Director of Contingent Workforce Programs

The role

This role leads the strategy, governance, operations and improvement of Shield AI's contingent workforce program, which covers agency workers, independent contractors and SOW engagements. The person will work with business leaders, PeopleExperience (PX), EOR vendors, Legal, Finance, IT and Security. The role may supervise one employee who handles program coordination and administration.

What you will do

• Own the contingent workforce program strategy, operating model and roadmap.
• Establish policies, processes, decision rights, approval requirements and service expectations with cross-functional partners.
• Lead program changes from planning through implementation, communications, training and adoption.
• Oversee the engagement lifecycle from intake and review through onboarding, extensions and offboarding.
• Monitor service performance, resolve bottlenecks and lead resolution of complex or sensitive issues.
• Partner with business leaders and Finance on workforce needs, engagement options and budget.
• Serve as the program's subject-matter expert and coordinate classification reviews with Legal, PX and Procurement.
• Own supplier relationships and performance, including scorecards, reviews and corrective actions.
• Define metrics and reporting on workforce population, spend, supplier performance, service levels and risk.
• Use data to guide improvements and work with vendors to strengthen workflows, data quality and supporting systems.

Required qualifications

• 12+ years of relevant experience in contingent workforce management, workforce programs, HR/PX operations, procurement or supplier management, including direct ownership of a contingent workforce prog
• Demonstrated experience building, scaling or transforming an enterprise contingent workforce program with measurable improvements.
• Experience independently leading complex, cross-functional initiatives from problem definition through implementation and ongoing improvement.
• Working knowledge of agency worker, independent contractor and SOW engagement models.
• Experience establishing program governance, processes, controls, service standards and performance measures.
• Experience managing suppliers and resolving complex operational or stakeholder issues.
• Ability to analyze workforce, supplier or spend data and turn findings into actionable recommendations.
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to advise leaders and drive accountability across teams.
• Ability to work independently with broad direction, navigate ambiguity and balance strategic priorities with hands-on execution.

Nice to have

• Experience supporting contingent workforce programs across multiple countries or business units.
• Previous people-management or team-leadership experience.
• Experience with vendor management systems (VMS), managed service provider (MSP) models, and HR, procurement or workforce analytics platforms.
• Experience with supplier negotiations, rate management and workforce cost optimization.
• Experience in a high-growth, technical, engineering, aerospace, defense or manufacturing environment.

Benefits

• Bonus (full-time regular employees)
• Equity (full-time regular employees)
• Benefits package for full-time regular employees
• Temporary benefits package for temporary employees, applicable after 60 days of employment

Before you apply

• All offers are contingent on a cleared background check and possible reference check.
• Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits.

About the company

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company that protects service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies.