What companies are hiring HR Ops to do
Seven in ten need someone to own data accuracy and audit readiness.
In September 2026 I analyzed 276 live HR Ops job ads and counted what companies said they need the role to do, in their own words. The same handful came up over and over. If one of them is on your desk and there's nobody to give it to, that's what I take on, at a fixed scope.
Percentages are the share of 276 postings whose own text named that responsibility; quotes are verbatim from the postings. The top two came up at a high rate in every source. The other four vary a lot by job board (onboarding ranges from 16% to 92% depending on where you look), so read them as directional. Sources: Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, Workable, Built In, employer career pages and staffing-agency boards, read 11 to 13 September 2026. Indeed and LinkedIn are not included. Method, full table and the other four ↗
Some things I've built
Thirteen years of building what wasn't there.
Since 2013 I've been drawn to exactly one thing: building something where there was nothing before.
A corporate university. A reporting suite. A handbook nobody had written. A key account function that didn't exist. An app. A little agent that catches payroll errors before payday. It started as the part of every job I'd volunteer for, and somewhere along the way I noticed it was the only part I actually looked forward to.
So I've stopped treating it as a side effect of my job and made it the whole job. Partly because I'm good at it. Mostly for the pure joy of it.
Have a look at what that's produced ↗150+ people onboarded through a university that didn't exist before I built it
Payroll errors caught three days before the money moves
50+ promotion and equity documents generated in minutes instead of days
The payroll agent has its write-up. The other two stories are being written and will link from here when they're up; the short versions are in the list below.
+See all 12, with what each one was worth
Audit, compliance and data you can trust
What the Audit-Ready and HRIS Cleanup packages are built on.
Onboarding, training and documentation
What the Onboarding Rebuild and Compliance Training packages are built on.
Automation and reporting
The work that gives a People team its hours back.
Durations are approximate. The numbers are the ones I can evidence, most of them in the reviews below. On my own time I also ship products - an iOS app in the App Store, a daily brief for HR leaders - which is how the building muscle stays sharp.
Reviews
What the people I've worked with say.
Finance, HR and security leaders who saw the work up close. Quoted as written.
When it comes to HR Operations, and especially technical HRIS, process automation, and AI augmented workflows Olga D isn't just good, she's extraordinary. … Promotion and equity cycle used to mean my team hand-generating dozens of letters and forms one by one. Olga automated the entire dataflow, so a batch of 50+ promotions and equity-allocation documents could be generated in minutes instead of days. It rapidly removed one of the most tedious, error-prone jobs my People Ops team had. Across her full contracted portfolio she certainly generated us 10x investment returns!
As Head of Finance at Behavox, I worked with Olga for over four years. She is one of the most impressive professionals I have ever worked with. … Some of the projects I saw her delivering real results on: building from scratch and automating executive HR reporting; designing the BambooHR data model and keeping it clean enough that every downstream report and integration (including Finance!) was trustworthy; design and automation of numerous HR processes in Jira; switching payroll providers and rolling out insurance programs. Any team hiring her for HR Ops or HRIS work will get more than they expect!
She played an important role in aligning our HR operations with SOC 2 audit and compliance requirements. Her expertise ensured that our company met the necessary standards and effectively addressed any compliance gaps. Olga is a talented leader who inspires their team and consistently delivers results.
Olga is that rare strategic, operational and highly socially intelligent gem that is data driven in all projects she undertakes, who achieves operational excellence for her department using old and new tools, and who is deeply esteemed and adored by her peers and team.
I have consistently witnessed Olga's unwavering dedication to cultivating a positive and inclusive work environment. I am particularly impressed by her adeptness in handling complex employee relations matters, showcasing a remarkable combination of tact and empathy.
Want something like this built for you?
Tell me what's going wrong in a few sentences. I'll come back with a plan and a price. That part is free.
What I can take off your plate
Find the one that sounds like your problem.
A fixed price per project, agreed before I start. No hourly billing, and no project that quietly never ends.
Audit-Ready in 30 Days
I-9 and E-Verify, records retention and worker classification documented. A full SOP library for the people function. HRIS data audited and discrepancies resolved. Handover pack included.
For companies with a funding round, an acquirer, or a SOC review coming.“She played an important role in aligning our HR operations with SOC 2 audit and compliance requirements … and effectively addressed any compliance gaps.”Tigran Petrosyan, Head of Security Assurance, Behavox
HRIS Cleanup Sprint
Every employee record audited against source documents. Duplicates, gaps and broken workflows fixed. A reporting layer that pulls clean, and the written process that keeps it clean.
For teams who stopped believing their own headcount number.“Designing the BambooHR data model and keeping it clean enough that every downstream report and integration (including Finance!) was trustworthy.”Anton A., Head of Finance, Behavox
HRIS Implementation & Integrations
A new HRIS, or a migration off spreadsheets or a PEO. Requirements, configuration, data migration, and the integrations with payroll, your ATS and IT tools, so nothing is keyed twice. Documented so your team can run it.
For companies outgrowing their first system, or switching.“Any team hiring her for HR Ops or HRIS work will get more than they expect!”Anton A., Head of Finance, Behavox
Onboarding Rebuild
Onboarding and offboarding configured in your HRIS with automated task routing, so nobody chases anybody. The training content that runs inside it. Manager-facing documentation.
For companies hiring faster than their process can absorb.“Olga automated the entire dataflow, so a batch of 50+ promotions and equity-allocation documents could be generated in minutes instead of days.”Adam H., Global HR & Talent Leader
Training Program Build
Your LMS set up, or the one you have configured properly. A curriculum for one audience - new hires, new managers, a technical team - with the materials written, built and loaded, and completion tracking that tells you who actually finished.
For companies where training is a folder of slides and a Zoom recording.“I witnessed her in managerial roles in both Training and HR Operations … who achieves operational excellence for her department using old and new tools.”Manon Dumas, Founder & President, ARIANNE Relocation Canada
Compliance Training Build
Courses covering your actual compliance gaps, built and loaded into your HRIS or LMS, with completion tracking that survives an audit. Plus a refresh plan for next year's rule changes.
Usually the second half of an audit-readiness project.“Her expertise ensured that our company met the necessary standards and effectively addressed any compliance gaps.”Tigran Petrosyan, Head of Security Assurance, Behavox
Leave Cover
I own the day-to-day people function while someone is out - payroll runs, onboarding, employee questions. You get the function back documented, in better shape than it was handed over.
For parental leave, a sudden departure, or a search that is taking longer than planned.“I am particularly impressed by her adeptness in handling complex employee relations matters, showcasing a remarkable combination of tact and empathy.”Victoria B., Payroll Leadership Professional
Need something that isn't on this list?
That's completely normal. Just tell me what's going wrong and what you wish happened instead. I'll come back within two days with a plan and a price. If it's not something I should be doing, I'll tell you that too, and point you somewhere better.
Or start with something small.
Not everything needs a month. These take a week or less, and they're an easy way to see how I work before you commit to anything bigger.
Employee Handbook
Written from your actual practice, checked against the requirements in the states you operate in. Manager version included.
Role-Specific Training
One course for one role - new manager, payroll admin, first-line support. Built to your tools, assessment included.
Policy Pack, One Area
One compliance area covered properly - I-9, records retention, classification - with documentation an auditor accepts.
One Process, Documented
A single process mapped end to end, every exception captured, written so a new hire can run it unsupervised.
Not sure where to start?
Most people aren't. Describe the mess in your own words and I'll tell you what I'd do about it. Worst case you get a free second opinion.
The process
Three steps, and no surprises in any of them.
We agree what I'm building and what it costs before I start. I build it, write it all down, walk your team through it, and then I'm out of your hair. Whoever you hire next inherits something that works.
A 30-minute call
You tell me what's going wrong. I ask what your systems actually look like underneath. It's free, and you'll get a straight answer on whether this is even worth doing.
A plan and a price, in two days
One page: what I'll build, how long it takes, what it costs, and the little I need from your team. You say yes or no. I won't chase you either way.
Build and hand over
I work async with a weekly check-in, so I'm not in your calendar. At the end you get the thing, the documentation, and a walkthrough of how it all works.
Before you write in
The questions I get before the first call.
How much does an HRIS cleanup cost?
USD 10,000 for a three-to-four-week sprint: every employee record audited against source documents, duplicates and gaps resolved, a reporting layer that pulls clean, and the written process that keeps it that way. Fixed price, no hourly billing.
How long does it take to get audit-ready?
Four to five weeks for a company under 500 people. That covers I-9 and E-Verify, records retention, worker classification, a full SOP library for the people function, and an HRIS data audit - delivered with a handover pack so your next hire can run it.
Can I hire a consultant instead of a full-time HR Ops manager?
For a bounded problem, usually faster. Hiring an HR Ops manager takes roughly three months. A fixed-scope project delivers the system in four to six weeks, and you keep the documentation whether or not you hire afterwards. Doing both works well - the project first, the hire later, into a function that already runs.
What if my project isn't on your list?
Describe it and you'll get a written scope and a fixed quote within 48 hours. Most HR operations work turns out to be bounded once somebody has actually looked at it, and if yours isn't, I'll say so rather than stretch it into a package.
Which HR systems do you work in?
BambooHR in depth, plus Rippling, HiBob, Gusto, Justworks and Workday. Payroll across US and Canadian jurisdictions. Where a system genuinely can't do what's needed, I build the automation around it rather than pretending the gap isn't there.
Where are you based?
Remote, on US Eastern time, working async with distributed teams across North America, the UK and APAC. Overlap with a US team is the whole working day.
What do you need from my team?
Read access to your HRIS, one person who can answer questions the same day, and about two hours of their time in week one. That's it. The proposal spells this out before you commit.
Say hello
So, what's going wrong?
A few sentences is plenty. I read everything properly and come back within two days, either with a plan and a price or an honest "this isn't me, try these people instead".