Director of People Operations & Technology

City and County of Denver • Denver, CO

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Office of Human Resources (OHR) provides essential services and support to the 12,000 employees and more than 40 agencies that make up the City and County of Denver. OHR touches every City department and supports every employee, from the moment they file a job application, to the day they retire, and everything in between. We value diversity of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, gender, religion, language, ability, and experience and exemplify this through the makeup of our team at all levels. You'll be right at home here if you cultivate strong relationships and push yourself, your work, and the people around you to the next level.

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. The starting salary range for this position is $150,000 - $185,000. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which includes but is not limited to: A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service 457B Retirement Plan 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 13 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday, 1 wellness day and 1 volunteer day per year Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model. Employees work where needed, at a job site three days a week and off-site as needed. This position is based at the Wellington Webb Municipal Building in Downtown Denver. Employees must work within the state of Colorado on their off-site days.

We are seeking a senior HR operations leader to shape and deliver a seamless, technology‑enabled, and compliant workforce administration ecosystem across the City. This role ensures that employee lifecycle processes, talent operations, LMS administration and total rewards administration are efficient, scalable, and aligned with business growth and transformation. In this role you will lead the next chapter of our HR Operations team’s evolution—advancing People Analytics, strengthening Workday governance and optimization, developing our HR AI strategy--all to deliver best-in-class HR programs, policies, and practices across OHR and the City. Specifically, you will:

Leadership & Service Delivery
Build and execute a multi‑year roadmap for scalable, technology‑enabled HR operations. Establish and deliver clear KPIs, service levels, and performance metrics; routinely communicate outcomes to stakeholders. Provide expert‑level leadership across Workday modules—configuration oversight, governance, and continuous optimization. Serve as the primary HR technology partner to HR Centers of Excellence, translating functional needs into system and process solutions. Advise senior HR and business leaders on workforce administration capabilities, risks, and opportunities. Build, mentor, and develop a high‑performing team; foster a culture of collaboration, inclusion, and accountability.

Data & Analytics Leadership
Develop and own the HR analytics strategy, including data governance, definitions, and a reporting framework that enables self-service and advanced analytics for leaders across OHR and all agencies. Deliver actionable insights via dashboards and models (e.g., attrition risk, workforce planning, recruiting funnel efficacy, engagement drivers) and translate insights into recommendations for policy, programs, and investments. Institutionalize data quality—metadata management, data lineage, validation rules, and routine audits—to ensure accuracy, timeliness, and trust.

Technology & Systems Enablement
Partner with CCD Technology Services (TS) to optimize HRIS platforms (e.g., Workday), LMS platforms and digital tools supporting workforce administration (integrations, security, data privacy, performance). Lead HR technology strategy across platforms (Workday and adjacent tools), setting direction for automation, AI/ML use cases, and digital employee experiences. Champion adoption of self‑service and workflow automation; enable responsible, data‑informed decision‑making. Drive adoption and effective use of process and technology solutions across agencies and departments.

HR Operations & Workforce Administration
Lead the design, optimization, and delivery of hire‑to‑retire processes; ensure consistency while enabling necessary flexibility. Ensure the City’s HR systems can adapt to and support new and existing bargaining units and both strategic and operational changes required by the implementation of collective bargaining. Ensure smooth inquiry and issue resolution, employee support, and consistent workforce practices across the City. Maintain rigorous knowledge management and service standards to improve cycle time, accuracy, and customer satisfaction.

Governance & Compliance
Establish and maintain governance frameworks for employee lifecycle transactions, data, talent operations, and Total Rewards administration, ensuring compliance with labor laws, collective bargaining agreements, Career Service rules, and data privacy regulations. Partner with the City Attorney’s Office (CAO), Department of Finance (DOF) and to proactively manage risk, strengthen controls, and maintain audit readiness and compliance Partner with Labor Relations to operationalize new collective bargaining agreements across HR systems with scalability and sustainability in mind.

Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement
Implement continuous improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean/Six Sigma) to enhance accuracy, speed, and service quality. Use performance data to track outcomes, identify bottlenecks, and inform targeted process improvements. Standardize processes, controls, and documentation to reduce manual work and improve reliability.

Cross‑Functional Partnership
Collaborate with Talent Acquisition, Benefits, Compensation, Learning, HR Business Partners, Payroll, IT, and Finance to ensure seamless end‑to‑end processes and alignment with business priorities. Act as a liaison between HR and business operations to ensure workforce administration supports organizational objectives. Partner with leaders to understand needs, remove barriers, and drive adoption of standardized processes.

Financial Management
Manage and oversee the department budget; conduct cost analysis and optimization initiatives. Partner with HR leaders to negotiate vendor contracts, assess ROI on tools and initiatives, and implement cost‑saving measures—without compromising service quality.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive leadership in HR operations, workforce administration, or shared services within large, matrixed organizations.
• Expert-level proficiency in Workday across major HCM modules, with demonstrated ownership of configuration, governance, release management, and ongoing optimization.
• Proven experience leading at least one enterprise-wide Workday implementation or re-implementation (design, deployment, stabilization, adoption).
• Deep expertise in HR processes, HRIS platforms (e.g., Workday, SAP SuccessFactors), and compliance requirements.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and process-optimization skills; ability to convert insights into practical improvements.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders and drive change across complex, matrixed organizations.
• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Human Resources, or a related field.
• Five (5) years of professional level human resources experience at the type and level of functional or operational management, which must have included management of subordinate supervisors.
• Two (2) years of the appropriate type and level of experience may be substituted for each required year of post-high school education.
• Additional appropriate education may be substituted for the minimum experience requirements.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in a union environment is a plus.
• Lean, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Build and execute a multi‑year roadmap for scalable, technology‑enabled HR operations.
• Establish and deliver clear KPIs, service levels, and performance metrics; routinely communicate outcomes to stakeholders.
• Provide expert‑level leadership across Workday modules—configuration oversight, governance, and continuous optimization.
• Serve as the primary HR technology partner to HR Centers of Excellence, translating functional needs into system and process solutions.
• Advise senior HR and business leaders on workforce administration capabilities, risks, and opportunities.
• Build, mentor, and develop a high‑performing team; foster a culture of collaboration, inclusion, and accountability.
• Develop and own the HR analytics strategy, including data governance, definitions, and a reporting framework that enables self-service and advanced analytics for leaders across OHR and all agencies.
• Deliver actionable insights via dashboards and models (e.g., attrition risk, workforce planning, recruiting funnel efficacy, engagement drivers) and translate insights into recommendations for policy, programs, and investments.
• Institutionalize data quality—metadata management, data lineage, validation rules, and routine audits—to ensure accuracy, timeliness, and trust.
• Partner with CCD Technology Services (TS) to optimize HRIS platforms (e.g., Workday), LMS platforms and digital tools supporting workforce administration (integrations, security, data privacy, performance).
• Lead HR technology strategy across platforms (Workday and adjacent tools), setting direction for automation, AI/ML use cases, and digital employee experiences.
• Champion adoption of self‑service and workflow automation; enable responsible, data‑informed decision‑making.
• Drive adoption and effective use of process and technology solutions across agencies and departments.
• Lead the design, optimization, and delivery of hire‑to‑retire processes; ensure consistency while enabling necessary flexibility.
• Ensure the City’s HR systems can adapt to and support new and existing bargaining units and both strategic and operational changes required by the implementation of collective bargaining.
• Ensure smooth inquiry and issue resolution, employee support, and consistent workforce practices across the City.
• Maintain rigorous knowledge management and service standards to improve cycle time, accuracy, and customer satisfaction.
• Establish and maintain governance frameworks for employee lifecycle transactions, data, talent operations, and Total Rewards administration, ensuring compliance with labor laws, collective bargaining agreements, Career Service rules, and data privacy regulations.
• Partner with the City Attorney’s Office (CAO), Department of Finance (DOF) and to proactively manage risk, strengthen controls, and maintain audit readiness and compliance
• Partner with Labor Relations to operationalize new collective bargaining agreements across HR systems with scalability and sustainability in mind.
• Implement continuous improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean/Six Sigma) to enhance accuracy, speed, and service quality.
• Use performance data to track outcomes, identify bottlenecks, and inform targeted process improvements.
• Standardize processes, controls, and documentation to reduce manual work and improve reliability.
• Collaborate with Talent Acquisition, Benefits, Compensation, Learning, HR Business Partners, Payroll, IT, and Finance to ensure seamless end‑to‑end processes and alignment with business priorities.
• Act as a liaison between HR and business operations to ensure workforce administration supports organizational objectives.
• Partner with leaders to understand needs, remove barriers, and drive adoption of standardized processes.
• Manage and oversee the department budget; conduct cost analysis and optimization initiatives.
• Partner with HR leaders to negotiate vendor contracts, assess ROI on tools and initiatives, and implement cost‑saving measures—without compromising service quality.

Benefits

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
• 457B Retirement Plan
• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year
• 13 paid holidays
• 1 personal holiday
• 1 wellness day
• 1 volunteer day per year
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees