Strategy Director, People Strategy & Operations

Xero; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 210,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Xero in Sydney is seeking a Strategy Director to shape and drive people-focused priorities and translate people strategy into organisation-wide outcomes. Reporting to the General Manager, People Operations, you will influence executives, coach teams, and lead complex initiatives across the function.

You will connect strategy with delivery, aligning OKRs and driving capability while leveraging technology and data to scale impact.

Qualifications

• Experience shaping enterprise strategy in complex tech or SaaS environments.
• Proven ability to speak to executives with structured analyses.
• Demonstrated track record in driving cross-functional initiatives.
• Strong problem-solving mindset with data-informed storytelling.

Responsibilities

• Shaping and leading a portfolio of strategic initiatives spanning process redesign, culture, governance and capability building across People team.
• Developing strategic narratives and analyses for Xero's Executive Leadership Team to align decisions.
• Evolving the operating model and rhythm of the People Team for better prioritisation and faster decisions.
• Reimagining key People processes, embedding best practices and using tech, data and AI for scalable solutions.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Executive stakeholders

Structured problem solving

Data-driven decisions

Cross-functional leadership

Coaching and mentoring

Job description

The role and its impact

As a Strategy Director, you'll shape and drive the strategic and operational priorities that translate Xero's people strategy into coordinated, organisation-wide outcomes. Reporting to the General Manager, People Operations (who also serves as Chief of Staff to the CEO), you'll be a key contributor to People team leadership discussions, bringing a whole-of-business perspective to some of the most consequential decisions Xero makes about how it invests in its people.

Your remit is broad and deliberately varied: from process and system redesign to capability building, organisational change and board paper writing. You'll lead a portfolio of complex and often ambiguous initiatives, connecting the dots across People teams to ensure strategy, priorities and OKRs add up to something coherent. As a senior individual contributor, you'll Go Further by lifting capability around you through coaching, challenge and expertise, shaping how the function operates, not just what it delivers.

The team and how they connect

The People Strategy & Operations team partners across People Team to shape long-term direction, build the function's operating model and translate strategy into execution. They work closely with senior and executive leaders across Xero, structuring ambiguous problems into clear recommendations and staying close to delivery to ensure those recommendations land.

Initially, the role will focus on

• Shaping and leading a portfolio of strategic initiatives that span process redesign, culture, governance and capability building across People team
• Developing strategic narratives and analysis for Xero's Executive Leadership Team, helping clarify complex topics and align decision-making
• Evolving the operating model and operating rhythm for People Team, driving better prioritisation, faster decisions and clearer accountability
• Reimagining critical People processes and ways of working, embedding best practice and using technology, data and AI to create scalable solutions

Where and how you can work

This role is based in Sydney, Australia, working in a hybrid model that combines in-office collaboration with the flexibility to work from home. Our boost days bring the team together in person for connection and collaborative work, with the rest of the week flexible to suit how you work best.

Here are some of the things we're looking for, for this role

• A background in consulting, or strategy and operations, transformation, ideally in a complex technology or SaaS organisation, has shaped how you approach work
• You bring deep expertise in structured problem solving, the kind that identifies problems beyond the original brief and coaches others to think the same way
• Your analytical instincts are sharp: you navigate varied data sources, surface non-obvious insights and use them to shape strategic decisions
• Building trusted relationships with senior leaders comes naturally, and you know how to manage tension and create alignment across organisational boundaries
• You've led cross-functional portfolios or strategic initiatives with broad organisational impact, adapting through ambiguity rather than waiting for certainty
• Lifting the capability of those around you, through coaching, challenge and expertise, is something you actively seek out, not just something you do when asked