Senior Director, People Operations

Expand Group is excited to be supporting a key AdTech client with the search for a Senior Director of People Operations.

This is a senior executive leadership role for a fast-growing, global AdTech organisation delivering full-service media and programmatic advertising solutions to agencies and brands worldwide. The business places a strong emphasis on innovation, privacy-first advertising, and building an inclusive, high-performance culture.

The Role

Senior Director of People Operations will own and lead the global People function, shaping HR strategy across all business units. This role partners closely with the executive leadership team to align people strategy with commercial objectives, ensuring the organisation continues to attract, retain, and develop top-tier talent as it scales.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Lead and develop the People Operations function, including HR, Talent Acquisition, Operations, Executive Support, and AI-enabled roles
• Define and execute company-wide people and HR strategies aligned to business goals
• Act as a trusted advisor to the executive team on workforce planning, organisational design, and employee relations

Talent & Employee Experience

• Oversee performance management, promotions, succession planning, and career development frameworks
• Drive employee engagement initiatives, feedback programmes, and culture-building activities
• Build and scale leadership development, training, and mentorship programmes

Total Rewards & HR Operations

• Own compensation and benefits strategy, including base salary, bonus, equity, and perks
• Oversee payroll, benefits administration, and HR operations
• Ensure HR systems and processes are efficient, data-driven, and scalable

Compliance & Policy

• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local employment regulations
• Develop and maintain HR policies, procedures, and best practices

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with senior leaders across the business to support change management, workforce planning, and talent strategy
• Collaborate closely with Finance, IT, and Operations to align systems, reporting, and processes

Profile

• Strategic, credible, and inspirational people leader
• Highly people-centric, with a proven ability to build inclusive, high-performing cultures
• Data-driven, commercially minded, and outcome-focused
• Comfortable leveraging HR technology to optimise people operations

Requirements

• 8+ years of progressive HR / People Operations experience
• 5+ years in a leadership role within a fast-growing or complex organisation
• Deep expertise across HR operations, total rewards, compliance, performance management, and talent development
• Strong communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills
• Proven ability to build scalable HR frameworks aligned to business growth