Associate Director, HR Operations

Position Summary

The Associate Director, HR Operations is a senior HR leader and partner to site leadership and HR colleagues, accountable for the operating model, governance, and performance of core HR operations. In a CDMO environment where labor is a significant cost driver, this role sets standards and runs scalable HR operations, policies, and systems that improve efficiency, strengthen cost discipline, ensure compliance, and support a sustainable employee experience.

This role uses workforce, payroll, and HR operations data as a management system, setting targets, reviewing performance, investigating drivers, and mobilizing actions across HR, Finance, and Operations to drive actions. The Associate Director translates analysis into clear recommendations, so leaders understand how staffing choices, scheduling, pay practices, and operating decisions affect cost, capacity, risk, and engagement. The role establishes disciplined routines, controls, and continuous improvement priorities to deliver measurable results.

Duties & Responsibilities

Workforce Optimization, Analytics & Business Partnership

• Partner with site leaders and Finance to optimize workforce mix, deployment, and labor spend in a demand-variable CDMO environment.
• Provide executive-ready workforce and labor cost insights, with clear options and recommendations for site and Finance leaders.
• Define labor and HR operations KPIs, targets, and review cadences; hold owners accountable for corrective actions and sustained performance.
• Ensure alignment between HR and Finance data (payroll-to-GL, accruals, variance drivers, controls, and audit readiness).
• Build cost-impact analyses and business cases (e.g., overtime, PTO, shifts, pay policies, benefits) to quantify tradeoffs across cost, capacity, risk, and employee experience.
• Improve workforce capacity assumptions and staffing models to support scheduling, hiring plans, and demand-aligned labor decisions.

HR Operations Leadership & Governance

• Lead HR operations (payroll, compensation, benefits, and HRIS) with a focus on accuracy, compliance, and consistent execution.
• Set governance routines and operating cadences that reinforce cost discipline, visibility to exceptions, and timely follow-through.
• Maintain a strong controls environment (SOPs, approvals, documentation) and multi-state compliance readiness.
• Drive continuous improvement across workflows, systems, and policy execution to reduce rework and manage risk.
• Lead regular operating reviews using standard dashboards and action triggers to support decisions, surface blockers, and ensure follow-through.

Payroll & Labor Cost Management

• Provide oversight of end-to-end payroll operations through standards, controls, and exception management to ensure accurate, timely pay and compliance.
• Partner with Finance on reconciliations, accruals, controls, and labor cost attribution (including COGS/SG&A where applicable).
• Interpret payroll drivers (overtime, premiums, pay codes) and lead cross-functional actions that improve labor efficiency and reduce rework.
• Run overtime governance with site leadership, using sustained trends as signals of capacity or process issues.
• Maintain clear pay policies and pay-code discipline to support compliance and predictable labor cost outcomes.

Benefits & Total Rewards Operations

• Oversee benefits administration through a scalable operating model, controls, and vendor management to ensure high-quality, compliant delivery.
• Lead broker/consultant and vendor governance; shape renewals by evaluating tradeoffs, supporting negotiations, and recommending plan actions.
• Provide benefits utilization and cost insights to inform Total Rewards decisions and tradeoffs.
• Own 401(k) operations, including strategy, vendor management, compliance/testing, audit support, and required communications.
• Communicate recommendations with clear, data-based rationale, tradeoffs, and expected outcomes.

HRIS Ownership & Data Integrity

• Own the HRIS operating model and roadmap across core modules (Payroll, Time & Labor, Benefits, Core HR, Onboarding).
• Govern configuration changes, testing, and change management to protect system integrity.
• Set data governance standards for employee/job/pay/time data to ensure reporting accuracy and trust.
• Standardize reporting and enable self-service insights to reduce manual effort and improve decision speed and consistency.
• Improve job/department/labor coding accuracy and (where applicable) integrations to strengthen labor reporting and downstream controls.

People Leadership & Service Delivery

• Build and lead a high-performing HR Operations team; develop capability, clarify accountabilities, and strengthen bench/succession.
• Set service standards and SLAs to deliver accurate, responsive support and a strong employee/manager experience.
• Build a culture of ownership, curiosity, and continuous improvement within HR Operations.
• Partner with HRBPs, Talent, and site leadership to ensure smooth operational handoffs across the employee lifecycle.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, Finance, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 8+ years in HR Operations with ownership of payroll, benefits, and HRIS; 3+ years leading teams; experience supporting a multi-state workforce.
• Hands-on HRIS experience (payroll/time/benefits/core HR) including reporting, security roles, testing, and end-user support.
• Strong analytics skills (advanced Excel/Sheets) with the ability to reconcile data and communicate actionable insights; preferred: BI/dashboarding tools.
• Demonstrated strength in controls, process improvement, and audit-ready execution; preferred: CPP and/or PHR/SPHR.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• People leader who can coach teams through change and drive consistent execution.
• Analytical and detail-oriented, with strong judgment around controls, risk, and compliance.
• Financially fluent; comfortable partnering with Finance to explain drivers, tradeoffs, and actions.
• Clear, practical communicator with a customer-service mindset and strong follow-through.

Physical Demands

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Ability to communicate effectively via video, phone, and in-person meetings.
• Occasional standing, walking, or lifting for presentations or materials.
• Frequent in-person collaboration with cross-functional teams.

Work Environment

• Primarily onsite office-based position.
• Exposure to a professional, fast-paced environment.
• Collaboration with global colleagues across time zones as needed.
• Standard business hours, with occasional extended hours for shift-based meetings.

Supervisory Responsibilities 

This position has 4 direct reports.

Travel

Occasional domestic and/or international travel (<5%) for meetings, conferences, or site visits.

Target Bonus

18%

Work Location:

East Syracuse, NY