Why This Job is Featured on The SaaS Jobs
This Senior Manager, People Systems role sits at a core SaaS inflection point: the moment when internal platforms and data quality become as strategic as the product itself. In a software business, HR technology is not a back-office utility; it is a systems layer that shapes how teams scale, stay compliant, and make decisions. The listing signals a modern stack anchored in Workday, with an explicit mandate to explore automation and agentic AI in operational workflows.
For a SaaS career, the value is in owning a roadmap that blends systems architecture, data governance, and cross-functional delivery. Experience gained here tends to translate across subscription businesses because it builds fluency in integrations, stakeholder alignment, and the operational rigor needed to support distributed teams and evolving org structures. The emphasis on prototyping with Airtable also points to hands-on experimentation rather than purely administrative HRIS stewardship.
The role best fits a systems leader who enjoys balancing long-term platform thinking with practical execution. It will suit someone comfortable translating People team needs into scalable configurations, partnering with security and finance counterparts, and using analytics to drive prioritization. It also aligns with professionals who want to treat internal tooling as a product, with measurable outcomes and iterative improvement.
The section above is editorial commentary from The SaaS Jobs, provided to help SaaS professionals understand the role in a broader industry context.
Job Description
At Airtable, we are passionate about how our product democratizes software creation and empowers anyone to “create anything.” We believe well-designed, integrated business systems are critical to our teams’ executing on this vision. As we scale rapidly toward our next stage of growth, we're investing in the intelligent systems and automation layer that empowers teams to move faster, smarter, and more efficiently.
About the Role
The Senior Manager, People Systems will lead the strategy, execution, and continuous evolution of Airtable’s HR technology ecosystem. This role is responsible for driving operational excellence through scalable systems, trusted data, and intelligent automation all in support of Airtable’s mission and growth. The ideal candidate combines deep expertise in Workday and HR technologies with a builder’s curiosity to experiment, innovate, and deliver transformative solutions using Airtable and emerging agentic AI capabilities. This role reports into Airtable's Head of Business Technology.
What you'll do
- Strategic Leadership: Develop and own the People Systems roadmap in partnership with the People and Business Technology teams, ensuring alignment with company goals and long-term scalability.
- System Ownership: Workday HCM and integration with our other People systems, some of which are centrally owned in this function and some that are owned by the People team directly ensuring optimal configuration, security, compliance, integration, and performance.
- Team Management: Lead and mentor a team, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Cross-Functional Partnership: Collaborate closely with People Operations, Total Rewards, Finance, IT, and Security teams to deliver seamless workflows and data consistency across platforms.
- Project Execution: Oversee system implementations, enhancements, and integrations from planning through post-launch support, ensuring high-quality delivery and stakeholder satisfaction.
- AI & Automation Innovation: Lead the exploration and implementation of agentic AI solutions to enhance workflows, and robust automations to streamline decision-making, and elevate the employee experience.
- Airtable Experimentation: In partnership with the People Team Airtable Systems Engineer prototype solutions on the Airtable platform to optimize People processes, reporting, and collaboration across teams.
- Data Governance & Analytics: In partnership with the People Analytics Lead, champion data accuracy, privacy, and compliance across all HR systems, and enable actionable people analytics and reporting.
- Process Optimization: Identify opportunities to automate and streamline HR processes, improve user experience, and support strategic workforce planning.
- Vendor Relationships: Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with third-party vendors to drive operational excellence and ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery.
Who you are
- 10+ years of experience in HR technology, with at least 3 years in a leadership or people management role.
- 6+ years of hands-on expertise in Workday HRIS (core HCM, Compensation, Talent, Recruiting, and/or Advanced Reporting).
- Strong understanding of HR processes and systems architecture, including integrations with other SaaS tools.
- Demonstrated ability to experiment with and implement AI-driven or agentic systems, automations, or chat-based tools within business workflows.
- Curious and growth mindset to build or prototype operational tools or workflows in Airtable or similar platforms.
- Proven success leading system implementations, upgrades, and cross-functional projects in a fast-paced environment.
- Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and change management skills.
- Analytical mindset with the ability to translate data into business insights.
- Familiarity with technologies - Airtable, Greenhouse, Workramp, Glint, Gem etc
Preferred Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Human Resources, or related field.
- Experience scaling People Systems in a global or rapidly growing organization.
- Knowledge of data privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA) and security best practices.
- Familiarity with iPaaS tools like Workato or Boomi
Airtable is an equal opportunity employer. We embrace diversity and strive to create a workplace where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We welcome people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any characteristic protected by applicable federal and state laws, regulations and ordinances. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant.
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If you have a medical condition, disability, or religious belief/practice which inhibits your ability to participate in any part of the application or interview process, please complete our Accommodations Request Formand let us know how we may assist you. Airtable is committed to participating in the interactive process and providing reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants.
