HR Services Lead: Elevate Employee Experience & Ops

Howden; New York (NY); On-site; USD 145,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision insurance

Flexible Paid Time Off

Parental leave

Life and Disability insurance

Job summary

Howden is hiring an HR Employee Services Lead to drive employee-centered HR services with a focus on operational excellence, compliance, and scalable delivery. You will lead a team, partner with Centers of Excellence, Payroll, HRIS, and Legal to align processes with business goals.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in HR operations and 3+ years in leadership, plus expertise in Workday HCM and HRIS integrations. This role offers a salary range in the US market and a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• Experience leading HR service delivery, knowledge management, workflow optimisation, SLA management, and operational reporting.
• Strong knowledge of HR operations, employee services, shared services delivery models, employment practices, and compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, develop talent, drive organisational performance, and manage operational change.
• Experience with workforce planning, operational oversight, service delivery metrics, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and project management skills with the ability to translate data into operational and strategic decisions.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills with the ability to build cross‑functional partnerships.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and lead effectively in a fast‑paced, evolving environment.
• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressive HR operations, shared services, employee services, or customer service experience.
• Minimum of three (3) years of leadership experience managing teams and operational performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of HR Employee Services operations, ensuring timely, employee-centered support that meets service standards.
• Develop, coach, and lead a high-performing team with a culture of service excellence.
• Oversee service delivery quality, workload management, and resource prioritization to meet objectives.
• Manage workforce planning, capacity management, and resource allocation for current and future needs.
• Serve as escalation point for complex employee matters balancing experience, compliance, and business priorities.
• Partner with HR Operations to implement SLAs and continuous enhancement of service delivery.
• Build partnerships with HR, Payroll, HRIS, Compliance, Legal, and business leaders.
• Lead process optimization, standardization, automation, and technology initiatives.
• Establish quality assurance, compliance, risk management, and operational controls.
• Utilize metrics and analytics to drive decisions and improve performance.
• Support mergers/acquisitions and transformation initiatives with operational readiness.

Skills

HR operations leadership

SLA management

Workforce planning

Data analytics

Stakeholder management

Change management

Communication

Project management

People leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business

SHRM-CP or PHR (preferred)

Tools

Workday HCM

HRIS platforms

Job description

Howden is hiring an HR Employee Services Lead to drive employee-centered HR services with a focus on operational excellence, compliance, and scalable delivery. You will lead a team, partner with Centers of Excellence, Payroll, HRIS, and Legal to align processes with business goals.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in HR operations and 3+ years in leadership, plus expertise in Workday HCM and HRIS integrations. This role offers a salary range in the US market and a comprehensive benefits package.