.
• Experience applying design thinking, Lean, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence, communicate clearly, and lead through change.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and project management skills.
• Experience leveraging AI and automation within HR processes preferred.

#LI-MH1 #LI-Hybrid

U.S. Pay Range

$153,000.00 - $207,000.00

The pay range reflects the full-time b