Senior Manager, People Operations Technical Programs & Strategy

Senior Manager, People Operations Technical Programs & Strategy

Costa Mesa, California, United States

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century's most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril's family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

About The Job

We're seeking a Senior Manager, People Operations Technical Programs & Strategy to serve as the technical program management leader for our People Operations & Total Rewards organization. You'll be the critical bridge between our People Systems team, functional Centers of Excellence (Compensation, Benefits, Payroll, Global Mobility), People Data analytics team, and cross-functional partners in Corporate Technology, Finance, and Legal. This role thrives at the intersection of strategy and execution—translating People priorities into technical programs, orchestrating complex HRIS implementations, and driving process automation across our global People operations. If you excel at turning complexity into clarity and can speak both technical and business languages fluently, this is your opportunity to shape how a high-growth defense tech company scales.

What You'll Do

Lead Cross-Functional Technical Programs

• Own the technical program roadmap across People Systems, COEs, and People Data teams
• Manage end-to-end HRIS implementations and system enhancements from planning through adoption
• Drive complex initiatives spanning multiple teams including system upgrades, integrations, and process automation

Bridge Technical and Business Stakeholders

• Translate technical requirements into business context and vice versa between People Systems administrators, COE subject matter experts, and business partners
• Partner with People Data team to ensure technical programs support analytics and reporting needs
• Collaborate with Corporate Technology, Finance, Legal, and Corporate Operations on enterprise-wide initiatives

Drive Process Excellence and Scale

• Identify and implement automation opportunities across Benefits, Payroll, Compensation, and Mobility functions
• Establish data governance frameworks ensuring compliance with GDPR, CCPA, and SOX requirements
• Maintain business continuity during system transitions and organizational changes

Support Strategic Initiatives

• Contribute to IPO readiness projects including SOX-compliant process development and control documentation
• Support M&A integrations from a technical program perspective including system consolidation and integration planning

Future Team Leadership

• Mentor and supervise 1-2 technical program managers as the team scales

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years in Technical Program Management, Product Management, and/or HR Operations in high-growth technology environments
• Proven track record leading complex, cross-functional technical programs spanning multiple business functions
• Strong technical knowledge of HRIS platforms (Workday, Rippling, Oracle HCM, SAP SuccessFactors)
• Experience managing technical projects involving system integrations, API connections, and data flows
• Understanding of HR functional areas including Benefits, Payroll, Compensation, and Compliance
• Proficiency with program management tools (JIRA, AirTable, Asana) and data analysis tools (Excel/Sheets)
• Strategic mindset with ability to move seamlessly between high-level strategy and detailed execution
• Exceptional collaboration skills with ability to influence across technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting compensation cycles, benefits open enrollment, and payroll system transitions
• Background in both system implementation and business process optimization
• Experience in defense technology, aerospace, or highly regulated industries
• Familiarity with data governance, SOX requirements, and privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA)

US Salary Range

$166,000 - $220,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:

Benefits

At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you're supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits.

Protecting Yourself from Recruitment Scams

Anduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. We've observed a rise in sophisticated phishing and fraudulent schemes where individuals impersonate Anduril representatives, luring job seekers with false interviews or job offers. These scammers often attempt to extract payment or sensitive personal information.

To ensure your safety and help you navigate your job search with confidence, please keep the following critical points in mind:

• No Financial Requests: Anduril will never solicit payment or demand personal financial details (such as banking information, credit card numbers, or social security numbers) at any stage of our hiring process. Our legitimate recruitment is entirely free for candidates.

• Please always verify communications:
  • Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters, it will only come from an @anduril.com address.
  • Via Agency Partner: If contacted by a recruiting agency for an Anduril role, their email will clearly identify their agency. If you suspect any suspicious activity, please verify the agency's authenticity by reaching out to View email address on click.appcast.io.

• Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Outreach: If you receive any communication that appears suspicious, contains grammatical errors, or makes unusual requests, do not engage. Always confirm the sender's email domain is @anduril.com before providing any personal information or clicking on links.

• What to Do If You Suspect Fraud: Should you encounter any questionable or fraudulent outreach claiming to be from Anduril, please report it immediately to View email address on click.appcast.io. Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.

Data Privacy

To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit

By submitting your application, you consent to Anduril Industries using a third-party service provider to conduct pre-employment risk, integrity, and due diligence screening and assessing potential risks as part of your application process. This third-party service provider provides risk-intelligence services that may include analysis of sanctions and watchlists, adverse media, public-record information, and other lawful open-source or commercial data sources. This third-party service provider does not act as a consumer reporting agency. Use of this provider helps to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect technology, intellectual property, and organizational security.