HR Operations & Systems Lead

Wärtsilä is an innovative technology company known for being a forerunner in the Marine and Energy markets. Every day, we – Wärtsilians - put our hearts and minds into turning Wärtsilä's purpose of enabling sustainable societies through innovation in technology and services into reality. Our ultimate aim is to provide increased value to both our customers and society. New, game-changing ideas and continuous improvement have been part of our DNA since 1834. Together, we can create new business opportunities and more sustainable future that we can all be proud of.

The HR Operations & Systems Lead is a pivotal role responsible for setting up and owning the HR tools ecosystem, global HR operations, and data strategy across a 500-employee, multi-country organization spanning 10 countries. This role reports to the Vice President, Human Resources and is based in our Herndon, Virginia office. It serves as the central architect and operator of HR infrastructure, ensuring seamless integration across HRIS, payroll, and benefits vendors while driving global standardization, data integrity, and scalable HR programs. The position partners closely with HR leadership, Finance, IT, and regional teams to deliver efficient, insight-driven, and employee-centric HR operations.

Key Responsibilities

HR Systems & Data Ownership

• Own and manage the global HRIS (system of record), ensuring data accuracy, governance, and scalability.
• Oversee employee data lifecycle management (hire-to-retire) across all countries.
• Design and maintain HR data standards, job architecture, and organizational structures.
• Deliver regular and ad hoc HR reporting and analytics for leadership, including headcount, turnover, and workforce planning.
• Ensure data integrity and compliance across systems and regions.

Vendor & Partner Management

• Manage relationships with global and local HR vendors, including HRIS, payroll providers across all countries, and benefits providers/brokers.
• Lead vendor performance reviews, contract management, and cost optimization.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for system integrations and issue resolution.
• Partner with IT to ensure secure, scalable integration architecture.

Global HR Operations

• Design and oversee end-to-end HR operational processes across regions, including onboarding/offboarding, employee changes, and compensation/job updates.
• Ensure consistent execution of HR processes while allowing for necessary local variation.
• Develop and maintain global HR policies, SOPs, and process documentation.

Process Standardization & Continuous Improvement

• Drive global standardization of HR processes, definitions, and workflows.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, automation, and employee experience.
• Lead HR transformation initiatives, including system enhancements and process redesign.
• Establish KPIs and SLAs to measure HR operational effectiveness.

Success Measures (First 12–18 Months)

• HRIS established and adopted as the single source of truth.
• Clean, standardized global employee data and reporting framework implemented.
• Seamless integration with payroll providers across 10 countries.
• Global HR programs digitized and consistently executed.
• Measurable improvement in HR process efficiency, data accuracy, and manager/employee experience.

Qualifications

Required

• 8–12+ years of experience in HR Operations, HRIS, or People Analytics.
• Experience managing global HR systems and multi-country operations.
• Strong expertise in HRIS platforms such as HiBob, Workday, Rippling, or SAP.
• Proven experience managing vendors across payroll and benefits landscapes.
• Strong analytical skills with ability to translate data into insights.
• Experience driving process standardization and system implementations.

Preferred

• Experience in a 300–1,000 employee global organization.
• Exposure to strategic workforce planning.
• Project management or transformation experience.

Last application date: 26/07/2026

Wärtsilä North America values our employees. We offer a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. Wärtsilä North America is an EOE/AA employer.

Candidates for regular U.S and Puerto Rico positions must be a U.S. citizen, national, or an alien admitted as permanent resident, refugee, asylee with valid work permit or temporary resident under 8 U.S.C. 1160(a) or 1255a(1). Individuals with temporary visas such as E, F-1, H-1, H1B, H-2, L, B, J, or TN or who need sponsorship for work authorization now or in the future, are not eligible for hire.

This is Wärtsilä

Wärtsilä is a global leader in innovative technologies and lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. Our team of 18,300 professionals, in more than 230 locations in 77 countries, shape the decarbonisation transformation of our industries across the globe. Read more on .