People Strategic Programs Manager

Apollo.io is the leading go-to-market solution for revenue teams, trusted by over 500,000 companies and millions of users globally, from rapidly growing startups to some of the world's largest enterprises. Founded in 2015, the company is one of the fastest growing companies in SaaS, raising approximately $250 million to date and valued at $1.6 billion. Apollo.io provides sales and marketing teams with easy access to verified contact data for over 210 million B2B contacts and 35 million companies worldwide, along with tools to engage and convert these contacts in one unified platform. By helping revenue professionals find the most accurate contact information and automating the outreach process, Apollo.io turns prospects into customers. Apollo raised a series D in 2023 and is backed by top-tier investors, including Sequoia Capital, Bain Capital Ventures, and more, and counts the former President and COO of Hubspot, JD Sherman, among its board members. The Role Apollo's People team is scaling rapidly across new geographies, business models, and technologies. We're managing M&A integration, building employment infrastructure in new markets, evaluating new tech stacks (ATS, HRIS), and pioneering how AI can make People work simpler and smarter. The SVP of People oversees all of this, but we need someone who can be the operational and strategic backbone: handling the cadence, shepherding multi-quarter projects, partnering with IT/Legal/Finance, and most importantly, becoming an extension of the SVP so she can operate at the strategy level rather than in the weeds of execution. The People Strategic Programs Manager will own: The operating rhythm of the People team (meetings, planning cycles, offsites, headcount strategy) Execution of strategic initiatives (M&A playbook, UK infrastructure, ATS transition, HRIS evaluation) Identifying and rolling out AI efficiencies across People workflows while working with IT/Legal on governance Being a thought partner pulling projects, ideas, and execution off the SVP's plate This is an individual contributor role that leads through expertise, sound judgment, influence, and clear operating mechanisms, not direct management authority. What You'll Own People Team Operating Rhythm Coordinate and run the People team's recurring cadence: all-hands, leadership meetings, quarterly planning cycles (OKRs), annual strategy planning, and offsites Design and implement a documented, repeatable planning process that removes ad hoc coordination and reduces SVP time spent on operations Own headcount planning and forecasting: build scenarios, identify HC needs by function, and feed strategic planning cycles By Q4 2026: People team calendar and cadence runs with minimal SVP involvement Strategic HR Programs & Projects Own execution on major, multi-quarter initiatives: M&A integration playbook, UK equity/visa sponsorship infrastructure, ATS (Ashby) transition, HRIS evaluation, and emerging ad hoc projects Partner with Director of People Operations on prioritization, scope, and sequencing Key timelines: Ashby migration complete by December 2026; UK equity/visa infrastructure documented and operational by January 2027; HRIS evaluation narrowed to final vendor by May 2027; M&A playbook battle-tested by Q4 2026 People AI Transformation Map People team workflows to identify where AI and automation can create real efficiencies Conduct a comprehensive workflow audit within 6 months; identify 3–5 high-impact AI opportunities Build one-team solutions (like the org health dashboard) instead of siloed, one-off tools Partner with IT and Legal to establish clearer, more reasonable guardrails for AI/Claude usage (today's "anything with PII requires review" is too restrictive and stymies innovation; broaden to enable more senior team members with self-service capability) Advocate for a revised AI usage policy that enables People team to work effectively By 12 months: People team operating under new AI policy with broader, reasonable guardrails Strategic Multiplier to SVP Be a thought partner and ideator on People strategy, new initiatives, and challenges Pull execution and project leadership off the SVP's plate so she operates at the VCE/strategy level By beginning of FY 2027: SVP spends 30% less time in operational/project meetings What We're Looking For Experience & Background 7+ years of varied experience across G&A (General & Administrative) functions—could include HR, People Operations, HR technology, BizOps, special projects, or Chief of Staff roles Demonstrated ability to design, plan, and execute multi-quarter initiatives end-to-end Strong business and process design skills: requirements gathering, problem-solving, implementation, and change management Experience managing across organizational boundaries without direct authority, aligning stakeholders, driving decisions, and measuring impact Comfort with ambiguity and ability to operate in a fast-moving, high-growth environment Experience with technology evaluation, implementation, and vendor management (at least exposure to ATS, HRIS, or People tech) Understanding of People data, reporting, workflows, and interest in how AI/automation can improve People processes Program/project management skills and execution bias (more important than HR domain expertise) Comfort operating as a thought partner to senior leaders and influencing without authority Intellectual curiosity about People operations, technology, and AI Adaptability and ability to shift between strategic thinking and tactical problem-solving Track record of building processes, systems, and solutions that scale The listed Pay Range reflects the total cash compensation inclusive of annual base salary and annual bonus as applicable. For sales roles, the range provided is the role’s On Target Earnings ("OTE") range, meaning that the range includes both the sales commissions/sales bonus target and annual base salary for the role. This salary range may be inclusive of several career