Director, HR Operational Excellence - Global Industrial

Genuine Parts Company; Alabama; On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

401(k)

Tuition reimbursement

Vacation

Sick pay

Holiday pay

Job summary

Genuine Parts Company in Alabama seeks a Director, HR Operational Excellence to lead governance, performance management, analytics, and continuous improvement across HR Operations.

This role partners with senior HR leaders to standardize processes, drive data-driven decisions, and ensure policy compliance while delivering an excellent employee experience.

The leader will advance AI-enabled capabilities, automation, and self-service to support Day 1 stability and future modernization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HR/Business or related field.
• 12+ years in HR operations, shared services, or process improvement.
• 7+ years leadership managing managers and teams.
• Experience leading transformation, governance, reporting, analytics.
• Strong analytical and strategic planning capabilities.
• Experience with governance frameworks and performance metrics.
• Ability to influence across functions.

Responsibilities

• Lead HR Operations strategy, governance, and priorities.
• Oversee knowledge management, process excellence, and analytics.
• Drive consistent policies, controls, and service delivery.
• Improve efficiency through automation and self-service.
• Develop workforce analytics and executive dashboards.
• Ensure compliance and risk management.

Skills

Leadership

Strategy development

Operational Excellence

Analytics

Project Management

Stakeholder collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR or related field

Master’s degree in Business/HR (preferred)

Job description

Job Summary

The Director, HR Operational Excellence is responsible for leading the governance, performance management, continuous improvement, analytics, knowledge management, and project delivery functions within HR Operations. Working in partnership with the Directors of HR Operations Service Delivery and People Systems, this role enables the execution of the HR Operations strategy by establishing operational standards, improving processes, advancing data-driven decision making, and ensuring consistent application of policies, procedures, controls, and service delivery practices across the organization.

Reporting to the Senior Director, HR Operations, the Director partners closely with HR Operations Service Delivery, People Systems, Payroll, Total Rewards, Talent Acquisition, business leaders, and external partners to improve organizational effectiveness, increase operational efficiency, strengthen governance, and enhance the employee experience.

This leader is responsible for establishing and sustaining an operational excellence culture focused on continuous improvement, knowledge management, analytics, project execution, compliance, and operational performance. The role plays a critical leadership function in supporting both Day 1 operational stability and the future modernization of HR Operations through process improvement, automation, self-service, and AI-enabled capabilities.

Responsibilities

HR Operations Strategy & Governance

• Partner with the Senior Director, HR Operations and peer leaders to execute the HR Operations strategy, operating model, and priorities.
• Lead the Operational Excellence function, including Knowledge & Policy Management, Process Excellence, and Reporting & Analytics.
• Drive operational consistency through adoption of established policies, standards, controls, and governance practices.
• Monitor organizational performance and identify opportunities to improve service delivery, operational effectiveness, employee experience, and productivity.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives that improve operational performance, reduce risk, and strengthen organizational capabilities.
• Establish and facilitate operational review processes that promote accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement across HR Operations.

Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Build and maintain a culture of continuous improvement across HR Operations.
• Lead process redesign, harmonization, standardization, and optimization initiatives.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency through process improvement, workflow automation, self-service enablement, and technology adoption.
• Implement methodologies that improve operational effectiveness, productivity, quality, and scalability.
• Establish operational maturity and service delivery improvement roadmaps.
• Ensure operational excellence efforts remain aligned to business priorities and organizational objectives.

Knowledge Management & Policy Governance

• Provide executive oversight for organizational knowledge management and policy governance programs.
• Ensure policies, procedures, service catalogs, standard operating procedures, and knowledge articles are maintained and continuously improved.
• Establish governance processes that promote consistency and reduce operational risk.
• Ensure employees, managers, and HR teams have access to accurate, current, and actionable knowledge resources.

Reporting, Analytics & Workforce Insights

• Lead the development of workforce analytics, operational reporting, and business intelligence capabilities that enable data-driven decision making across HR and the broader organization.
• Develop and maintain executive dashboards, scorecards, and performance metrics that provide visibility into workforce trends, employee experience, organizational health, compliance, and service delivery performance.
• Translate workforce and operational data into actionable insights that influence workforce planning, talent decisions, organizational effectiveness, and business outcomes.
• Ensure reporting integrity, data quality, and governance while identifying opportunities to leverage advanced analytics, predictive insights, and emerging technologies to improve organizational performance.

Compliance, Risk & Controls

• Establish and maintain operational controls that support compliance with company policies and applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
• Partner with HR, Legal, Payroll, Internal Audit, and business leaders to address compliance risks and control gaps.
• Lead operational audits, control reviews, and risk assessments.
• Ensure key compliance activities are documented, monitored, and reviewed on a regular basis.
• Promote a culture of accountability, transparency, and operational discipline.

Technology Enablement & Digital Transformation

• Partner with People Systems leadership to identify opportunities for technology-enabled improvements.
• Support optimization of Workday, ServiceNow, reporting platforms, automation tools, and employee self-service capabilities.
• Prioritize operational requirements and business needs that drive system enhancements and digital transformation efforts.
• Support the adoption of emerging technologies, including AI-enabled service delivery capabilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Analytics, or related field.
• 12+ years of progressive experience in HR Operations, Shared Services, Operational Excellence, Process Improvement, Consulting, or related disciplines.
• 7+ years of leadership experience managing managers and operational teams.
• Demonstrated experience leading transformation, process improvement, governance, reporting, analytics, or operational excellence initiatives.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and strategic planning capabilities.
• Experience establishing operational performance metrics and governance frameworks.
• Proven ability to influence and collaborate across multiple organizational functions.
• Experience managing complex projects and organizational change initiatives.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican HR Operations environments.
• Experience within industrial distribution, manufacturing, logistics, or other operationally intensive industries.
• Experience building or transforming HR Shared Services or HR Operations organizations.
• Experience with Workday, ServiceNow, workflow automation, reporting platforms, and employee service delivery technologies.
• Lean Six Sigma, PMP, Change Management, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or similar certifications.
• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Human Resources, Industrial Engineering, or related field.
• Experience supporting organizational separations, integrations, or large-scale business transformations.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Work is performed in an office environment and requires the ability to operate standard office equipment.

COMPANY INFORMATION:

Motion offers an excellent benefits package which includes options for healthcare coverage, 401(k), tuition reimbursement, vacation, sick, and holiday pay.

DISCLAIMER:

This job description illustrates the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this job classification. It is not intended to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and skills required. Management retains the right to add or modify duties at any time.

GPC conducts its business without regard to sex, race, creed, color, religion, marital status, national origin, citizenship status, age, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, military status, status as a veteran, or any other protected characteristic. GPC's policy is to recruit, hire, train, promote, assign, transfer and terminate employees based on their own ability, achievement, experience and conduct and other legitimate business reasons.