Director, HR Technology & Operations

Panera LLC; St. Louis (MO); Hybrid; USD 166,000 - 199,000; Full time

Job summary

Panera LLC in Saint Louis, MO, seeks a Director of HR Technology & Operations to lead the HR tech ecosystem and employee support services. You will drive strategy, governance, and execution, focusing on scalable, employee-centric delivery and data governance across HR processes.

Responsibilities include leading Workday, building an efficient HR Service Center, enhancing self-service, and partnering with HR, IT, payroll, and vendors to optimize operations and analytics.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, IS, business or related field.
• 10+ years in HR Technology/Operations/Shared Services.
• 5+ years of people leadership experience.
• Deep experience with enterprise HRIS, preferably Workday.
• Experience leading HR digital transformation and process optimization.
• Strong analytical and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and govern a multi-year HR Technology strategy and roadmap.
• Lead HR Service Center operations with scalable models and SLAs.
• Enhance employee and manager experience via self-service and adoption.
• Partner with HR, IT, Security, Payroll, Benefits, and vendors.
• Drive process improvements with automation and analytics.

Skills

Strategic Thinking

Operational Excellence

Digital & Technology Leadership

Change Leadership

Data-Driven Decision Making

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Executive Presence & Influence

Talent Development & Team Leadership

Customer & Employee Focus

Team Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Information Systems, Business Administration, Technology, or a related field

Master's degree in HR, Business Administration, Information Systems, or related field

Tools

Workday

Job description

Position Summary

Director, HR Technology & Operations Position Summary The Director, HR Technology & Operations is a strategic leadership role responsible for overseeing the organization's HR technology ecosystem and employee support operations. This leader will drive the strategy, governance, and execution of HR technology initiatives while ensuring efficient, scalable, and employee-centric HR service delivery. The role is accountable for developing and executing the HR Technology roadmap, optimizing HR processes, leveraging automation and self-service capabilities, enhancing data governance and analytics, and delivering exceptional employee and manager experiences. Working closely with HR Business Partners, Centers of Excellence, IT, Finance, Payroll, and business leaders, the Director, HR Technology & Operations will enable operational excellence and support the organization's broader people strategy. This role directly supports efforts to streamline HR processes, centralize and optimize Tier 1 employee support, improve data quality, and leverage technology to drive workforce effectiveness.

Location: St. Louis, MO (hybrid)

Key Responsibilities

HR Technology Strategy & Governance Develop and execute a multi-year HR Technology strategy and roadmap aligned with business and people priorities. Serve as the senior business owner for Workday and the broader HR technology ecosystem. Partner with HR, IT, Security, Payroll, Benefits, Compensation, Talent, and external vendors to deliver technology solutions that improve efficiency, compliance, and employee experience. Evaluate emerging technologies, automation tools, AI-enabled solutions, and workforce technologies to improve HR effectiveness and scalability. Establish governance processes for technology investments, prioritization, release management, testing, and user adoption. Lead vendor selection, contract management, and ongoing vendor performance reviews.

HR Service Center Leadership Lead the HR Service Center organization responsible for employee, manager, and HR support. Design and implement a scalable operating model that delivers consistent, high-quality service while reducing complexity for employees and HR Business Partners. Establish service delivery standards, metrics, SLAs, escalation processes, and continuous improvement practices. Evaluate opportunities to centralize and streamline Tier 1 support activities while expanding self-service capabilities for employees and managers. Drive operational excellence through process redesign, automation, knowledge management, and service optimization initiatives. Lead enterprise HR process improvement initiatives across the employee lifecycle. Identify and eliminate manual, redundant, and inefficient processes through workflow redesign and technology enablement. Develop standardized, scalable processes that improve accuracy, compliance, and employee experience. Implement continuous improvement methodologies to increase efficiency and organizational agility. Establish strong operational controls and governance frameworks to support sustainable growth and operational excellence.

Employee & Manager Experience Champion a seamless digital employee experience across HR systems, processes, and service delivery channels. Expand employee and manager self-service capabilities to increase accessibility and reduce administrative burden. Drive adoption of HR technology solutions through effective communication, change management, and training strategies. Measure and continuously improve employee satisfaction with HR services and technology platforms.

Leadership & Talent Development Lead, mentor, and develop high-performing HR Technology and HR Service Center teams. Build organizational capabilities in HR systems, process design, service delivery, automation, analytics, and continuous improvement. Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, customer service, and operational excellence.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Information Systems, Business Administration, Technology, or a related field. 10+ years of progressive experience in HR Technology, HR Operations, Shared Services, HRIS, or related functions. 5+ years of people leadership experience managing teams and leaders. Deep experience with enterprise HRIS platforms, preferably Workday. Demonstrated experience leading HR digital transformation and process optimization initiatives. Strong understanding of HR operations, service delivery models, and shared services environments. Experience managing complex cross-functional projects and enterprise-level implementations. Proven ability to translate business requirements into scalable technology and operational solutions. Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, with experience leveraging workforce data and reporting to drive decisions. Excellent executive communication and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred

Preferred Master's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Information Systems, or related field. Workday certifications or advanced Workday experience. Experience implementing HR automation, AI-enabled technologies, and self-service solutions. Experience building HR analytics and reporting capabilities using platforms such as Power BI. Lean, Six Sigma, Agile, PMP, or similar process improvement/project management certifications.

Leadership Competencies

Strategic Thinking Customer & Employee Focus Operational Excellence Digital & Technology Leadership Change Leadership Continuous Improvement Mindset Data-Driven Decision Making Cross-Functional Collaboration Executive Presence & Influence Talent Development & Team Leadership

Equal Opportunity Employer: Disabled/Veterans Competitive Pay $165,648 - $198,777 annually

The actual pay offered will be determined by multiple factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s relevant experience, job-related knowledge, skills, and geographical location. Individual compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.

Saint Louis Support Center

With more than 2,000 Panera LLC and independent franchise bakery-cafes in the Panera Bread® family, and more locations opening all the time, it’s no wonder our company has been an excellent source of career and personal growth opportunities for more than 25 years. In neighborhoods across the U.S. and Canada, customers enjoy flavorful, handcrafted meals centered around freshly baked artisan bread. To us, that means serving food like we serve our own families – free of any of the items on our ‘No No’ List. Along the way, we also like to give back to our community. We enjoy working together, shoulder to shoulder with our customers, to confront a serious problem plaguing communities across this country – Hunger. Through our Panera Cares community cafes, we offer a dignified dining experience in an uplifting environment. In addition, we support our communities through day-end donations at our bakery-cafe locations and partner with local non-profit organizations. It’s this warmth that you’ll find when you join Panera Bread. From our competitive compensation and benefits packages to our unique cultural values, we’re confident you’ll find us a rewarding and fun place to work.