People Operations Manager

Plaid • San Francisco, CA

5d

About The Position

Plaid is building tools and experiences that help developers connect financial accounts to the apps and services people use. The People team aims to make Plaid a highlight of every employee’s career and is rebuilding HR for an AI-first company, with a focus on seamless, proactive, and personal support at scale.

The People Operations Manager leads the team responsible for onboarding, employee lifecycle changes, HR case management, compliance, and immigration, and redesigns these processes for AI and automation. The role manages three Operations specialists, including an Immigration Specialist, and reports to the Head of People Technology, AI and Operations. It is hands-on, involving process mapping, workflow configuration, and leading the team through change in partnership with People Systems, Finance, Tech Ops, and HR Business Partners.

Requirements

• At least 7 years of experience in People Operations.
• Experience managing a People Operations team and setting People Operations strategy.
• Experience implementing tools that improved People Operations efficiency, such as ticketing, a knowledge base, or workflow automation, with measurable results.
• Ability to redesign processes from first principles for AI and automation, rather than merely digitizing existing steps.
• Direct, hands-on experience with Workday and working familiarity with the wider People technology stack, including configuring workflows, documenting processes, and working with data.
• Track record of working with Finance, Tech Ops, People Technology, and HR Business Partners.
• Clear communication and sound judgment on sensitive employee matters.
• Ability to lead a team through change.

Nice To Haves

• Experience at a fast-paced technology company.
• Hands-on experience using AI tools at work, with judgment about which tools deliver real efficiency gains.
• Experience building automations, AI agents, or no-code workflows.
• Familiarity with ticketing and knowledge management platforms and AI-enabled HR tools.
• Experience managing an immigration specialist or working with outside counsel on U.S. immigration matters.
• Experience partnering with People Analytics or data teams on reporting and data quality.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the multi-year People Operations strategy and roadmap in line with the broader HR AI strategy.
• Redesign core processes—including onboarding, job and pay changes, leave, offboarding, employment verification, and HR case handling—so AI and automation handle routine work while the team handles exceptions.
• Partner with People Systems to expand the capabilities of AI assistant, ticketing, and knowledge management systems, and keep the knowledge base accurate.
• Define and own team metrics, including self-service resolution rate, time to resolution, employee satisfaction, and HR capacity freed up.
• Pilot new tools and workflows and decide what to scale or stop.
• Manage and develop three direct reports, shifting their work from transaction processing to process design, quality control, and exception handling.
• Build the team’s AI skills through hands-on use.
• Own the accuracy and auditability of employee data and transactions in HR systems.
• Manage the Immigration Specialist responsible for the U.S. immigration program, providing high-level guidance on decisions, priorities, and compliance risk.
• Support audits, policy administration, and regulatory requirements.
• Partner with Finance on payroll inputs, headcount changes, and reconciliations.
• Partner with Tech Ops on access, equipment, and onboarding and offboarding handoffs.
• Partner with HR Business Partners to turn recurring employee and manager issues into process improvements.
• Represent the employee experience in decisions about HR tools and workflows.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefit plan, including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k).
• Additional compensation in the form of equity and/or commission may apply depending on the position offered.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed