Senior Strategy Manager, People Strategy & Operations

Apply; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Xero is seeking a Senior Strategy Manager, People Strategy & Operations, to turn the company’s people strategy into actionable delivery. Reporting to the GM of People Strategy & Operations, you’ll own complex initiatives across the People Team, shaping governance, board papers, and process redesign with analytical rigor.

This senior IC role offers autonomy and opportunities to coach junior staff, aligning cross‑functional teams and technology-enabled solutions to drive measurable outcomes.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to lead complex, cross‑functional initiatives from problem definition to implementation.
• Strong structured thinking and analytical rigour in ambiguous situations.
• Experience translating data into actionable recommendations for senior stakeholders.
• Interest in applying AI to reimagine people processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex strategic and operational projects end-to-end from problem to impact.
• Build and optimise the operating rhythm for the People Team, driving automation and better decision‑making.
• Prepare analysis, strategic narratives, and recommendations for the Executive Leadership Team and board.
• Reimagine People processes using technology and AI to create faster, clearer workflows.

Skills

Strategic program leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Problem solving

Data storytelling

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

The role and its impact

As a Senior Strategy Manager, People Strategy & Operations, you will turn Xero’s people strategy into action. Reporting to the General Manager of People Strategy & Operations (who also serves as Chief of Staff to the CEO), you’ll own the delivery of complex strategic and operational initiatives across the People Team. Your work will span process and system redesign, capability building, organisational change, board paper development, and governance. You’ll bring structured thinking and analytical rigour to cut through ambiguity, simplify complexity, and remove the blockers that slow teams down.

This is a senior individual contributor role with a high degree of autonomy. You won’t manage a team directly, but you will coach and develop more junior staff across the function, shaping how they approach problems, build recommendations, and deliver outcomes. If you’re someone who thrives on making sense of messy, cross‑functional challenges and turning them into clear plans that people can act on, this role will give you the platform to do exactly that.

The team and how they connect

The People Strategy & Operations team sits at the centre of the People Team, working across every part of the function to translate Xero's people strategy into coordinated execution. The GM also serves as Chief of Staff to the CEO, which means you’ll be close to the conversations that shape how Xero invests in its people. You’ll partner with HR leaders, senior stakeholders across the business, and the Executive Leadership Team to keep complex work moving and decisions well‑informed.

Initially, you will focus on

• Leading complex strategic and operational projects end-to-end, from defining the problem through to implementation and measurable outcomes
• Building and improving the operating rhythm for the People Team, creating streamlined and increasingly automated ways of working that support better decision‑making
• Preparing analysis, strategic narratives, and recommendations for Xero's Executive Leadership Team and board
• Reimagining key People processes using technology and AI to create better, faster ways of working

Where and how you can work

This role is based in our Sydney office with hybrid working arrangements. We value the collaboration and connection that comes from time together in person, and we trust you to manage your time in a way that works for you and your team.

Here are some of the things we're looking for

• Your background includes leading complex cross‑functional initiatives from problem definition through to implementation, ideally in consulting, or strategy and operations, transformation within a technology or SaaS environment
• You bring strong structured problem‑solving skills and can independently take a complex, ambiguous challenge and turn it into a clear plan with measurable outcomes
• Working with senior stakeholders comes naturally to you, whether that’s translating messy data into compelling recommendations, facilitating alignment, or managing discussion through to resolution
• You're comfortable moving fluidly between technical, system‑focused problems and organisational, people‑focused ones, and you Go Further by continuously raising the bar on how work gets done
• Coaching others energises you. You enjoy developing more junior staff in analytical thinking, project approach, and strategic execution, helping the people around you grow
• You have a genuine curiosity about how technology and AI can reimagine people processes, and you Go Bold by rethinking problems rather than just solving them

Apply even if your experience isn't a perfect match! At Xero, we hire based on your skills, passion, and the unique perspective you can bring to enhance our culture and team.