The Sr. Director, HR Technology & Operations is a strategic leadership role responsible for overseeing the organization's HR technology ecosystem and employee support operations. This leader will drive the strategy, governance, and execution of HR technology initiatives while ensuring efficient, scalable, and employee-centric HR service delivery.
The role is accountable for developing and executing the HR Technology roadmap, optimizing HR processes, leveraging automation and self-service capabilities, enhancing data governance and analytics, and delivering exceptional employee and manager experiences. Working closely with HR Business Partners, Centers of Excellence, IT, Finance, Payroll, and business leaders, the Sr. Director, HR Technology & Operations will enable operational excellence and support the organization's broader people strategy. This role directly supports efforts to streamline HR processes, centralize and optimize Tier 1 employee support, improve data quality, and leverage technology to drive workforce effectiveness.
Location: St. Louis, MO (hybrid)
Key ResponsibilitiesHR Technology Strategy & Governance- Develop and execute a multi-year HR Technology strategy and roadmap aligned with business and people priorities.
- Serve as the senior business owner for Workday and the broader HR technology ecosystem.
- Partner with HR, IT, Security, Payroll, Benefits, Compensation, Talent, and external vendors to deliver technology solutions that improve efficiency, compliance, and employee experience.
- Evaluate emerging technologies, automation tools, AI-enabled solutions, and workforce technologies to improve HR effectiveness and scalability.
- Establish governance processes for technology investments, prioritization, release management, testing, and user adoption.
- Lead vendor selection, contract management, and ongoing vendor performance reviews.
- Lead the HR Service Center organization responsible for employee, manager, and HR support.
- Design and implement a scalable operating model that delivers consistent, high-quality service while reducing complexity for employees and HR Business Partners.
- Establish service delivery standards, metrics, SLAs, escalation processes, and continuous improvement practices.
- Evaluate opportunities to centralize and streamline Tier 1 support activities while expanding self-service capabilities for employees and managers.
- Drive operational excellence through process redesign, automation, knowledge management, and service optimization initiatives.
- Lead enterprise HR process improvement initiatives across the employee lifecycle.
- Identify and eliminate manual, redundant, and inefficient processes through workflow redesign and technology enablement.
- Develop standardized, scalable processes that improve accuracy, compliance, and employee experience.
- Implement continuous improvement methodologies to increase efficiency and organizational agility.
- Establish strong operational controls and governance frameworks to support sustainable growth and operational excellence.
- Lead HR data governance efforts to improve data quality, integrity, security, and compliance.
- Partner with HR and business leaders to support development of people analytics, dashboards, and actionable workforce insights.
- Advance the organization's HR reporting capabilities through Workday, Power BI, and related technologies.
- Establish metrics and reporting frameworks that support workforce planning, operational performance, and strategic decision-making.
- Ensure compliance with data privacy requirements and maintain appropriate system security controls.
- Champion a seamless digital employee experience across HR systems, processes, and service delivery channels.
- Expand employee and manager self-service capabilities to increase accessibility and reduce administrative burden.
- Drive adoption of HR technology solutions through effective communication, change management, and training strategies.
- Measure and continuously improve employee satisfaction with HR services and technology platforms.
- Lead, mentor, and develop high-performing HR Technology and HR Service Center teams.
- Build organizational capabilities in HR systems, process design, service delivery, automation, analytics, and continuous improvement.
- Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, customer service, and operational excellence.
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Information Systems, Business Administration, Technology, or a related field.
- 10+ years of progressive experience in HR Technology, HR Operations, Shared Services, HRIS, or related functions.
- 5+ years of people leadership experience managing teams and leaders.
- Deep experience with enterprise HRIS platforms, preferably Workday.
- Demonstrated experience leading HR digital transformation and process optimization initiatives.
- Strong understanding of HR operations, service delivery models, and shared services environments.
- Experience managing complex cross-functional projects and enterprise-level implementations.
- Proven ability to translate business requirements into scalable technology and operational solutions.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, with experience leveraging workforce data and reporting to drive decisions.
- Excellent executive communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Master's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Information Systems, or related field.
- Workday certifications or advanced Workday experience.
- Experience implementing HR automation, AI-enabled technologies, and self-service solutions.
- Experience building HR analytics and reporting capabilities using platforms such as Power BI.
- Lean, Six Sigma, Agile, PMP, or similar process improvement/project management certifications.
- Strategic Thinking
- Customer & Employee Focus
- Operational Excellence
- Digital & Technology Leadership
- Change Leadership
- Continuous Improvement Mindset
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Executive Presence & Influence
- Talent Development & Team Leadership
The actual pay offered will be determined by multiple factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s relevant experience, job-related knowledge, skills, and geographical location. Individual compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.
Saint Louis Support CenterSkills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Information Systems, Business Administration, Technology, or a related field
- 10+ years of progressive experience in HR Technology, HR Operations, Shared Services, HRIS, or related functions
- 5+ years of people leadership experience managing teams and leaders
- Deep experience with enterprise HRIS platforms, preferably Workday
- Experience leading HR digital transformation and process optimization initiatives
- Strong understanding of HR operations, service delivery models, and shared services environments
- Experience managing complex cross-functional projects and enterprise-level implementations
- Ability to translate business requirements into scalable technology and operational solutions
- Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, including leveraging workforce data and reporting to drive decisions
- Excellent executive communication and stakeholder management skills
- Master's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Information Systems, or a related field
- Workday certifications or advanced Workday experience
- Experience implementing HR automation, AI-enabled technologies, and self-service solutions
- Experience building HR analytics and reporting capabilities using platforms such as Power BI
- Lean, Six Sigma, Agile, PMP, or similar process improvement/project management certifications
What We Do
Panera began in 1987 as St. Louis Bread Company, a humble community bakery founded with a sourdough starter from San Francisco and a dream of putting a loaf of bread in every arm. While our business has expanded well beyond St. Louis since then, that same sourdough starter is still used in our iconic sourdough bread and the craft of baking bread fresh each day remains at the heart of Panera Bread. Each day, our trained bakers fill our bakery shelves with delicious freshly baked cookies, pastries, bagels, and a range of breads from focaccia to classic baguettes. We believe in serving delicious, freshly prepared, clean food made with carefully selected ingredients that we are proud to serve our own families. Our menu, crafted by chefs and bakers, features classic, comforting dishes, each with an intriguing twist. We respect our planet and take measures to lessen our impacts. We believe in treating people with warmth, kindness, and respect, whether it’s a guest in our cafe or one of our associates. And we believe in helping our local communities, especially in times of need. We’re also focused on improving quality and convenience. With investments in technology and operations, we offer omni-channel access to your Panera favorites – like mobile ordering, catering, and Rapid Pick-Up® for to-go orders, Curbside pick-up and delivery – all designed to make things easier for our guests. Today, Panera operates as both Panera Bread® or Saint Louis Bread Co St. Louis Bread Company in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Panera Bread is privately held by JAB Holding Company. Panera Bread is part of Panera Brands, one of the largest fast-casual restaurant platforms in the U.S., comprised of Panera Bread®, Caribou Coffee® and Einstein Bros.® Bagels.
