People Operations Manager

Plaid•San Francisco, CA

6d•$163,200 - $220,800

About The Position

Plaid is seeking a People Operations Manager to lead and redesign People Operations for an AI-first company. The role oversees onboarding, employee lifecycle changes, HR case management, compliance, and immigration, with an emphasis on using AI and automation to make HR support seamless, proactive, and personal at scale. The manager leads three Operations specialists, including an Immigration Specialist, and reports to the Head of People Technology, AI and Operations. This is a hands-on role involving process mapping, workflow configuration, and leading the team through change. The manager works closely with People Systems, Finance, Tech Ops, and HR Business Partners to improve employee-facing tools and operational processes.

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 simply 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, sound judgment on sensitive employee matters, and 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 and 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 a 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 alignment 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 resolve routine work while the team handles exceptions.
Partner with People Systems to expand the capabilities of AI assistant, ticketing, and knowledge management systems, and maintain an accurate knowledge base.
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 determine which to scale or discontinue.
Manage and develop three direct reports.
Shift the team’s 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 and provide 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.