Head of People Technology

Aurora; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 216,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Equity compensation

Benefits

Job summary

Aurora is seeking a Director, Head of People Technology to transform our HR technology ecosystem into a secure, scalable, and AI-integrated backbone. You will architect long-term platform strategies, while hands-on configuring complex systems and deploying internal AI automation to reduce manual work and improve the employee experience.

You will lead a senior technology partnership with executive teams across People, Finance, and Security IT, building a high-impact team and ensuring governance,

Qualifications

• Experience leading People/HR technology in high-growth tech environments.
• Hands-on configuration of core HRIS platforms and integrations.
• Proven ability to design scalable data architectures and governance.

Responsibilities

• Drive Platform Strategy & Architecture for HR systems (HRIS, ATS, Total Rewards, Performance).
• Lead design and data integration to eliminate fragmentation across HR, Finance, and Ops.
• Deploy AI automation to replace manual HR workflows with internal agents.
• Establish data governance and compliance for global operations (GDPR/CCPA).
• Collaborate with executive leadership across People, Finance, and Security IT.
• Build and mentor a high-impact platform team with AI fluency.

Skills

Platform architecture

Data integration

AI automation

HR tech leadership

Executive stakeholder mgmt

Change management

Tools

Workday

Greenhouse

Ashby

Job description

Who We Are

Aurora’s mission is to deliver the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly.

Who We Are

Aurora’s mission is to deliver the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly.

The Aurora Driver will create a new era in mobility and logistics, one that will bring a safer, more efficient, and more accessible future to everyone.

At Aurora, you will tackle massively complex problems alongside other passionate, intelligent individuals, growing as an expert while expanding your knowledge.

For the latest news from Aurora, visit aurora.tech or follow us on LinkedIn.

What We Are Looking For

Aurora hires talented people with diverse backgrounds who are ready to help build a transportation ecosystem that will make our roads safer, get crucial goods where they need to go, and make mobility more efficient and accessible for all. We’re searching for a Director, Head of People Technology, that is a builder-first leader responsible for transforming our HR technology ecosystem into a secure, scalable, and AI-integrated backbone. Balancing strategic vision with deep, hands-on execution, you will lead the charge in eliminating operational fragmentation across our People systems, ensuring they are optimized to support Aurora’s growth. You are someone who loves to architect long-term platform strategies, but is equally thrilled to dive into backend configurations, design data flows, and deploy cutting-edge internal AI automation that reduces manual work and elevates the employee experience.

In this role, you will

• Drive Platform Strategy & Architecture: Set the long-term technical vision, architecture, and strategy for all People platforms (HRIS, ATS, Total Rewards, and Performance systems), evolving them from legacy setups into a coherent, scalable ecosystem.
• Lead Technical Design & Data Integration: Serve as the hands‑on principal architect for internal people systems. You will define the employee data management strategy, build complex system crosswalks, and establish the automated integration frameworks that eliminate operational fragmentation between HR, Finance and Commercial Operations systems.
• Deploy AI & Automation: Identify opportunities to replace manual HR workflows with AI-powered agents. Build and manage "internal agents" to automate employee self-service, reporting, and routine data auditing.
• Establish Strong Governance: Mature our core People systems by establishing disciplined change management, strict data governance, and control frameworks to support auditability, global data privacy (GDPR/CCPA), and public-company readiness.
• Collaborate Cross-Functionally: Serve as the primary senior technology partner to executive leadership across People, Finance, and Security IT, translating complex technical needs, platform risks, and roadmap milestones into clear business outcomes.
• Lead and Upskill: Build and mentor a high-impact platform team, fostering a culture of domain depth and AI fluency, speed, and proactive system ownership rather than reactive support.

Required Qualifications

• 14+ years of experience leading People / HR business technology, including 6+ years of experience in leadership and management track in high-growth technology environments.
• Proven, hands‑on configuration mastery of core enterprise HRIS platforms (Workday, Greenhouse, Ashby). You thoroughly understand the backend logic, system limitations, and how these platforms integrate with downstream systems.
• A proven track record of designing and deploying workflows with advanced automation to drastically improve business efficiency.
• Exceptional ability to design scalable data architectures, manage integrations, and map out complex technical ecosystems.
• Experience operating in a public-company environment, with a strong understanding of compliance, security controls, and audit expectations.
• Demonstrated success influencing C-level executives and managing strategic, complex technology vendor relationships to ensure platforms deliver to high standards of reliability and innovation.

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience in designing, building, or deploying Agentic AI automation.
• Experience in master data management (MDM) in the HR domain.

The base salary range for this position is $216,000 - 280,000 per year. Aurora’s pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, the successful candidate’s starting base pay will be determined based on factors including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, relevant education or training, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future. The successful candidate will also be eligible for an annual bonus, equity compensation, and benefits.

Working at Aurora

At Aurora, we bring together extraordinarily talented and experienced people united by the strength of our values. We operate with integrity, set outrageous goals, and build a culture where we win together - all without any jerks. We believe in-person work increases collaboration, empathy, and our ability to lead effectively. As a result, Aurorans are expected to work from the office at least 3 days per week, with some roles requiring more frequent in-office presence, up to 5 days per week, based on operational needs. Our Careers page provides insight into what it is like to work at Aurora, and you can find all the latest updates in our Newsroom.

Our commitment to safety

At the core of everything we do is our commitment to safety. Building best-in-class self-driving technology will take time, and we believe that each employee at Aurora has a role in contributing to safety, every step of the way. Aurora expects commitment to our safety policies from every employee, and seeks candidates who take an active responsibility, can contribute to building an atmosphere of trust, and invest in the organization’s long-term success by prioritizing working safely, no matter what.

Our commitment to inclusion

Aurora considers candidates without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy status, parent or caregiver status, ancestry, political affiliation, veteran and or military status, physical or mental disability, or any other status protected by federal or state law. Aurora considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at [e-mail].

For California applicants, information collected and processed as part of your application and any job applications you choose to submit is subject to Aurora’s California Employment Privacy Policy.