Director, Global Hr Connect (Hr Operations)

This role is posted in each of the following locations: Santa Clara, CA; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Bangalore, India; and Singapore

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks everything starts and ends with our mission:

Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life.

Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. 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.

Our Approach to Work

We lead with flexibility and choice in all of our people programs. We have disrupted the traditional view that all employees have the same needs and wants. We offer personalization and offer our employees the opportunity to choose what works best for them as often as possible - from your wellbeing support to your growth and development, and beyond!

At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work from the office three days per week, leaving two days for choice and flexibility to work where you feel most effective. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. While details may evolve, our goal is to create an environment where innovation thrives, with office-based teams coming together three days a week to collaborate and thrive, together!

Your Career

In this pivotal role as Global Director of HR Connect, you'll champion the employee experience across our global organization, shaping the future of HR operations. With a passion for automation, efficiency, and global solutions, you'll lead a team of 30 HR generalists, and 4 regional HR generalist people managers, steering their efforts to deliver exceptional HR support to our employees, managers, leaders, and contractors. You will oversee day-to-day operations and strategic initiatives (including large scale cross-functional projects) for the HR Connect teams, addressing regional pain points and priorities through efforts to automate and simplify employee lifecycle processes.

HR Connect serves as the frontline point of contact for our employees, managers, leaders, and contractors. They handle a wide range of HR-related inquiries and support activities (e.g., supporting core programs like perf & pay; helping Centers of Excellence like ER, Immigration, Compensation and Benefits), ensuring a smooth and positive employee experience.

Your contributions will have a profound impact on our organization, shaping the way we support our employees and drive our business forward. You'll be instrumental in elevating the employee experience to new heights, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing costs, and positioning HR Connect as a strategic driver of business success.

Your Impact

• Global Frontline HR Ops Leader - Establish yourself as the global HR Connect (HR generalist) leader fostering a "One HR Connect" team that delivers best-in-class services across every country and region
• Automate & AI Pioneer - Spearhead the automation and AI revolution within HR Connect, streamlining processes, enhancing employee experience, and driving efficiency through scalable solutions
• Systems Thinking Champion - Apply a holistic approach to problem-solving, identifying root causes and interconnected challenges, ensuring solutions are tailored to local needs and requirements
• Informed Decision-Maker -  Provide data-driven insights into the operational health of the People team through a global and regional lens, empowering strategic decision-making through comprehensive reports and astute leadership commentary
• Regional Empowerment Advocate - Collaborate closely with regional HR Connect Managers, understanding their pain points, priorities, and aspirations, empowering them to address challenges and achieve their goals
• PANW Accelerator - Implement processes, systems, and measures that ensure your programs positively impact both business outcomes and employee satisfaction - Oversee large-scale cross-functional projects to enhance the People Team and employee experience - Projects may include areas like Workday Improvements, efforts to automate and leverage AI, and implementing system enhancements to support Return-to-Office
• IT Enhancements Driver - Consolidate and represent HR Connect's IT needs, driving seamless collaboration with the HRIS/IT team - Oversee the operationalization of processes and procedures for Workday, ServiceNow, and custom applications (Note - this is not an HRIS role)

Your Experience

• Deep HR Generalists Expertise - Demonstrate 12+ years of experience in transformative, employee-facing HR support services at a global company with knowledge of HR laws and regulations in multiple countries.
• Established Leadership - Possess 5+ years of solid management experience, effectively leading or collaborating with global teams across diverse cultures and regions
• Solutions Architect - Embrace a "systems thinking" mentality, understanding interconnectedness, identifying root causes, and ensuring solutions are thoughtfully disruptive
• Project Management Expert - Possess extensive project management experience, particularly in managing large-scale, fast-paced projects, both independently and guiding others
• Workday and ServiceNow Pro - Demonstrate strong proficiency in Workday and ServiceNow from an HR practitioner's perspective
• HR Operations Transformation Specialist- Bring significant hands-on experience in transforming an HR operation organization from a highly transactional workload (Tier 1) to a consultative workload (Tier 2)
• Superior Communication Expert - Exhibit exceptional written and oral communication skills, fostering clear, collaborative, and impactful interactions
• Dynamic Team Player - Thrive in a collaborative environment, adapting your style to maximize impact while demonstrating excellent interpersonal skills, business judgment, strategic thinking, and a superior work ethic
• Ambiguity Navigator - Embrace ambiguity, maintain a keen eye for detail, and excel in managing multiple fast-paced projects simultaneously within cross-functional teams

The Team

Our People team at Palo Alto Networks works throughout the organization to enable...you guessed it, people. We're one team - driven to one mission statement. Each piece matters, and within the people team, you are focused on enabling our teams to resolve the world's most challenging cybersecurity threats. You will be part of a growing, passionate, and dynamic team with an opportunity to work on challenging and exciting projects - centered on what we believe is one of the most significant mission statements in the world.    

Our Commitment

We're trailblazers that dream big, take risks, and challenge cybersecurity's status quo. It's simple: we can't accomplish our mission without diverse teams innovating, together.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all qualified individuals with a disability. If you require assistance or accommodation due to a disability or special need, please contact us at [email protected].

Palo Alto Networks is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity in our workplace, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or other legally protected characteristics.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.