Associate Director​/Director, HR Operations

Overview

The Associate Director/Director, HR Operations is a key member of the HR team, responsible for scaling and governing efficient, compliant, and employee-centric HR operational services across a growing life-sciences organization. This role ensures HR infrastructure, systems, and workforce processes—spanning employees, contingent workers, and global employment partners—are scalable, compliant, and aligned to a regulated, commercialization-ready environment. The Associate Director / Director balances hands-on execution with strategic oversight to organizational growth, evolving workforce models, and global expansion.

• Lead end-to-end HR operational processes across the employee lifecycle (offers, onboarding, offboarding, job changes, promotions, performance cycles, and data governance).
• Provide strategic oversight of employee benefits administration, ensuring accurate enrollment, eligibility management, vendor coordination, and compliance with applicable regulations.
• Oversee the preparation, review, and issuance of employment offer letters.
• Own and govern background check and pre-employment screening processes for U.S. and global hires, including vendor oversight, process standardization, and compliance with local regulations.
• Lead a fit-for-purpose HR operations model (in‑house, shared services, and/or vendor‑supported) that scales with commercialization and geographic growth.
• Ensure process standardization across global and multi-state operations
• Provide direct people leadership to HR Operations team members, including full-time employees and contractors, setting clear expectations, goals, and accountability.
• Provide operational leadership and governance for an established contingent workforce program, including consultants, contractors, temporary staff, and vendor-provided resources.
• Oversee standardized onboarding and offboarding processes for contingent workers, ensuring appropriate documentation, system access, training requirements, and security controls.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition, Contracts, Finance, IT, and Hiring Managers to support proper worker classification, contract management, and risk mitigation.
• Manage contracts with staffing agencies and workforce suppliers, including service quality, performance oversight, and issue resolution in partnership with Talent Acquisition.
• Reporting on contingent workforce headcount, spend, tenure, compliance status, and overall workforce mix.

• Serve as the HR operations point of contact for immigration and work authorization programs, partnering closely with external immigration counsel and internal teams.
• Support visa and work authorization processes (e.g., H-1B, TN, O-1, L-1, E-3, and other country-specific visas and permits), ensuring accurate documentation and timely case coordination.
• Advise Talent Acquisition Partners, HR Business Partners and leaders on immigration considerations related to hiring, role changes, and workforce planning.
• Monitor changes in U.S. and global immigration and mobility regulations and policies, proactively assessing impact and recommending mitigation strategies when needed.
• Provide operational oversight of employee mobility and relocation activities across both U.S. domestic and international (ex-U.S.) moves, in partnership with relocation vendors, immigration counsel, and internal stakeholders.

• Own operational relationships with Global Workforce Partners (PEOs/EORs) supporting international employees.
• Ensure consistent and compliant employee lifecycle management for PEO-employed staff, including onboarding, offboarding, employment changes, and documentation.
• Oversee PTO tracking, leave administration, and local statutory benefits in partnership with PEO providers.
• Coordinate country-specific employment updates, including changes to compensation practices, benefits, policies, and statutory requirements.
• Ensure global workforce practices balance local compliance, internal consistency, and a positive employee experience across countries.
• Maintain accurate workforce data and reporting aligned between…