Director of HR Strategy & Operations

Skims•Los Angeles, CA

About The Position

SKIMS is seeking a strategic, analytical, and operationally driven Director of HR Operations and Strategy to partner with the Chief People Officer and senior leadership as the company scales globally. The role sits at the intersection of People, Finance, Operations, and Technology, combining strategic planning with hands-on execution. It translates People priorities into actionable business strategies, drives operational excellence, oversees workforce planning and financial management, and develops HR infrastructure to support company growth. The Director serves as a key liaison between HR and Finance, bringing structure, accuracy, and accountability to headcount planning, workforce investments, equity administration, and strategic People initiatives. The role requires strong business and financial acumen, project management and operational discipline, and the ability to present recommendations to executives while working directly with complex workforce and financial data. The successful candidate will establish visibility into workforce investments, ensure headcount and financial data are accurate and actionable, and create scalable processes that support confident decision-making. They will partner with the Chief People Officer, Finance, and executive leadership to deliver measurable results and help build an organization where employees can thrive and the business can grow sustainably.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Operations, or a related discipline.
8–10+ years of progressive experience in HR Operations, People Strategy, Business Operations, Finance, Management Consulting, or a related field.
Demonstrated experience partnering with senior executives and driving complex, cross-functional initiatives.
Strong financial acumen and hands-on experience with budgeting, forecasting, workforce cost management, and financial reporting.
Proven experience managing headcount planning, position control, workforce budgeting, and organizational reporting.
Advanced Excel or Google Sheets skills, including financial modeling, scenario planning, data reconciliation, and complex reporting.
Strong understanding of HR operations, organizational effectiveness, and employee lifecycle processes.
Experience working closely with Finance, FP&A, Talent Acquisition, and executive leadership.
Exceptional analytical capabilities and ability to turn complex information into clear, actionable recommendations.
Proven project and change management experience in fast-paced, evolving environments.
Experience developing executive presentations, business cases, and strategic reporting.
Familiarity with HRIS, workforce planning, reporting, and project management systems.
Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and organizational skills, including ability to influence without direct authority.
Strong judgment, discretion, and attention to detail; ability to manage multiple priorities independently.
Comfort balancing strategic thinking with hands-on execution.

Nice To Haves

SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP certification.
Experience in a high-growth, global consumer, fashion, retail, or apparel organization.
Experience supporting corporate and retail workforce planning across multiple markets.
Experience with equity compensation programs, including grants, vesting schedules, equity reporting, and administration.
Hands-on experience with Carta; strongly preferred.
Familiarity with long-term incentive plans (LTIPs), stock options, restricted stock units (RSUs), or similar equity arrangements.
Experience with HRIS platforms such as UKG, Workday, or SuccessFactors.
Familiarity with Power BI, Tableau, Looker, or comparable reporting platforms.
Experience implementing HR technology, workforce planning systems, or automated financial reporting solutions.
Experience supporting international or multi-jurisdictional HR operations.

Responsibilities

Partner with the Chief People Officer and senior People leadership, translating business objectives into actionable HR priorities.
Develop and execute an integrated People strategy roadmap with defined priorities, owners, timelines, and measurable outcomes.
Establish an operating cadence across the People organization to promote accountability, visibility, and follow-through.
Partner with senior leaders on organizational design, resource allocation, workforce planning, and long-term People strategy.
Identify operational challenges, competing priorities, and organizational risks, and recommend solutions.
Prepare executive presentations, strategic recommendations, business cases, and materials for Board and leadership meetings.
Support organizational changes, leadership transitions, business expansion, and other high-priority initiatives.
Act as a primary HR–Finance liaison on workforce investments, financial planning, and headcount governance.
Partner with Finance and FP&A to develop, manage, and monitor the People department budget and broader workforce financial commitments.
Oversee workforce budgeting, financial forecasting, and labor cost planning across corporate, retail, and international functions.
Track actual workforce expenditures against approved budgets, identify variances and risks, and find cost-optimization opportunities.
Develop reporting on salary costs, benefits expenses, contractor spending, recruitment costs, and other People-related investments.
Support annual budgeting, quarterly forecasting, and long-range workforce financial planning.
Build financial models and scenario analyses for hiring investments, organizational changes, compensation adjustments, and resource allocation.
Provide executive reporting on workforce costs, budget performance, and key financial metrics.
Partner with the VP of Global Talent, Finance, and business leaders to maintain a centralized global headcount tracker.
Track approved, open, filled, proposed, and backfill positions across the organization.
Establish and manage approval processes for new headcount, replacements, organizational changes, and incremental hiring requests.
Monitor open requisitions, hiring progress, projected start dates, and associated compensation commitments.
Reconcile headcount plans with HRIS data, recruiting activity, payroll records, organizational structures, and financial forecasts.
Identify discrepancies between budgeted and actual headcount and recommend corrective actions.
Develop headcount reporting and scenario planning for business expansion, hiring prioritization, and long-term workforce investments.
Partner with Total Rewards, Finance, Legal, and external administrators to manage employee equity compensation programs.
Coordinate equity planning cycles, grant recommendations, approvals, vesting schedules, and reporting requirements.
Maintain accurate equity-related employee records and alignment between HRIS, equity administration platforms, and Finance reporting.
Support equity allocation analyses, award histories, executive decision materials, employee communications, and long-term incentive plan administration.
Establish equity governance, documentation, and approval processes, and improve or automate equity workflows.
Lead complex, cross-functional People initiatives from planning and stakeholder alignment through implementation and measurement.
Develop project frameworks, timelines, milestones, and accountability measures; oversee the strategic HR project portfolio and manage dependencies, priorities, and risks.
Partner with HR, Finance, Talent Acquisition, Legal, Technology, and business leadership on organizational initiatives.
Support strategic workforce planning, organizational design, operational transformation, and new business initiatives.
Establish scalable project management practices and drive change management, communication, and adoption.
Develop and improve People dashboards, KPIs, executive scorecards, and reporting frameworks covering workforce and organizational measures.
Translate workforce and financial data into insights and actionable business recommendations.
Establish data definitions, validation processes, and reporting standards with Finance and HR leadership.
Develop automated reporting processes and prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual People business reviews.
Evaluate and optimize HR technology, systems, and operational processes to support growth.
Partner with HRIS, IT, Finance, and other stakeholders to build scalable reporting and workforce planning infrastructure.
Automate manual processes, establish standardized workflows and controls, and support adoption of new HR systems and planning tools.
Ensure employee and workforce data is accurate, consistent, and reliable across systems.
Support employee experience, engagement, culture, career progression, manager development, retention, internal mobility, community, and belonging initiatives.
Analyze engagement data, workforce trends, and organizational feedback to identify opportunities for improvement.
Establish controls and governance for workforce data, financial reporting, headcount approvals, and equity administration.
Partner with Legal, Finance, and HR leadership on employment compliance and internal policies, including leave, accommodations, and employment obligations.
Identify operational, financial, and compliance risks and recommend improvements.
Maintain confidentiality and discretion when handling sensitive employee, compensation, equity, and business information.