Head of People Technology

Aurora Innovation$216K — $280K *
Enterprise Technology
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 14+ years of experience leading People/HR technology, including 6+ years in leadership roles in high-growth tech environments.
  • Hands-on mastery of enterprise HRIS platforms (e.g., Workday, Greenhouse, Ashby) with a deep understanding of backend configuration.
  • Proven track record of creating advanced automation workflows to enhance business efficiency.
  • Exceptional skills in designing scalable data architectures and managing integrations across complex ecosystems.
  • Experience in a public-company environment with knowledge of compliance, security controls, and audit processes.
  • Proven ability to influence C-level executives and manage vendor relationships effectively.

Responsibilities

  • Drive the technical vision and architecture for all People platforms, transitioning from legacy systems to a scalable ecosystem.
  • Act as the principal architect for internal people systems, defining data management strategies and integration frameworks.
  • Identify and implement AI-driven solutions to automate HR workflows, enhancing efficiency and employee self-service.
  • Establish governance protocols to ensure data integrity, privacy compliance, and readiness for public-company expectations.
  • Collaborate with executive leadership to align technical strategies with business goals and risks.
  • Build and mentor a high-impact platform team to foster deep system ownership and proactive management.

Benefits

  • Eligibility for annual bonuses and equity compensation.
  • Hybrid work environment requiring at least 3 days in the office each week.
  • Strong emphasis on collaboration, empathy, and integrity in the workplace.
  • A commitment to safety and responsibility from all employees.
Full Job Description
What we are looking for

Aurora hires talented people with diverse backgrounds who are ready to help build a transportation ecosystem that will make our roads safer, get crucial goods where they need to go, and make mobility more efficient and accessible for all. We're searching for a Director, Head of People Technology, that is a builder-first leader responsible for transforming our HR technology ecosystem into a secure, scalable, and AI-integrated backbone. Balancing strategic vision with deep, hands-on execution, you will lead the charge in eliminating operational fragmentation across our People systems, ensuring they are optimized to support Aurora's growth. You are someone who loves to architect long-term platform strategies, but is equally thrilled to dive into backend configurations, design data flows, and deploy cutting-edge internal AI automation that reduces manual work and elevates the employee experience.

In this role, you will
  • Drive Platform Strategy & Architecture: Set the long-term technical vision, architecture, and strategy for all People platforms (HRIS, ATS, Total Rewards, and Performance systems), evolving them from legacy setups into a coherent, scalable ecosystem.
  • Lead Technical Design & Data Integration: Serve as the hands-on principal architect for internal people systems. You will define the employee data management strategy, build complex system crosswalks, and establish the automated integration frameworks that eliminate operational fragmentation between HR, Finance and Commercial Operations systems.
  • Deploy AI & Automation: Identify opportunities to replace manual HR workflows with AI-powered agents. Build and manage "internal agents" to automate employee self-service, reporting, and routine data auditing.
  • Establish Strong Governance: Mature our core People systems by establishing disciplined change management, strict data governance, and control frameworks to support auditability, global data privacy (GDPR/CCPA), and public-company readiness.
  • Collaborate Cross-Functionally: Serve as the primary senior technology partner to executive leadership across People, Finance, and Security IT, translating complex technical needs, platform risks, and roadmap milestones into clear business outcomes.
  • Lead and Upskill: Build and mentor a high-impact platform team, fostering a culture of domain depth and AI fluency, speed, and proactive system ownership rather than reactive support.

Required Qualifications
  • 14+ years of experience leading People / HR business technology, including 6+ years of experience in leadership and management track in high-growth technology environments.
  • Proven, hands-on configuration mastery of core enterprise HRIS platforms (Workday, Greenhouse, Ashby). You thoroughly understand the backend logic, system limitations, and how these platforms integrate with downstream systems.
  • A proven track record of designing and deploying workflows with advanced automation to drastically improve business efficiency.
  • Exceptional ability to design scalable data architectures, manage integrations, and map out complex technical ecosystems.
  • Experience operating in a public-company environment, with a strong understanding of compliance, security controls, and audit expectations.
  • Demonstrated success influencing C-level executives and managing strategic, complex technology vendor relationships to ensure platforms deliver to high standards of reliability and innovation.

Desirable Qualifications
  • Experience in designing, building, or deploying Agentic AI automation.
  • Experience in master data management (MDM) in the HR domain.

The base salary range for this position is $216,000 - 280,000 per year. Aurora's pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, the successful candidate's starting base pay will be determined based on factors including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, relevant education or training, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future. The successful candidate will also be eligible for an annual bonus, equity compensation, and benefits.

Working at Aurora

At Aurora, we bring together extraordinarily talented and experienced people united by the strength of our values. We operate with integrity, set outrageous goals, and build a culture where we win together - all without any jerks.

We believe in-person work increases collaboration, empathy and our ability to lead effectively. As a result, we operate in a hybrid work environment where Aurorans are in office at least 3 days per week.

Our Careers page provides insight into what it is like to work at Aurora, and you can find all the latest updates in our Newsroom.

Our commitment to safety

At the core of everything we do is our commitment to safety. Building best-in-class self-driving technology will take time, and we believe that each employee at Aurora has a role in contributing to safety, every step of the way. Aurora expects commitment to our safety policies from every employee, and seeks candidates who take an active responsibility, can contribute to building an atmosphere of trust, and invest in the organization's long-term success by prioritizing working safely, no matter what.

About Aurora Innovation

Aurora Innovation is a technology company that develops self-driving car technology. The company was founded in 2017 by a team of experts in the field of autonomous vehicles, including former executives from Google, Tesla, and Uber. Aurora's technology is designed to enable vehicles to operate safely and efficiently in a variety of driving conditions, and the company has partnerships with a number of major automakers, including Volkswagen and Hyundai. Aurora is based in Boston, Massachusetts.
Learn more about Aurora Innovation
Size
600 employees
Market Cap
$1.3 billion
Industry
NASDAQ

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