Director, HR Operations & Systems
Irvine, CA, US, 92618
Employment Type: Salaried
Work Arrangement: Hybrid
Position Summary:
The Director of HR Operations & Systems is accountable for building and leading a scalable, technology-enabled HR Operations function that serves as the execution engine for HR. This role owns HR service delivery, HR Systems strategy and governance, employee lifecycle operations, and people data integrity.
This leader translates HR strategy into repeatable, compliant, and efficient operations while ensuring systems, workflows, and analytics support business growth and decision-making. They will identify, prioritize, and operationalize AI‑enabled capabilities within the HR technology ecosystem to improve efficiency, accuracy, controls and the overall employee experience to positively impact our team and culture.
Major Duties and Responsibilities:
Key Responsibilities:
HR Operations Strategy & Leadership
- Design and stand up the enterprise HR Operations model aligned to future growth
- Establish clear operating principles, intake models, SLAs, and service ownership
- Serve as the senior owner of HR execution, systems, and process governance
- Enable next‑generation HR Operations through intelligent automation and AI‑driven insights, ensuring solutions are scalable, secure, and human‑centered.
- Collaborate, influence and partner with HR Leadership, COEs, IT, Legal, Payroll, and Finance to orchestrate continuous improvement, prioritization and execution
HRIS & Systems Ownership
- Own the HR technology ecosystem (e.g., ADP, self-service tools, workflows, reporting)
- Define HR Systems roadmap, enhancements, integrations, and automation priorities
- Ensure data security, role-based access, and system governance
- Act as business owner for HR systems with IT and vendors
Employee Lifecycle & Service Delivery
- Oversee end-to-end employee lifecycle transactions:
- Hiring, job/comp changes, transfers, terminations
- Pre-boarding, onboarding, off-boarding
- Ensure consistent, compliant execution across the enterprise
- Own digital employee files, I-9 compliance, BG/DS governance, employment verification and other centralized processes and programs
People Data, Analytics & Compliance
- Establish a single source of truth for people data and reporting
- Deliver leadership-ready analytics (e.g., QOR, workforce metrics)
- Ensure audit readiness, compliance monitoring, and risk mitigation
- Reduce manual data manipulation and downstream corrections
Team Leadership
- Build, lead, and develop the HR Operations & Systems team
- Set priorities, performance expectations, and development paths
- Foster a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, accountability and service excellence across teams.
- Scale the function over time as business needs evolve ensuring the continued and elevated people first approach
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor's degree in HR, Business Administration, Information Systems or a related field, is required
- 10+ years of progressive HR Operations or HRIS experience, including 3+ years of people leadership experience required
- Proven experience building or transforming HR Operations enterprise-wide, is required
- Demonstrated experience identifying and leveraging AI capabilities within the HCM to improve efficiency and employee experience, is required
- Travel: 5%
- Oracle HCM Fusion & Redwood UI experience is highly preferred
- HR Operations transformation, inclusive of ticketing solutions within the HR function is desired
Knowledge and Skills:
- Deep understanding of HR compliance, controls and data governance
- Executive-level communication and cross-functional leadership skills
- Strong HR systems aptitude (HCM, workflows, reporting, self-service)
Why Join Us:
Ventura Foods innovates and manufactures food solutions for foodservice and retail businesses. We make exclusive products for the world's most iconic restaurants and retailers, we provide ready-to-go product solutions for professional kitchens, and we make consumer brands everyone knows and loves. When you work for Ventura Foods, you get a strong foundation of training, a manager who cares about you and celebrates your success, a safe environment, and challenging work. As part of our team, your future is limited only by how much you’re willing to push yourself to get there. We invest in your growth because you invest in ours.
Ventura Foods offers career growth opportunities as well as competitive compensation and benefits:
- Medical, Prescription, Dental, & Vision – coverage beginning on your 1st day for eligible employees
- Profit Sharing and 401(k) matching (after eligible criteria is met)
- Paid Vacation, Sick Time, and Holidays
- Employee Appreciation Events and Employee Assistance Programs
- Salary Base Range of $160,406.00 - $213,058.65*
- Annual bonus (based on the incentive program terms and conditions)
*The “base salary range” provided above is a good faith estimate of what we expect to pay for this position in the specified markets. Ventura Foods reserves the right to pay outside of the given range based on a variety of factors including but not limited to: candidate skills and experience, complexity of the job, budgetary factors, and location/geography. Ventura Foods conducts regular reviews of compensation ranges and therefore reserves the right to alter this range at any given time.
Diversity & Inclusion:
Our commitment to a diverse and inclusive environment in which all employees are treated with respect is evident in our company culture and values. We believe that fostering an environment of inclusion and a focus on diversity across our organization is vital to attracting top talent, driving innovation, and meeting the high expectations of our customers in a rapidly evolving global marketplace.
Ventura Foods is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.
Nearest Major Market: Irvine California
Nearest Secondary Market: Los Angeles