Senior Director, HR Technology

Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.•,

4d•$171,000 - $200,000•Hybrid

About The Position

NRDC (the Natural Resources Defense Council) works to safeguard the Earth, its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. NRDC combines the power of more than 3 million members and online activists with the expertise of some 800 policy advocates, lawyers, scientists, and communication experts to confront the climate crisis, protect nature, ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. As an international nonprofit environmental organization, NRDC is working to address the world’s most urgent environmental challenges, and advance innovative, science-based, and enforceable solutions. Since our founding in 1970, NRDC has helped craft and deliver many of America’s foundational environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. Today, we continue to lead in advancing and defending strong environmental protections at the local, state, federal and international levels, as well as through the marketplace. Our team works across the United States and around the world, from offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., as well as in Beijing, and New Delhi (a subsidiary of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd.). Supported by our members and online activists, NRDC is driving impactful solutions that confront the climate crisis, defend nature and safeguard public health across Asia, Africa, and the Americas. At NRDC, we believe lasting change happens when people bring their talent, passion, and expertise together for a common purpose: to build a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient world. Learn more at nrdc.org NRDC is seeking a Senior Director, HR Technology to work with our People team in one of our US offices. POSITION SUMMARY The Senior Director, HR Technology will lead the strategy, implementation, optimization, and day-to-day management of the People team's technology ecosystem and operational processes, serving as the primary HR business owner of NRDC’s HRIS (currently Dayforce) and ensuring that our HR systems work together, our data is accurate and actionable, and our People team can focus on the people-centered work that matters most. The Senior Director will lead a team with a focus on strengthening proactive governance, documentation, and prevention. This role spans Core HR, payroll tie-ins, integrations, benefits data flows, security, organizational structures, and reporting. It requires both operational rigor and strategic partnership with People leadership (HRPs, Talent Acquisition, Compensation, Talent Management), Payroll, Finance, and IT.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
10+ years of HR technology experience within a complex, global growth-focused business, including direct HRIS administration and management.
5+ years of people management experience
Experience managing Dayforce HCM, payroll tie-ins, and benefits integrations.
Experience overseeing HRIS integrations (payroll, benefits, recruiting, time & attendance, learning, etc.) and ensuring end-to-end data accuracy.
Experience in managing HR data governance, including audits, controls, and error prevention processes.
Experience leading high-performing HRIS teams, including talent evaluation, hiring, and capability upgrades.
Experience managing HR technology and systems in a unionized environment.
Strong project and stakeholder management skills, with a track record of partnering effectively across HR, IT, Finance, and Legal functions.
Strong knowledge of employment law and experience supporting multi-state organizations and navigating related compliance requirements.
Experience managing and developing team members and building team capacity
Demonstrated experience assessing, consolidating, or rationalizing HR technology portfolios;
Strong collaboration and partnership skills with the ability to work credibly across HR, Payroll, Finance, Benefits, and IT.
Equal comfort as a strategic thought partner and an operational driver.
A bias for action with a tenacious, results-oriented approach to driving big initiatives.
Stays current on industry trends and knows when to push forward or pivot to alternative solutions.
Ability to coach and mentor colleagues to share systems knowledge and expertise
Builds consensus across functions to achieve goals.
Systems and operational thinking — ability to see and improve the whole, not just the parts
Advanced proficiency in HR data analysis and Excel.
Strong skills in change management and leading through change
Data-driven decision making
Excellent skills in collaboration and stakeholder management across functions
Ability to deliver with limited resources and navigate organizational complexity
Ability to travel to NRDC U.S. based offices, up to 10% annually
Commitment to NRDC’s mission, values, and DEI principles

Nice To Haves

Experience successfully implementing a new HRIS.
Experience in a nonprofit organization.
Experience supporting remote or distributed teams.
Experience with Tableau or Power BI.
Relevant certifications (e.g., SHRM-SCP, SPHR, PMP).
AI implementation skills with a desire to deploy AI solutions, automate workflows, and build data infrastructure for real-world applications.

Responsibilities

Define and lead the strategy, roadmap, and adoption for HR systems, integrations, and workflows across the employee lifecycle (including HRIS, talent, learning, and performance platforms), serving as the primary HR business owner and partnering closely with IT to ensure systems are secure, reliable, compliant, and consistently used.
Design, document, and continuously improve core HR operational processes by translating policies and program requirements into executable, scalable workflows, leveraging technology, automation, standardization, and responsibly governed AI-enabled tools while aligning with organizational policies, equity principles, and legal requirements.
Partner with HR leaders, IT, and the Office of General Counsel to advise leadership on system capabilities, risks, governance, and opportunities, and to lead effective configuration, integrations, and ongoing system support.
Serve as the primary resource for HR users, optimizing user experience, delivering training, and advocating for usability and best practices.
Oversee core HR operational workflows across the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, benefits, payroll, and offboarding, ensuring efficiency, accuracy, and high-quality employee experience.
Standardize and automate HR workflows to balance speed, compliance, and quality, while ensuring practices align with NRDC's values.
Develop scalable processes and operational infrastructure to support organizational growth.
Lead the full lifecycle of HR system implementations, enhancements, and decommissionings.
Partner with IT, Finance, Office of the General Counsel, and other key stakeholders and vendors to manage timelines, contracts, risks, and change impacts for all system initiatives.
Continuously evaluate HR technology and stay current on trends in AI and people analytics to recommend improvements that strengthen effectiveness.
Oversee People data management and reporting practices to ensure accuracy, security, and responsible use of workforce data, maintaining compliance with employment law, data privacy regulations, and internal policies; ensure appropriate stakeholders can securely access the data they need to meet internal and external goals.
Define and maintain standard HR reporting and analysis to provide leadership, the Board, and funders with timely workforce insights that support transparency, equity analysis, and organizational learning.
Establish and govern a standardized SOP framework, implementing version control and ownership models to ensure consistency, compliance, and effective cross-training.
Actively pursue professional development and contribute to a culture of learning by building skills and sharing knowledge across the department.