Company Description
Etsy is the global marketplace for unique and creative goods. We build, power, and evolve the tools and technologies that connect millions of entrepreneurs with millions of buyers around the world. As an Etsy Inc. employee, whether a team member of Etsy, Reverb, or Depop, you will tackle unique, meaningful, and large-scale problems alongside passionate coworkers, all the while making a rewarding impact and Keeping Commerce Human.

Salary Range:

What’s the role?

As Director, People Systems and Technology get ready to revolutionize the employee experience! As a dynamic leader in our vital function you'll be at the forefront of innovation, ensuring our people operations are not just automated, but frictionless, crafting an incredible journey for every employee.

In this position you will mentor and empower this versatile, dedicated and hardworking team to excel in an ever-evolving functional area. As a leader you will partner closely across several functions, ensuring our systems and processes are always ahead of the curve. If you're passionate about flawless data integration and using technology to elevate the employee experience, this is your chance to make a massive impact.

This is a full-time position reporting to the VP, People Total Rewards, Systems and Operations. In addition to salary, you will also be eligible for an equity package, an annual performance bonus, and our competitive benefits that support you and your family as part of your total rewards package at Etsy.

This role requires your presence in Etsy’s Brooklyn Office once or twice per week depending on your proximity to the office. Candidates living within commutable distance of Etsy’s Brooklyn Office Hub may be the first to be considered. Learn more details about our work modes and workplace safety policies here.

What’s this team like at Etsy?

Our People Total Rewards, Systems & Operations team, is a core part of our People & Workplace (P+W) organization. We are dedicated to automating people operations and providing a frictionless employee experience. We ensure seamless and integrated data flow between our systems, continuously exploring new technology to implement with our business partners. Our team of five managers and analysts primarily supports Workday, collaborating closely with People Ops, IT, HR Business Partners, and specialist functions to achieve our companies short and long term goals.

What does the day-to-day look like?:

• Own the People Tech Strategy: Define and lead Etsy’s global people systems strategy, ensuring alignment with business goals and employee experience priorities.

• Lead Systems Architecture & Roadmap: Develop a multi-year roadmap for our core HCM systems (Workday and others), integrating with adjacent technologies across Talent, Total Rewards, People Analytics, IT, and Finance.

• Optimize & Scale: Drive optimization, automation, and simplification of people processes to enable scalability and improved employee and manager self-service.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Partner with leaders across HR, IT, Finance, and Legal to deliver seamless solutions and integrations across platforms. Clearly being able to communicate across varying levels of technical expertise.

• Data Stewardship & Governance: Ensure high data integrity, governance, and security practices across people systems. Support data needs for reporting, compliance, and workforce planning.

• Team Leadership: Build, lead, and inspire a high-performing team of systems analysts, technologists, and project managers. Foster a culture of innovation, inclusion, and continuous improvement.

• Integrate Responsible AI: Evaluate and implement ethical AI-powered tools to enhance people programs—including talent acquisition, employee support, workforce planning, and analytics.

• Champion Experimentation: Collaborate across teams (IT, Data Science, Legal, DEI) to test and pilot AI applications that improve operational efficiency and the employee experience, while maintaining trust and transparency.

• Enable AI Readiness: Establish frameworks and standards for how the People Team uses AI across platforms and workflows, ensuring alignment with Etsy’s values and compliance standards.

• Stay Ahead of Trends: Track emerging technologies in the HR tech space and make thoughtful recommendations on adoption, always keeping the human element at the center.

• Upskill the Team: Partner with L&D to develop AI literacy and change enablement plans for HR staff and business leaders as AI tools evolve.

• Of course, this is just a sample of the kinds of work this role will require! You should assume that your role will encompass other tasks, too, and that your job duties and responsibilities may change from time to time at Etsy's discretion, or otherwise applicable with local law.

Qualities that will help you thrive in this role are:

• 10+ years of progressive experience in HRIS, People Technology, or Enterprise Systems, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.

• Experienced people leader that has developed successful teams, including other people managers within an evolving functional area.

• Excellent leadership and communication skills, with a record of influencing across all levels and functions.

• Hands-on Workday expertise (HCM core required; plus experience in modules like Recruiting, Talent, Compensation, Absence, Advanced Compensation, and integrations).

• Experience leading large-scale implementations, upgrades, and optimization projects.

• Solid background in data architecture, integrations, and governance, particularly in a cloud-first environment.

• Demonstrated ability to evaluate and implement AI and automation tools in people systems.

• A passion for human-centered design, with the ability to translate business and employee needs into scalable, intuitive solutions.

• Experience in a global, fast-paced, and constantly evolving tech environment is a plus. Part of your career in a consultative role is an advantage.

Additional Information
 

What's Next
If you're interested in joining the team at Etsy, please share your resume with us and feel free to include a cover letter if you'd like. As we hope you've seen already, Etsy is a place that values individuality and variety. We don't want you to be like everyone else -- we want you to be like you! So tell us what you're all about.
 
Our Promise
At Etsy, we believe that a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace furthers relevance, resilience, and longevity. We encourage people from all backgrounds, ages, abilities, and experiences to apply. Etsy is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. If, due to a disability, you need an accommodation during any part of the application or interview process, please let your recruiter know. While Etsy supports visa sponsorship, sponsorship opportunities may be limited to certain roles and skills.