About Our Job

Who We Are

The Office of Human Resources (OHR) provides essential services and support to the 12,000 employees and more than 40 agencies that make up the City and County of Denver. OHR touches every City department and supports every employee, from the moment they file a job application, to the day they retire, and everything in between.

We value diversity of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, gender, religion, language, ability, and experience and exemplify this through the makeup of our team at all levels. You'll be right at home here if you cultivate strong relationships and push yourself, your work, and the people around you to the next level.

What We Offer

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. The starting salary range for this position is $150,000 - $185,000. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which includes but is not limited to:

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
• 457B Retirement Plan
• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 13 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday, 1 wellness day and 1 volunteer day per year
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

Location

The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model. Employees work where needed, at a job site three days a week and off-site as needed. This position is based at the Wellington Webb Municipal Building in Downtown Denver. Employees must work within the state of Colorado on their off-site days.

What You’ll Do

We are seeking a senior HR operations leader to shape and deliver a seamless, technology‑enabled, and compliant workforce administration ecosystem across the City. This role ensures that employee lifecycle processes, talent operations, LMS administration and total rewards administration are efficient, scalable, and aligned with business growth and transformation. In this role you will lead the next chapter of our HR Operations team’s evolution—advancing People Analytics, strengthening Workday governance and optimization, developing our HR AI strategy--all to deliver best-in-class HR programs, policies, and practices across OHR and the City.

Specifically, you will:

Leadership & Service Delivery

• Build and execute a multi‑year roadmap for scalable, technology‑enabled HR operations.
• Establish and deliver clear KPIs, service levels, and performance metrics; routinely communicate outcomes to stakeholders.
• Provide expert‑level leadership across Workday modules—configuration oversight, governance, and continuous optimization.
• Serve as the primary HR technology partner to HR Centers of Excellence, translating functional needs into system and process solutions.
• Advise senior HR and business leaders on workforce administration capabilities, risks, and opportunities.
• Build, mentor, and develop a high‑performing team; foster a culture of collaboration, inclusion, and accountability.

Data & Analytics Leadership

• Develop and own the HR analytics strategy, including data governance, definitions, and a reporting framework that enables self-service and advanced analytics for leaders across OHR and all agencies.
• Deliver actionable insights via dashboards and models (e.g., attrition risk, workforce planning, recruiting funnel efficacy, engagement drivers) and translate insights into recommendations for policy, programs, and investments.
• Institutionalize data quality—metadata management, data lineage, validation rules, and routine audits—to ensure accuracy, timeliness, and trust.

Technology & Systems Enablement

• Partner with CCD Technology Services (TS) to optimize HRIS platforms (e.g., Workday), LMS platforms and digital tools supporting workforce administration (integrations, security, data privacy, performance).
• Lead HR technology strategy across platforms (Workday and adjacent tools), setting direction for automation, AI/ML use cases, and digital employee experiences.
• Champion adoption of self‑service and workflow automation; enable responsible, data‑informed decision‑making.
• Drive adoption and effective use of process and technology solutions across agencies and departments.

HR Operations & Workforce Administration

• Lead the design, optimization, and delivery of hire‑to‑retire processes; ensure consistency while enabling necessary flexibility.
• Ensure the City’s HR systems can adapt to and support new and existing bargaining units and both strategic and operational changes required by the implementation of collective bargaining.
• Ensure smooth inquiry and issue resolution, employee support, and consistent workforce practices across the City.
• Maintain rigorous knowledge management and service standards to improve cycle time, accuracy, and customer satisfaction.

Governance & Compliance

• Establish and maintain governance frameworks for employee lifecycle transactions, data, talent operations, and Total Rewards administration, ensuring compliance with labor laws, collective bargaining agreements, Career Service rules, and data privacy regulations.
• Partner with the City Attorney’s Office (CAO), Department of Finance (DOF) and to proactively manage risk, strengthen controls, and maintain audit readiness and compliance
• Partner with Labor Relations to operationalize new collective bargaining agreements across HR systems with scalability and sustainability in mind.

Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Implement continuous improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean/Six Sigma) to enhance accuracy, speed, and service quality.
• Use performance data to track outcomes, identify bottlenecks, and inform targeted process improvements.
• Standardize processes, controls, and documentation to reduce manual work and improve reliability.

Cross‑Functional Partnership

• Collaborate with Talent Acquisition, Benefits, Compensation, Learning, HR Business Partners, Payroll, IT, and Finance to ensure seamless end‑to‑end processes and alignment with business priorities.
• Act as a liaison between HR and business operations to ensure workforce administration supports organizational objectives.
• Partner with leaders to understand needs, remove barriers, and drive adoption of standardized processes.

Financial Management

• Manage and oversee the department budget; conduct cost analysis and optimization initiatives.
• Partner with HR leaders to negotiate vendor contracts, assess ROI on tools and initiatives, and implement cost‑saving measures—without compromising service quality.

What You’ll Bring

• 10+ years of progressive leadership in HR operations, workforce administration, or shared services within large, matrixed organizations. Experience in a union environment is a plus.
• Expert‑level proficiency in Workday across major HCM modules, with demonstrated ownership of configuration, governance, release management, and ongoing optimization.
• Proven experience leading at least one enterprise‑wide Workday implementation or re‑implementation (design, deployment, stabilization, adoption).
• Deep expertise in HR processes, HRIS platforms (e.g., Workday, SAP SuccessFactors), and compliance requirements.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and process‑optimization skills; ability to convert insights into practical improvements.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders and drive change across complex, matrixed organizations.
• Lean, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement certification preferred.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education requirement: Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Human Resources, or a related field.
• Experience Requirement: Five (5) years of professional level human resources experience at the type and level of functional or operational management, which must have included management of subordinate supervisors.
• Education/Experience Equivalency: Two (2) years of the appropriate type and level of experience may be substituted for each required year of post-high school education.
• Additional appropriate education may be substituted for the minimum experience requirements.
• License/Certifications: None

Application Deadline

This position is expected to stay open until May 17th. Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than May 17th at 11:59 p.m. MST.

About Everything Else

Job Profile

CH2998 HR Technology and Innovation Director

To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.

Position Type

Unlimited

Position Salary Range

$134,933.00 - $229,386.00

Target Pay

$150,000.00 - $185,000.00/year, based on experience and education

Agency

Office of Human Resources

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law. 

It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact Jobs@Denvergov.org with three business days’ notice.

Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S.

For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.

Provides municipal services and infrastructure for the Denver community.