We're looking for an Associate Director of People Operations to lead the operational backbone of our People function and help shape the next chapter of our combined organization. This is a critical leadership role responsible for ensuring every stage of the employee lifecycle runs seamlessly while bringing two organizations together — harmonizing systems, processes, and programs from onboarding and payroll to benefits, compliance, HR systems, and employee workplace experience.
You'll lead the work required to integrate and scale our People infrastructure, bringing together systems, processes, and programs to support our next phase of growth. This role is ideal for someone who loves building scalable operations, has exceptional attention to detail, and is passionate about creating a workplace where employees can seamlessly and effectively do their best work. You'll bring both strategic thinking and operational excellence—knowing when to build new processes, when to simplify existing ones, and when to roll up your sleeves to solve the day-to-day challenges that keep employees supported.
You'll manage and develop a team of four across Payroll & Benefits and Workplace Experience, fostering a high-performing, service-oriented People Operations function that delivers an exceptional employee experience across the organization.
Own HR Operations
Lead all HR Operations across the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, offboarding, employee records, documentation, compliance, and policy administration.
Ensure operational excellence across HR processes while continuously identifying opportunities to simplify and improve the employee experience.
Build scalable, efficient processes that leverage AI and automation to reduce manual work, improve accuracy, and support a growing global organization.
Lead Payroll & Benefits
Provide leadership and oversight for payroll operations, managing our in-house Payroll Manager while partnering with external providers to ensure timely, accurate, and compliant payroll processing across the organization.
Own our global benefits program, partnering with providers and internal stakeholders to deliver competitive offerings that support our ability to attract, retain, and engage exceptional talent globally.
Manage leave administration, benefits enrollment, and related compliance requirements.
Support Global Operations
Qualification
Deep expertise in payrollOperational ownershipCalm under pressure
Required
7+ years of experience in People Operations, HR Operations, or related HR leadership roles.
Experience managing and developing People Operations team members
Deep expertise in payroll, benefits administration, HR compliance, administering HRIS/People systems, and employee lifecycle operations.
Strong experience supporting global (UK + Germany or other) HR operations, including payroll and employment practices.
Exceptional organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail.
Operational ownership: comfortable diving into day-to-day HR operations as needed—willing to roll up their sleeves and resolve issues, whether that means partnering with vendors or troubleshooting payroll challenges.
Strategic systems thinking — understands technical details of HR operations while maintaining a broader perspective on how systems, processes, and programs connect to business goals and employee experience.
A systems thinker who enjoys building efficient, scalable processes.
Calm under pressure, highly reliable, and able to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
Excellent interpersonal skills with a genuine passion for creating an outstanding employee experience.
Experience supporting organizations through periods of growth, transformation, or post-merger integration is highly desirable.
This is an opportunity to build the operational foundation of a newly combined global company. You'll help shape how People Operations functions across Artsy & Artnet, creating scalable systems while ensuring employees receive thoughtful, responsive support every day. You'll work across strategy and execution, influencing how we operate while staying close to the work that matters most to our employees.
