Sr. Director of HR Operations

An excellent opportunity to join an innovative, evolving HR Operations team.   This is a hybrid role and will require travel to our Phoenix office as required.  

Arizona College of Nursing is a rapidly growing, nursing school that transforms people’s lives by preparing them for careers in nursing and improving communities through the care its graduates provide. As a leading nurse educator, Arizona College of Nursing offers students the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s in nursing in 3 years or less with qualified transfer credits. Our quality nursing curriculum prepares students for an in-demand career to help communities overcome the chronic, well-known, and increasing nursing shortage. Through the execution of a targeted growth strategy, the college plans to meet the growing demand for nurses by launching campuses in markets where bachelor’s prepared nurses are needed.

Putting students first, we are dedicated to providing students with an exceptional education in growing healthcare fields; teaching them relevant, required skills for today and the future. Our culture is positive, supportive, and collaborative. As a team, we continually embrace our core values:

Passion: We love helping others succeed.
Excellence: We strive to be the best.
Adaptability: We learn, in part by trying new ideas.
Accountability: We own our results.
Integrity: We do the right thing.

Arizona College is seeking a highly motivated and execution-focused Senior Director of HR Operations to lead the optimization of core HR systems, processes, and service delivery, to include HRIS, benefits, payroll, compensation and HR compliance. This role is pivotal in stabilizing and enhancing foundational HR operations with measurable results expected in the first 6–12 months. This leader will focus on driving process improvement, ensuring data integrity, and improving HR operational efficiency in close partnership with HR Centers of Excellence (COEs), IT, Finance and other key stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities:

HR Process Execution & Improvement
• Assess and streamline end-to-end HR processes to enhance efficiency, compliance, and Colleague experience.
• Identify and remove process bottlenecks and redundancies with a bias toward action.
• Support the implementation of a governance model to ensure consistency across HR policies and workflows.
• Monitor and report on key metrics (e.g., turnaround time, compliance, user satisfaction) to demonstrate impact.

HR Systems & Data Optimization
• Collaborate with IT to evaluate and optimize HR systems (HRIS, ATS, etc.) for stability and performance.
• Drive data quality initiatives to ensure accuracy, integrity, and readiness for reporting.
• Support the rollout of system improvements and digital tools that enhance employee and manager experience.
• Assist in advancing HR reporting capabilities to enable timely, data-informed decisions.

Employee Services & Operational Support
• Improve employee support workflows in alignment with a high-efficiency, user-focused service model.
• Implement and track service-level metrics (SLAs) and feedback loops to enhance HR service quality.
• Use technology and automation to simplify access to HR services and reduce manual work.

Compliance Support
• Partner with IT and Finance to support accurate, compliant execution.
• Ensure operational processes meet audit and regulatory requirements.
• Complies with all policies and standards
• Performs other duties as assigned

Team Leadership and Participation
• Hires, develops and retains a high performing team.
• Serves as a key member of the Human Resources Leadership Team

At Arizona College of Nursing, we believe in a collaborative approach where all colleagues work together towards our shared goals. It's important to note that this list doesn't cover everything you'll be asked to do or need to do. We value adaptability and flexibility as we grow and evolve as an organization.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Must Have:

• Bachelor's Degree required.
• 5–10 years of progressive HR experience, with a strong background in HR operations, process improvement, or shared services required.
• Minimum 7 years’ experience leading a high performing team.
• Creativity to design and implement Colleague benefits and rewards that attract, engage and recognize high performing talent.
• Track record of achieving results through influence and collaboration.
• Demonstrated success executing complex projects or initiatives within HR under tight timelines required.
• Hands-on experience with HR systems (Paylocity preferred) and data governance required.
• Proven ability to optimize processes, enhance service delivery, and collaborate across functions required.
• Strong analytical skills and comfort working with data to inform decisions.
• Execution & Agility: Thrives in fast-paced environments; brings urgency and discipline to project delivery.
• Colleague focus: Embraces servant leadership to influence, inspire and support the achievement of others throughout the organization.
• Process Thinking: Skilled in identifying operational gaps and implementing scalable solutions.
• Technology-Enabled Mindset: Embraces systems and automation to drive efficiency and accuracy.
• Collaboration: Builds effective partnerships with HR, IT, and business teams to drive outcomes.
• Data Fluency: Uses data and metrics to prioritize efforts and measure success.

Nice to Have:
• Master's Degree preferred.
• Experience in a matrixed or cross-functional environment preferred.