Senior Director, People Experience Operations (HR Connect & Payroll)

Position Summary 

The Senior Director People Experience Operations is a pivotal leadership role within AbbVies People Experience organization responsible for delivering seamless high-quality HR services that support employees and the business globally. This leader oversees two critical operational pillars: HR Connect AbbVies global HR contact center responsible for managing and resolving employee inquiries end-to-end and Payroll encompassing both in-house and vendor-managed payroll operations across global markets. 

This is a role for a rare combination of strategic visionary and operational excellence leader. The Senior Director will drive continuous improvement modernize service delivery models and champion the use of AI and emerging technologies to create a more efficient proactive and employee-centric People Experience. The ideal candidate brings deep HR operations expertise a passion for innovation and the leadership presence to inspire high-performing global teams while influencing cross-functional stakeholders at the most senior levels. 

Key Responsibilities 

Strategic Leadership & Vision  

• Define and execute a forward-looking strategy for HR Connect and Payroll operations that aligns with and advances the broader People Experience vision and AbbVies enterprise priorities. 

• Serve as a thought leader on HR service delivery transformation benchmarking against industry best practices and identifying opportunities to evolve AbbVies operating model. 

• Partner closely with HR Business Partners Total Rewards Finance IT and external vendors to ensure integrated cohesive service delivery. 

• Represent the People Experience Operations function in senior leadership forums influencing strategic decisions and resource investments. 

HR Connect Global HR Contact Center  

• Provide executive oversight of AbbVies global HR contact center ensuring timely accurate and empathetic resolution of employee inquiries across all geographies and channels. 

• Set and monitor service level agreements (SLAs) key performance indicators (KPIs) and quality standards; drive accountability to continuously improve the employee experience. 

• Champion a culture of continuous improvement and knowledge management within HR Connect ensuring agents are equipped with up-to-date information and tools to resolve inquiries effectively. 

• Lead the evolution of HR Connects service model including tiered service delivery self-service expansion and AI-powered virtual assistance to increase resolution rates and reduce handle time. 

Payroll Operations  

• Oversee global payroll operations including in-house processed payroll and vendor-managed payroll programs across multiple countries and legal entities. 

• Ensure payroll accuracy compliance and timeliness across all markets partnering with Finance Tax Legal and regional HR teams to meet regulatory requirements. 

• Manage payroll vendor relationships including contract governance performance management and strategic roadmap alignment. 

• Lead efforts to standardize simplify and automate payroll processes reducing manual effort and error risk while improving the employee pay experience. 

HR Technology Operations  

• Oversee global HR Technology operations including Workday ServiceNow and other HR platforms that are used internally or with employees 

• Develop streamlined capabilities to effectively receive and process stakeholder requests for system improvements creating criteria for prioritization and managing capacity to execute 

• Coordinate with the HR Technology Strategy lead to ideate and provide practical insights into the HR Technology roadmap reducing our broader technology footprint while optimizing the use of existing tools and their impact 

AI Innovation & Technology  

• Actively identify and champion opportunities to leverage AI automation and digital tools to drive operational efficiencies across HR Connect and Payroll functions. 

• Partner with HR Technology and IT teams to evaluate implement and scale AI-enabled solutions including intelligent virtual agents predictive analytics and automated workflow tools. 

• Build an innovation mindset within the team encouraging experimentation and data-driven decision making to continuously raise the bar on performance and employee experience. 

• Stay ahead of emerging HR technology trends and advise senior HR leadership on the implications and opportunities for People Experience operations. 

Team Leadership & Talent Development  

• Lead develop and inspire a diverse geographically distributed team of HR operations professionals fostering a high-performance inclusive culture. 

• Set clear expectations provide meaningful coaching and feedback and build talent pipelines to ensure organizational resilience and growth. 

• Create an environment where team members feel empowered engaged and aligned to a shared mission of delivering an exceptional employee experience. 

Operational Excellence & Governance  

• Establish robust governance frameworks operational metrics and reporting cadences to ensure visibility accountability and continuous performance improvement across all areas of responsibility. 

• Manage operating budgets effectively identifying efficiencies and ensuring responsible stewardship of resources. 

• Develop and maintain business continuity plans for HR Connect and Payroll operations to ensure service resilience in all scenarios. 

Qualifications :

Required 

• Bachelors degree in Human Resources Business Administration or a related field. 

• 15 years of progressive HR operations experience with significant leadership responsibility in HR shared services contact center operations or payroll. 

• Demonstrated success leading large-scale global HR operations functions with accountability for service delivery compliance and employee experience outcomes. 

• Proven ability to design and implement operational improvement programs including process reengineering and technology-enabled transformation. 

• Experience managing in-house and vendor-processed payroll in a multi-country environment. 

• Strong understanding of HR technology platforms (e.g. Workday) and HR service delivery models. 

• Proven experience leveraging AI and automation tools to drive HR operational efficiencies. 

• Executive presence with the ability to communicate influence and build relationships at all levels of the organization. 

• Demonstrated ability to lead engage and develop distributed diverse teams. 

Preferred

• Advanced degree (MBA or Masters in HR or related field). 

• Experience in the pharmaceutical biotech or life sciences industry. 

• Familiarity with global payroll compliance requirements across major markets (US EU APAC). 

• Prior experience implementing or scaling AI-powered contact center or HR service delivery tools. 

Competencies 

• Strategic Thinking & Business Acumen 

• Operational Excellence & Execution 

• Innovation & Change Leadership 

• Data-Driven Decision Making 

• Executive Communication & Influence 

• People Leadership & Talent Development 

• Global Mindset & Cultural Agility 

Why People Experience at AbbVie 

The People Experience team is at the heart of how AbbVie attracts develops and retains the world-class talent needed to deliver on its mission. As Senior Director People Experience Operations you will play a defining role in shaping the infrastructure and service delivery backbone that enables the entire PE organization to perform at its best driving operational excellence while pioneering the use of AI and innovation to build a smarter more connected employee experience at AbbVie.

Additional Information :

Applicable only to applicants applying to a position in any location with pay disclosure requirements under state or local law: 

• The compensation range described below is the range of possible base pay compensation that the Company believes in good faith it will pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographic location and we may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future. 

• We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation holidays sick) medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.

• This job is eligible to participate in our long-term incentive programs. 

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned vested and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus commission incentive benefits or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Companys sole and absolute discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Companys sole and absolute discretion consistent with applicable law.

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity driving innovation transforming lives and serving our community. Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled. 

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No

Employment Type :

Full-time