Director, People Operations - AI-Driven & Scale-Ready

Shield AI; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 160,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI seeks a Director of People Operations to shape and scale a technology-enabled, AI-powered People function. You will lead strategy, service delivery, and governance across the employee lifecycle, partnering with HRIS, Payroll, Finance, IT, and Legal to deliver exceptional employee experiences.

The role emphasizes operational transformation, automation, and data governance, with a focus on scalable processes, global expansion, and strong leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, business administration, or 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.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve a unified People Operations vision, operating model, and multi-year roadmap.
• Lead day-to-day operations and ensure high-quality service across the employee lifecycle.
• Scale the People Operations function with accountability for performance and outcomes.
• Establish team structure, capacity planning, and operating rhythms for hiring velocity.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to executives on workforce operations and AI enablement.
• Transform People Operations into a self-service, AI-enabled support model.
• Design service delivery architecture with automation and digital channels.
• Own governance for AI-enabled execution, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
• Drive analytics, dashboards, and continuous improvement of services.
• Partner with external vendors and platforms relevant to People Operations.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

AI-enabled solutions

Automation

Employee lifecycle operations

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field

Tools

UKG

Jira Service Management

Ashby

Job description

Shield AI seeks a Director of People Operations to shape and scale a technology-enabled, AI-powered People function. You will lead strategy, service delivery, and governance across the employee lifecycle, partnering with HRIS, Payroll, Finance, IT, and Legal to deliver exceptional employee experiences.

The role emphasizes operational transformation, automation, and data governance, with a focus on scalable processes, global expansion, and strong leadership.