Sr. HR Operations Specialist (Contract)

Palo Alto Networks; Santa Clara (CA); Hybrid; USD 45,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401K

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks is seeking a Sr. HR Operations Specialist for a 6-month contract in Santa Clara, CA (Hybrid). The role partners with the Global People Operations team to manage the hire-to-retire lifecycle, ensure regional compliance, and optimize 300+ core HR processes through automation.

You will support Day-1 data entry, lifecycle events, and complex inquiries across AMER/LATAM while maintaining discretion with sensitive data and delivering a best-in-class employee experience.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of HR Operations or HR Shared Services in a fast-paced, multinational tech company.
• Proficiency in HR technology and automated workflows; experience with AI tools and productivity systems (Workday, Asana, Google Workspace).
• Experience designing scalable HR workflows and SOPs; SQL is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Regional HR operations and case management across AMER/LATAM.
• End-to-end employee lifecycle support including data entry, job changes, transfers, and offboarding.

Skills

HR Operations

Automation

AI tools

SQL

Spanish language

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources

Tools

Workday

Asana

Google Workspace

Job description

Sr. HR Operations Specialist - Palo Alto Networks [Contract]

Role Description

This role is a contract assignment at Palo Alto Networks. Contractors will not be employed by Palo Alto Networks but through our trusted staffing partners. Palo Alto Networks is looking for a Sr. HR Operations Specialist - Contractor to join our Global People Operations team. Sitting at the intersection of technology, data, and human empathy, HR Operations is the focus engine supporting our global workforce from Day 1 across core systems, compliance, and the hire-to-retire lifecycle. This position reports within the Global People Operations organization and offers a great opportunity to drive operational excellence, compliance, and effective HR service delivery across the Americas (North America & LATAM).

Location: Santa Clara, CA (Hybrid)

Duration: 6 months (to begin with)

Your Impact

The Sr. HR Operations Specialist is a hands-on partner responsible for being the face of the HR Operations team locally while ensuring frictionless, system-orchestrated service delivery. Working in a fast-paced environment, you will wear many hats-supporting the full employee lifecycle, ensuring regional compliance, and actively identifying opportunities to optimize our 300+ core processes through modern automation and agentic toolkits. This role demands a seasoned, detail-oriented professional with high emotional intelligence who can bridge gaps between stakeholder approvals and workflow execution, handle sensitive data with absolute discretion, and deliver a best-in-class employee experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Regional Case Management: Manage and resolve complex Tier 2 HR Operations inquiries across the Americas (AMER/LATAM), handling escalated employee and manage cases with high accuracy and speed.
• End-to-End Employee Lifecycle: Drive accurate, compliant execution of HR workflows across the employee lifecycle, including Day-1 data entry, job changes, transfers, and offboarding processing.
• ER & Compliance Support: Partner with regional SMEs to manage severance payments and facilitate straightforward employee accommodation requests.
• Tiered Ecosystem & Governance: Collaborate with our Global Capability Center (GCC) to transition high-volume, low-complexity (Tier 0/1) tasks, maintaining high-touch service quality for complex, local employee needs.
• Self-Service Promotion: Drive employee self-service adoption by maintaining accurate knowledge base documentation in PANDA and core systems.

Your Experience

• Professional Background: 5+ years of experience in HR Operations or HR Shared Services within a fast-paced, multinational technology company.
• Technical Acumen & Systems: Proficiency in HR technology, automated workflows, AI tools, and productivity systems such as Workday, Asana, and Google Workspace.
• Analytical Skills & Process Optimization: Exceptional analytical skills with a passion for using data and metrics to identify trends, optimize processes, and adjust solutions.
• Operational Excellence & Discretion: Meticulous attention to detail with absolute discretion when handling confidential, sensitive employee data. Proven track record of managing multiple priorities and project follow-through.
• Communication & Emotional Intelligence: Strong communication and interpersonal skills with high emotional intelligence, allowing you to build trust, influence all levels of the organization, and respectfully challenge assumptions when necessary.

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Language Skills: Professional fluency in Spanish (written and spoken) is preferred to support regional expansion.
• Process Design & Tooling: Proven track record of designing, documenting, and optimizing scalable HR workflows and SOPs. Experience leveraging automation or advanced querying tools (e.g., SQL) is strongly preferred.
• ER Experience: Direct experience managing severance payment execution and basic employee accommodation requests.

Compensation

The compensation offered for this position will depend on qualifications, experience, and work location. For candidates who receive an offer, this is the pay range that the staffing agency reasonably expects to pay for this position: $33/hour to $38/hour. Please note that the compensation information in this posting reflects the hourly wage only and does not include benefits. The staffing agency offers Medical, Dental, Vision, and 401K. The staffing agency is not able to provide assistance to candidates requiring sponsorship or a visa for this position.

Information About Palo Alto Networks

At Palo Alto Networks, everything starts and ends with our mission: Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life. We have the vision of a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. These aren't easy goals to accomplish - but we're not here for easy. We're here for better. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we're looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.