Associate Director

HR Technology.
People Analytics.
Real outcomes.

I lead global HR digital transformation at enterprise scale — combining hands-on data science, Lean Six Sigma process thinking, and 23 years of experience across India, the UK, and the US. I don't just design systems. I build them.

● Open to Director-level opportunities
View projects LinkedIn ↗
35%
Productivity gain delivered through AI-driven process redesign
80+
Countries supported across global HR systems
23
Years of experience across three continents
£100k+
Operational savings from process improvement initiatives
SAP SuccessFactors · People Analytics · Python & ML · Power BI · Lean Six Sigma MBB · MSc Data Science · Oxford Saïd · iCIMS & DocuSign CLM · Prince2

"I sit at the intersection of three things that rarely travel together: enterprise HRIS delivery, hands-on data science, and process discipline. I hold a Master's in Data Science and I still write Python — building NLP classifiers and ML tools on real HR operational data. I'm also a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, which means I don't just surface insights; I redesign the process around them."

Selected projects

Where data science meets process thinking

NLP & Machine Learning

HR service desk intelligence

Applied NLP classifiers to thousands of SNOW helpdesk ticket conversations to map employee sentiment, identify pain point patterns, and surface root causes invisible to manual review. Findings fed directly into Lean Six Sigma process redesigns — contributing to a 35% productivity improvement with no headcount increase.

35% productivity gain · same headcount
Python  ·  NLTK  ·  TextBlob  ·  ServiceNow
ML & Data Governance

HR data quality analyzer

Built a Python Flask application using ensemble ML classifiers to assess HRIS data quality at scale. Identified specific employee groups with data integrity gaps, enabling targeted remediation and forming the foundation for the organisation's HR data governance framework.

Python  ·  Flask  ·  scikit-learn  ·  PCA
Business Intelligence

HR analytics suite

Built a suite of Power BI dashboards providing HR leadership with live insight across recruiting pipeline, compensation benchmarking, productivity analysis, and data quality monitoring — replacing manual reporting entirely.

Power BI  ·  DAX  ·  Python  ·  Power Query
Process Transformation

Payroll process transformation

Led a Lean Six Sigma A3 project on a payroll process experiencing systemic delays and compliance risk. Used Value Stream Mapping to identify non-value-added steps, manual bottlenecks, and approval failures — redesigning the end-to-end process to reduce cycle time and error rate.

A3 Thinking  ·  Value Stream Mapping  ·  Six Sigma
Operations Visibility

HR operations command centre

Designed a real-time ServiceNow dashboard incorporating control charts for process stability, heat maps for bottleneck identification, and categorical breakdowns for ticket analysis — giving HR leadership instant global visibility.

ServiceNow  ·  Control charts  ·  Heat maps

More on GitHub

Additional projects, scripts, and experiments available at github.com/Harir13

View GitHub ↗
Experience

Three continents. One through-line.

Apr 2025 – Present
Associate Director, Global HR Technology & People Analytics
Publicis Lion RE:SOURCES  ·  Atlanta, GA

Own the global HR technology roadmap for 100,000+ employees across 80+ countries. Lead cross-functional delivery teams of 15–20 across SAP SuccessFactors, iCIMS, DocuSign CLM, and BetterWorks. Currently driving the AI-enabled HR transformation agenda — 35% productivity gain through applied ML and Lean Six Sigma.

2019 – 2025
Senior Manager, Global Talent Systems
Publicis Lion RE:SOURCES  ·  Atlanta, GA

Delivered enterprise HR systems globally, building the data governance and analytics capability that now underpins the HR technology function.

2015 – 2019
Manager, Integrated People Systems
Publicis Sapient  ·  London, UK

Reported directly to the CTO. Delivered Global Mobility risk framework (20%+ savings) and organised global improvement showcase generating £100K+ in operational savings.

2006 – 2015
Senior Consultant, Process & Quality
Cognizant Technology Solutions  ·  London, UK

Led Lean transformation and PMO governance for a leading UK bank, facilitating weekly Cost Governance meetings with the CIO. Runner-up at Cognizant's global consulting innovation competition.

2003 – 2006
Quality Lead
Hewlett Packard  ·  Bengaluru, India

Started career in Lean Six Sigma, delivering $50K+ in project savings. Selected for HP's Business Executive Programme as a recognised young achiever.

Education
MSc Data Science
Birkbeck, University of London  ·  2020
Management Acceleration Programme
Oxford Saïd Business School  ·  2012
Bachelor of Commerce
University of Madras  ·  2003
Certifications
Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt
Prince2 Practitioner
ISO 9001:2000 Lead Auditor
Get in touch

Let's talk about what you're building.

I'm selectively open to Director-level conversations in HR Technology, People Analytics, and HR Transformation — corporate or consulting. If my background is relevant to something you're working on, I'd welcome a conversation.

Email askabouthari@icloud.com ↗ LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/harisprofessionallife ↗ GitHub github.com/Harir13 ↗