People Operations M&A Lead

Palo Alto Networks•Office - USA - CA - Headquarters, CA

10d•$118,400 - $191,400•Onsite

About The Position

As the People Operations M&A lead, you are the strategic engine driving the successful integration of new acquisitions into our global ecosystem, while also serving as a versatile project leader within Global People Operations. Working closely with key M&A stakeholders such as Corporate Development, Finance, IT, and the broader People M&A project and workstream leads (including HRBPs and Centers of Excellence), you will serve as the primary People Operations representative for the lifecycle of each M&A. You will synthesize complex M&A requirements, architect data workflows, and manage all People Operations M&A activities to ensure flawless operational readiness. By acting as the definitive liaison, you translate corporate requirements into actionable workstreams within People Operations. This role is a deep functional expert in People Operations and able to drive critical backend execution as transition activities for M&A are high stakes, zero-error. When M&A deal volume naturally fluctuates, your scope dynamically shifts to spearhead rapid-cycle People Ops initiatives—ensuring you deliver continuous, high-value impact year-round.

Requirements

8+ years of progressive experience in Human Resources or People Operations.
3+ years of dedicated experience managing complex M&A operations, with a strict focus on People operations, organizational transitions, and cross-functional project execution.
A proactive, flexible mindset with the proven ability to seamlessly context-switch between confidential, large-scale M&A integrations and fast-paced, internal People Operations projects.
Exceptional, hands-on proficiency in AI (Gemini, Glean, agents, etc) and data analytics tools (e.g., Excel and Google Sheets). You must be highly comfortable utilizing complex formulas, pivot tables, and data validation to manage, audit, and securely manipulate large, sensitive datasets.
A proven track record of orchestrating large-scale initiatives and enforcing accountability across matrixed teams.
Demonstrated ability to thrive in a global enterprise environment, comfortably navigating different time zones, cultural nuances, and regional compliance requirements.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills. You possess the ability to distill dense deal requirements into clear action items, manage stakeholder expectations, and confidently present integration strategies to senior executives.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on, advanced experience managing complex workstreams in Asana is highly preferred.
Active Workday HCM or Workday Recruiting Certifications.
Demonstrated experience with process optimization methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma).

Responsibilities

Act as the primary voice and liaison for People Operations across all M&A activities. You will manage People Operations support to meet complex requirements, align on deal milestones, and deliver executive briefs and actionable plans.
Architect and manage the specialized employee data frameworks utilized by People Operations throughout the acquisition lifecycle. You will securely transform and route data from master due diligence files into system-ready formats for our downstream teams. Maintaining absolute data integrity and compliance (GDPR, CCPA) via advanced spreadsheet manipulation is critical to this step.
Drive the end-to-end People Operations integration roadmap. Utilizing Asana, you will build complex, multi-phased project plans for People Operations (and contribute to deal-wide action plans) to ensure the People Operations team delivers on strict deal deadlines.
Navigate the natural ebbs and flows of M&A activity by seamlessly pivoting to lead general People Operations initiatives. You will step in during M&A lulls to drive rapid-cycle, high-impact operations initiatives, ensuring a full and adaptable workload year-round.
Evaluate target company HR frameworks related to People Operations such as policies, hiring, immigration, contingent workforce management, frontline support and HR systems. You will collaborate with process owners to design the strategy that maps legacy processes to our internal "To-Be" frameworks.
Contribute to persona-based change management and communications strictly as they relate to operational domains—specifically focusing on recruiting, onboarding, HR systems adoption, and employee inquiry routing. You will orchestrate the operational transition plan to ensure a premier experience for acquired populations, smoothly handing off day-to-day execution to our specialized operations teams.
Define, enforce, and iterate upon operational standards for People Ops across all new acquisitions, continuously refining our M&A playbook to scale with our global growth.
Navigate complex, globally matrixed integrations, demonstrating the flexibility to collaborate effectively with acquired populations and internal stakeholders across diverse time zones.