Director/Senior Director, Chief of Staff – Global People Team

Reports to: Chief People Officer
Location: SF Bay Area (SF HQ a minimum of 2x week) 

Role Overview

The Director/Senior Director, Chief of Staff is a highly visible, strategic, and highly operational leadership role designed to serve as the critical "glue" that makes everything fit together across Okta's Global People organization. Reporting directly to the Chief People Officer (CPO), you will act as a true strategic thought partner and operational proxy for the CPO, building deep, trust-based relationships across the People Leadership Team (PLT) and the broader business.

This role requires a rare and sophisticated dual capability: you must be deeply strategic with a commanding executive presence, yet remain relentlessly operational in execution. Crucially, you possess the business acumen and discernment to ensure we focus on the right priorities. You will bring a vibrant, high-energy presence to the team, serving as the connective tissue that bridges functional silos, coordinates global efforts, and drives high-velocity execution in our fast-paced, AI-driven landscape.

What You'll Do

Executive Proxy and Strategic Thought Partnership

• CPO Proxy & Advisor: Serve as a trusted advisor, strategic thought partner, and proxy for the Chief People Officer, representing the Office of the CPO in key leadership forums and decision-making bodies.
• The Connective "Glue": Cultivate deep, authentic relationships across the People Leadership Team (PLT)—including PBPs, L&D, Recruiting, People Ops, Total Rewards, and Workplace—ensuring all separate programs align and fit together seamlessly.
• Strategic Filtering: Evaluate operational requests and initiatives with critical rigor, acting as a gatekeeper to ensure we do not waste organizational energy over-engineering or operationalizing the wrong processes.
• Special & High-Impact Initiatives: Lead high-stakes, cross-group special projects from concept to completion, ensuring precise work-back schedules, clear ownership, and definitive output.

High-Velocity Operations and Program Integration

• Central Program "Hub": Manage and synchronize all global People program timelines, including product launch dates, program releases, and policy effective dates.
• Planning and Resource Optimization: Lead the People organization through annual and quarterly business planning (QBRs), streamlining headcount allocation, and optimizing global resources.
• Process Simplification: Identify systemic friction points and redesign complex corporate workflows into elegant, simple, and highly scalable processes.
• Operational Risk Management: Monitor global HR operational risks and strategic opportunities, delivering clear recommendations to navigate ambiguity and protect our high talent density.

Financial Stewardship and Budget Management

• Budget Oversight: Manage and oversee the global People organization budget in close partnership with the Chief People Officer and Finance.
• Resource Prioritization: Work with functional People leaders to build, manage, and audit program-specific budgets, ensuring financial resources are directly mapped to our most critical strategic priorities.

What Success Looks Like

• Commanding Partnership: You are recognized as a trusted, seamless proxy for the CPO, highly capable of driving alignment and making high-velocity decisions on their behalf.
• Cohesive Alignment ("The Glue"): The People Leadership Team operates with flawless synchronicity; major launches, system releases, and policy rollouts are integrated into a single global roadmap.
• Strategic Operational Discipline: The organization avoids low-leverage work; execution cycles are spent only on high-value initiatives, and over-engineered, low-value processes are actively dismantled.
• Fiscal Optimization: The global People budget is meticulously managed with zero unexpected variances and clear ROI on talent programs.
• Vibrant Team Connection: Your high-energy presence has successfully fostered a highly connected, transparent, and collaborative community across our global workforce.

Leadership Expectations

• Deeply Strategic with Strong Executive Presence: You command respect at the C-suite and board levels, articulating complex operational and talent concepts with clarity, confidence, and authority.
• Highly Operational & Discriminating Operator: You possess a relentless bias toward action, measuring success by concrete outcomes and delivered projects rather than mere activity or busywork. Detail-obsessed yet highly strategic, you possess the critical judgment to balance strategy with execution, serving as a strategic filter to ensure the team moves with high velocity while fiercely preventing them from operationalizing the wrong things.
• The Ultimate Connector: You possess outstanding relationship-building skills and a high-energy approach that naturally connects people, breaks down functional walls, and creates a sense of shared purpose.
• Continuous Bar-Raiser: You reject incrementalism and mediocrity, continually pushing yourself and the leadership team to elevate performance standards.
• Agile Change Champion: You view ambiguity, priority shifts, and platform transitions as opportunities to improve and innovate, helping others navigate uncertainty with confidence and momentum.

What You’ll Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, or a related field
• 10+ years of experience in HR, operations, strategy, or a related field
• Strong leadership skills and ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas and concepts
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to use data to drive decision-making
• Experience in talent management, performance management, and employee engagement
• Knowledge of HR laws, regulations, and compliance requirements is preferred
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment
• High level of integrity, with the ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information

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