Vice President, Global People Operations & Transformation (USA Remote)

Company Description

When you join Turnitin, you'll be welcomed into a company that is a recognized innovator in global education. For over 25 years, Turnitin has partnered with educators and institutions to develop learning integrity solutions that recognize the enduring value of critical thinking in a rapidly changing world. Over 16,000 academic institutions, publishers, and corporations use our services in more than 185 countries around the world: Turnitin Feedback Studio, Clarity, Originality, Gradescope, ExamSoft, Similarity, and iThenticate. Protecting the value of an authentic education is at the heart of who we are.

Experience a remote-first culture that empowers you to work with purpose and accountability in a way that best suits you, supported by a comprehensive package that prioritizes your overall well-being. Our diverse community of colleagues are all unified by a shared desire to make a difference in education.

Turnitin is a global organization with team members in over 35 countries including the United States, Mexico, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, India, and the Philippines.

Job Description

Turnitin is seeking a forward-thinking global HR executive to lead People Operations and its continued transformation. Reporting to the Chief People Experience Officer, this role oversees Global People Shared Services, Benefits, HR Systems and Analytics, and Employee Relations operations, including our external ER partnership. The role will also lead the planned integration of global Payroll operations from Finance.

We are looking for a leader who can design organizations, build capability and create leverage through effective structures, systems, technology and people. This includes challenging legacy ways of working, testing hypotheses, making fact-based investment decisions and using AI and automation to simplify work and improve productivity.

Our environment is global, remote-first and evolving. Success requires someone who can lead through ambiguity, constructively challenge assumptions, make decisions with imperfect information and translate complex problems into practical solutions.

This leader must bring deep operational expertise, sound employee relations judgment, proven HR technology transformation experience and the ability to develop a strong leadership bench. The expectation is not simply to maintain operations, but to build a more scalable, resilient and accountable People Experience function. This leader will also serve as a trusted adviser to the CPXO and senior leadership, bringing independent judgment, sound business acumen and practical solutions to complex operational, organizational and employee matters. They will anticipate risks, offer constructive challenge and help translate business priorities into effective People practices.

What You Will Do

Global People Shared Services & Operational Excellence

• Lead global People Shared Services across employee lifecycle operations, onboarding, offboarding, leaves, immigration coordination and employee support.
• Lead the design and continuous improvement of the People Shared Services (PSS) delivery model, establishing clear ownership, decision rights, escalation protocols and accountability within PSS, while partnering with PBPs, COEs and external providers to ensure effective handoffs, coordination and service delivery.
• Evaluate organizational structure, staffing, spans of control and work allocation to improve service effectiveness, productivity and management capacity.
• Build scalable operations through standardization, self-service, documented procedures, cross-training and succession coverage.
• Establish performance measures that identify service gaps, recurring issues, operational risk and opportunities to redirect work to more effective delivery channels.

Employee Relations, Governance & Risk

• Lead the global Employee Relations operating model, including governance, quality and performance of external ER partners.
• Bring strong judgment and practical expertise to complex employee matters, including investigations, performance, restructuring, separations and employment risk.
• Establish clear decision rights, case ownership, service standards and escalation protocols in partnership with Legal and People Business Partners.
• Evaluate the effectiveness and economics of the ER delivery model, building internal expertise and alternatives to external providers where appropriate.
• Anticipate emerging employee risks and operational vulnerabilities, ensuring appropriate intervention before matters escalate unnecessarily.
• Establish effective ER case management, tracking and reporting, including case volumes, themes, resolution timelines, outcomes and recurring risks to inform continuous improvement.
• Strengthen the operational management of employee separations and HR offboarding, ensuring clear ownership, timely coordination, consistent documentation and effective partnership across PSS, PBPs, Legal and external providers.

HR Technology, AI & Digital Transformation

• Lead HRIS modernization, including strategy, selection, implementation, integration, adoption and ongoing optimization.
• Reimagine the People service model using AI, automation and integrated systems to reduce administrative work, improve self-service and create capacity for higher-value activities.
• Expand AI-enabled employee and manager support, knowledge management, case routing, workflow automation and workforce analytics.
• Establish reliable People data, reporting and governance, including appropriate security, privacy and responsible AI controls.
• Develop fact-based business cases, test hypotheses through pilots and measure productivity, adoption, service improvements and return on investment.
• Challenge technology investments that automate inefficient processes without first addressing underlying organizational or workflow issues.

Global Benefits & Payroll Transformation

• Lead global Benefits operations, including administration, enrollment, vendor performance, financial stewardship and employee experience.
• Design and implement an integration plan for global Payroll operations from Finance, including organizational structure, resourcing, systems, controls and transition readiness.
• Partner with Finance, Legal and IT to strengthen Payroll governance, compliance, accuracy and integration with People systems.
• Evaluate opportunities to standardize, simplify and automate Benefits and Payroll processes while protecting service continuity and financial controls.
• Build sustainable functional leadership and operational coverage across both areas.

People Leadership, Organizational Design & Enterprise Partnership

• Assess capabilities and capacity against future operating requirements, making evidence-based recommendations to build, buy, automate, or redesign work.
• Lead effectively in a Remote-First environment, establishing strong operating rhythms, communication, collaboration and accountability across countries and time zones.
• Partner with the CPXO, PXLT, Finance, Legal and IT on business-critical decisions, operational risks and transformation priorities.
• Bring forward well-supported recommendations, welcome constructive challenge and adapt plans when new evidence warrants a different approach.
• Maintain operational performance while implementing organizational change, balancing speed, employee experience, risk and financial discipline.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive global HR leadership experience, including senior accountability for HR Operations, Shared Services or organizational transformation.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required. Advanced degree or relevant HR or Employment Legal qualification / JD preferred.
• Strong understanding of global Benefits, Payroll operations, HR compliance and employee lifecycle services.
• Trusted advisor to C-suite (including Chief People Experience Officer) and senior business leaders, demonstrating strong business acumen and balancing of business objectives and priorities.
• Demonstrated organizational design expertise, including restructuring teams, developing management capacity, establishing decision rights and improving spans of control and operational leverage.
• Deep Employee Relations expertise, with sound judgment in complex matters, employment risk, external provider oversight and development of internal ER capability.
• Proven leadership of significant HRIS implementations or transformations, including systems integration, process redesign, automation and adoption.
• Demonstrated experience applying AI, automation or intelligent technologies to improve employee self-service, knowledge management, case management, workflow execution, analytics or operational productivity.
• Strong financial and analytical acumen, including building fact-based business cases, testing assumptions, evaluating service delivery alternatives and demonstrating measurable returns.
• Proven ability to build strong leadership teams, develop successors, address capability gaps and reduce operational dependency on individual employees or external providers.
• Experience leading global, multidisciplinary teams in Remote-First, distributed or complex matrixed environments.
• Demonstrated resilience through organizational change, competing priorities and constructive challenge, with the ability to maintain delivery while improving how work gets done.
• Strong executive communication, sound judgment and the ability to influence stakeholders while remaining open to alternative perspectives.

Additional Information

The expected annual base salary range for this position is: $245,402/year to $283,445/year. This position is bonus eligible / commission-based.

Actual compensation will be provided in writing at the time of offer, if extended, and is determined by work location and a range of other relevant factors, including but not limited to: experience, skills, degrees, licensures, certifications, and other job-related factors. Internal equity, market and organizational factors are also considered.

Total Rewards @ Turnitin
At Turnitin, we believe Total Rewards go far beyond pay. While salary, bonus, or commission are important, they’re only part of the value you receive in exchange for your work.

Beyond compensation, you’ll experience the intrinsic rewards of unleashing your potential and making a positive impact on global education. You’ll also thrive in a culture free of politics, surrounded by humble, inclusive, and collaborative teammates.

In addition, our extrinsic rewards include generous time off and health and wellness programs that provide choice, flexibility, and a safety net for life’s challenges. You’ll also enjoy a remote-first culture that empowers you to work with purpose and accountability in the way that suits you best, all supported by a comprehensive package that prioritizes your overall well-being.

Our Mission is to ensure the integrity of global education and meaningfully improve learning outcomes.

Our Values underpin everything we do.

• Customer Centric: Our mission is focused on improving learning outcomes; we do this by putting educators and learners at the center of everything we do.
• Passion for Learning: We are committed to our own learning and growth internally. And we support education and learning around the globe.
• Integrity: Integrity is the heartbeat of Turnitin—it is the core of our products, the way we treat each other, and how we work with our customers and vendors.
• Action & Ownership: We have a bias for action. We act like owners. We are willing to change even when it’s hard.
• One Team: We strive to break down silos, collaborate effectively, and celebrate each others' successes.
• Global Mindset: We consider different perspectives and celebrate diversity. We are one team. The work we do has an impact on the world.

Global Benefits

• Remote First Culture
• Health Care Coverage
• Education Reimbursement*Competitive Paid Time Off 
• Self-Care Days
• National Holidays
• 2 Founder Days + Juneteenth Observed
• Paid Volunteer Time Off
• Charitable Contribution Match
• Monthly Wellness or Home Office Reimbursement
• Access to Employee Assistance Program (mental health platform)
• Parental Leave
• Retirement Plan with match/contribution

Seeing Beyond the Job Ad
At Turnitin, we recognize it’s unrealistic for candidates to fulfill 100% of the criteria in a job ad.  We encourage you to apply if you meet the majority of the requirements because we know that skills evolve over time. If you’re willing to learn and unleash your potential alongside us, join our team!

Turnitin, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer- vets/disabled.