Director of HR Strategy & Operations

Director of HR Strategy & Operations

Department: People and Culture

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Los Angeles HQ

Reporting To: Kim Seymour

Compensation: $150,000 - $170,000 / year

Description

As we continue to scale globally, our HQ teams play a critical role in shaping strategy, building world-class infrastructure, and driving sustainable growth across markets.

Position Summary

SKIMS is seeking a highly strategic, analytical, and operationally driven Director of HR Operations and Strategy to partner closely with the Chief People Officer and senior leadership team as we continue to scale our global business.

This highly visible role sits at the intersection of People, Finance, Operations, and Technology, combining strategic planning with hands-on operational execution. The Director will be responsible for translating People priorities into actionable business strategies, driving operational excellence, overseeing workforce planning and financial management, and ensuring our HR infrastructure evolves alongside the company's continued growth.

Serving as a key liaison between HR and Finance, this individual will bring structure, accuracy, and accountability to headcount planning, workforce investments, equity administration, and strategic People initiatives.

The ideal candidate will combine exceptional business and financial acumen with strong project management capabilities, operational discipline, and a genuine passion for people and organizational effectiveness. They must be equally comfortable presenting strategic recommendations to executive leadership, managing complex financial and workforce data, and rolling up their sleeves to drive initiatives forward.

Key Responsibilities

HR Strategy & Executive Partnership

• Serve as a trusted strategic partner to the Chief People Officer and senior People leadership team, translating business objectives into clear, actionable HR priorities.
• Develop and execute an integrated People strategy roadmap with defined priorities, ownership, timelines, and measurable outcomes.
• Establish an effective operating cadence across the People organization, ensuring accountability, visibility, and follow-through on strategic initiatives.
• Partner with senior leadership on organizational design, resource allocation, workforce planning, and long-term People strategy.
• Identify operational challenges, competing priorities, and organizational risks, proactively recommending solutions.
• Prepare executive-level presentations, strategic recommendations, business cases, and materials for Board and leadership meetings.
• Support organizational changes, leadership transitions, business expansion, and other high-priority initiatives.

Financial Management, Budgeting & Workforce Planning

• Serve as a primary liaison between HR and Finance, ensuring alignment on workforce investments, financial planning, and headcount governance.
• Partner with Finance and FP&A to develop, manage, and monitor the People department's operating budget and broader workforce financial commitments.
• Oversee workforce budgeting, financial forecasting, and labor cost planning across corporate, retail, and international functions.
• Track actual workforce expenditures against approved budgets, identifying variances, financial risks, and opportunities for cost optimization.
• Develop comprehensive reporting on salary costs, benefits expenses, contractor spending, recruitment costs, and other people-related investments.
• Support annual budgeting, quarterly forecasting, and long-range workforce financial planning.
• Build financial models and scenario analyses to evaluate hiring investments, organizational changes, compensation adjustments, and resource allocation.
• Deliver regular executive reporting on workforce costs, budget performance, and key financial metrics.

Headcount Planning, Tracking & Governance

• Partner closely with the VP of Global Talent, Finance, and business leaders to maintain a centralized and accurate global headcount tracker.
• Maintain visibility into all approved, open, filled, proposed, and backfill positions across the organization.
• Establish and manage consistent approval processes for new headcount, replacements, organizational changes, and incremental hiring requests.
• Monitor open requisitions, hiring progress, projected start dates, and associated compensation commitments.
• Reconcile approved headcount plans against HRIS data, recruiting activity, payroll records, organizational structures, and financial forecasts.
• Identify discrepancies between budgeted and actual headcount and proactively recommend corrective actions.
• Develop headcount reporting and scenario planning to support business expansion, hiring prioritization, and long-term workforce investments.
• Drive transparency, financial discipline, and accountability across the headcount approval process.

Equity Compensation & Administration

• Partner with Total Rewards, Finance, Legal, and external administrators to support the effective management of employee equity compensation programs.
• Coordinate equity planning cycles, grant recommendations, approvals, vesting schedules, and reporting requirements.
• Maintain accurate equity-related employee records and ensure alignment between HRIS, equity administration platforms, and Finance reporting.
• Support the preparation of equity allocation analyses, award histories, and executive decision materials.
• Establish clear governance, documentation, and approval processes to ensure equity awards are administered accurately and on schedule.
• Support employee equity communications and the ongoing administration of long-term incentive plans.
• Identify opportunities to improve and automate equity administration workflows, ideally leveraging Carta.

Strategic Project Management & Cross-Functional Execution

• Lead complex, cross-functional People initiatives from initial planning and stakeholder alignment through implementation and measurement.
• Develop project frameworks, timelines, milestones, and accountability measures to ensure successful delivery.
• Maintain oversight of the strategic HR project portfolio, managing dependencies, competing priorities, and execution risks.
• Partner with HR, Finance, Talent Acquisition, Legal, Technology, and business leadership to drive organizational initiatives.
• Support strategic workforce planning, organizational design, operational transformation, and new business initiatives.
• Establish scalable project management practices that improve efficiency and ensure measurable business outcomes.
• Drive change management, communication, and adoption of new processes and initiatives.

People Analytics, Reporting & Business Intelligence

• Develop and continuously improve People dashboards, KPIs, and executive scorecards.
• Establish consistent reporting frameworks covering headcount, workforce costs, recruitment, retention, compensation, employee engagement, internal mobility, and organizational effectiveness.
• Translate complex workforce and financial data into meaningful insights and actionable business recommendations.
• Partner with Finance and HR leadership to establish consistent data definitions, validation processes, and reporting standards.
• Develop automated reporting processes that improve accuracy, efficiency, and accessibility.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual People business reviews, highlighting organizational performance, emerging trends, and opportunities for improvement.

HR Technology, Systems & Operational Excellence

• Evaluate and optimize HR technology, systems, and operational processes to support business growth.
• Partner with HRIS, IT, Finance, and other stakeholders to develop scalable reporting and workforce planning infrastructure.
• Identify opportunities to automate manual processes and implement technology-driven solutions that improve efficiency and accuracy.
• Establish standardized workflows, documentation, controls, and governance across HR operations.
• Support the implementation and adoption of new HR systems, planning tools, and reporting platforms.
• Ensure accurate, consistent, and reliable employee and workforce data across systems.

Employee Experience & Organizational Effectiveness

• Partner with the Chief People Officer and People leadership team to support initiatives that enhance employee experience, engagement, and organizational culture.
• Collaborate with Learning & Development on career progression frameworks, manager development, and employee growth initiatives.
• Analyze employee engagement data, workforce trends, and organizational feedback to identify improvement opportunities.
• Support initiatives that strengthen employee retention, internal mobility, community, and belonging.
• Ensure operational processes and People initiatives support both business performance and a positive employee experience.

Compliance, Governance & Risk Management

• Establish appropriate controls and governance around workforce data, financial reporting, headcount approvals, and equity administration.
• Partner with Legal, Finance, and HR leadership to support compliance with relevant employment requirements and internal policies.
• Support HR compliance initiatives, including reporting related to leave management, accommodations, and employment obligations.
• Identify operational, financial, and compliance risks and recommend improvements.
• Maintain the highest levels of confidentiality and discretion when handling sensitive employee, compensation, equity, and business information.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Operations, or a related discipline.
• 8-10+ years of progressive experience in HR Operations, People Strategy, Business Operations, Finance, Management Consulting, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience partnering with senior executives and driving complex, cross-functional initiatives.
• Strong financial acumen, with hands-on experience in budgeting, forecasting, workforce cost management, and financial reporting.
• Proven experience managing headcount planning, position control, workforce budgeting, and organizational reporting.
• Advanced Excel or Google Sheets skills, including financial modeling, scenario planning, data reconciliation, and complex reporting.
• Strong understanding of HR operations, organizational effectiveness, and employee lifecycle processes.
• Experience working closely with Finance, FP&A, Talent Acquisition, and executive leadership.
• Exceptional analytical capabilities and the ability to translate complex information into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Proven project management and change management experience in fast-paced, evolving environments.
• Experience developing executive presentations, business cases, and strategic reporting.
• Familiarity with HRIS, workforce planning, reporting, and project management systems.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and organizational skills, with the ability to influence without direct authority.
• Strong judgment, discretion, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities independently.
• Comfortable balancing strategic thinking with hands-on execution.

Preferred Qualifications

• SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP certification.
• Experience within a high-growth, global consumer, fashion, retail, or apparel organization.
• Experience supporting both corporate and retail workforce planning across multiple markets.
• Experience with equity compensation programs, including grants, vesting schedules, equity reporting, and administration.
• Hands-on experience with Carta is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with long-term incentive plans (LTIPs), stock options, restricted stock units (RSUs), or similar equity arrangements.
• Experience with HRIS platforms such as UKG, Workday, or SuccessFactors.
• Familiarity with Power BI, Tableau, Looker, or comparable reporting platforms.
• Experience implementing HR technology, workforce planning systems, or automated financial reporting solutions.
• Experience supporting international or multi-jurisdictional HR operations.

What Success Looks Like

The successful Director of HR Operations and Strategy will bring structure, financial discipline, strategic clarity, and operational excellence to a rapidly growing global People organization.

They will establish clear visibility into workforce investments, ensure headcount and financial data are accurate and actionable, and create scalable processes that allow SKIMS to make informed people decisions with confidence.

They will be a trusted partner to the Chief People Officer, Finance, and executive leadership, translating strategic priorities into measurable results while ensuring critical projects are delivered efficiently and effectively.

Above all, they will understand that exceptional HR Operations is not simply about systems, processes, and financial controls. It is about building an organization where employees can thrive, leaders can make better decisions, and the business can continue