Sr. Director, Global People Operations

Shield AI•San Diego, CA

About The Position

Shield AI is seeking a Sr. Director of People Operations to lead and evolve its People Operations function as the company scales. The role shapes the employee experience by building efficient, technology-enabled, and AI-powered processes across the employee lifecycle. It combines strategic transformation with hands-on operational leadership and partners with HR, Payroll, Finance, IT, Legal, and business leaders to create a high-performing, scalable People organization. The Sr. Director will define the People Operations vision, operating model, and multi-year roadmap; lead day-to-day service delivery and a growing team; and advise executives on workforce operations, hiring experience, service delivery, and AI enablement. The role will build self-service-first support, service architecture, knowledge management, automation, and governance for AI-enabled operations. The position owns workforce lifecycle processes from interview coordination and candidate logistics through onboarding, employee changes, and offboarding. It will improve process design, controls, compliance, data governance, technology adoption, analytics, and continuous improvement while supporting company growth and global expansion. The role will also manage relevant external vendors and platforms and partner on the People Operations technology roadmap.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
15+ years of progressive HR or People Operations experience in complex or high-growth environments.
7+ years leading People Operations or HR Shared Services teams.
Experience designing and scaling shared services and service delivery models.
Proven track record of operational transformation, including automation and AI-enabled solutions.
Strong expertise in employee lifecycle operations, compliance, and data governance.
Experience partnering with HRIS and enterprise technology teams.
Demonstrated success with KPIs, SLAs, and operational reporting.
Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or MBA in a related field.
Experience in technology, aerospace, defense, or high-growth industries.
Experience building AI-enabled service models and knowledge management systems.
Experience with UKG, Ashby, and Jira.
Background in service management, digital transformation, or operational excellence.
Knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, Agile, or ITIL methodologies.
Experience supporting multi-state or global workforce operations.
Relevant certifications such as SHRM-SCP, SPHR, PMP, Lean Six Sigma, or ITIL.

Responsibilities

Define and execute a unified People Operations vision, operating model, and multi-year roadmap spanning candidate interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and employee lifecycle operations.
Lead day-to-day operations and ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery across the employee lifecycle.
Lead and scale the People Operations function, with accountability for team performance, service quality, and outcomes.
Establish team structure, capacity planning, KPIs, and operating rhythms to support hiring velocity, onboarding effectiveness, and operational excellence.
Advise executives on workforce operations, hiring experience, service delivery, and AI enablement.
Transform People Operations into a self-service-first, AI-enabled support model.
Design and implement service delivery architecture, including automation, case management, and digital support channels.
Lead enterprise knowledge management to enable self-service and improve consistency and AI effectiveness.
Own service performance, including SLAs, response times, quality, and employee satisfaction.
Establish governance for AI-enabled execution and support, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and appropriate escalation.
Improve services through analytics, feedback, and process optimization.
Select and manage external vendors and platforms for People Operations.
Own end-to-end workforce lifecycle processes, from interview coordination and candidate logistics through onboarding, employee changes, and offboarding.
Ensure seamless handoffs between recruiting and employee operations.
Redesign processes to improve hiring efficiency, onboarding speed, service quality, and risk reduction.
Establish policies, documentation, controls, and service standards; drive automation to reduce manual effort and improve quality.
Ensure operational continuity and audit readiness; lead change management and adoption for new processes, tools, and capabilities.
Ensure accuracy, security, and integrity of employee data and workforce transactions; establish governance, audit, and validation practices.
Partner with HRIS, Payroll, Legal, and Finance to maintain compliance and alignment with internal controls, and drive accountability for data quality across People systems.
Partner with HRIS, IT, Talent Acquisition, and Digital teams to define and execute the People Operations technology roadmap.
Support adoption and optimization of platforms such as UKG, Jira Service Management, Ashby, and automation tools; translate business needs into scalable systems and workflows.
Establish service metrics, dashboards, and reporting frameworks; monitor SLAs, KPIs, and operational health indicators.
Use data to identify trends, inefficiencies, and automation opportunities; measure service effectiveness, employee experience, and AI performance.
Evaluate emerging technologies, industry trends, and best practices to modernize and scale People Operations.