HR Operations Consultant

About Centific

Centific is a frontier AI data foundry that curates diverse, high-quality data, using our purpose-built technology platforms to empower the Magnificent Seven and our enterprise clients with safe, scalable AI deployment. Our team includes more than 150 PhDs and data scientists, along with more than 4,000 AI practitioners and engineers. We harness the power of an integrated solution ecosystem-comprising industry-leading partnerships and 1.8 million vertical domain experts in more than 230 markets-to create contextual, multilingual, pre-trained datasets; fine-tuned, industry-specific LLMs; and RAG pipelines supported by vector databases. Our zero-distance innovation solutions for GenAI can reduce GenAI costs by up to 80% and bring solutions to market 50% faster.

Our mission is to bridge the gap between AI creators and industry leaders by bringing best practices in GenAI to unicorn innovators and enterprise customers. We aim to help these organizations unlock significant business value by deploying GenAI at scale, helping to ensure they stay at the forefront of technological advancement and maintain a competitive edge in their respective markets.

About Job

. Purpose & Background

This Statement of Work ("SOW") defines the scope, deliverables, methodology, timeline, and governance for an engagement in which Centific ("Client") retains Michael Baumgartner ("Consultant") to conduct an end-to-end assessment of the organization's employee lifecycle processes, from headcount approval through separation, across all in-scope geographies.

The Client's employee lifecycle processes have evolved organically across regions and functions, resulting in inconsistent process design, unclear ownership, manual workarounds, and limited visibility into cycle times and quality. The Client seeks an independent, structured assessment - grounded in Lean/Six Sigma methodology - to document current-state processes, quantify inefficiency and waste, identify system and control gaps, and recommend a global standard operating model that respects legitimate country-level statutory requirements.

This engagement requires a Director-level consultant with demonstrated expertise in HR operations process design, Lean/Six Sigma (DMAIC), value stream mapping, and multi-country HR service delivery models.

2. Objectives

Produce a complete, validated current-state view of the nine core employee lifecycle processes, by geography, including process flow, approvals, RACI, and systems used. Quantify systemic inefficiencies, duplication, non-value-added steps, and approval/transit times using Lean/Six Sigma tools (DMAIC, value stream mapping). Identify and prioritize process and technology gaps, including missing HRIS integrations and manual data entry. Recommend a future-state global standard process for each lifecycle area, explicitly documenting where and why country-specific variance is required. Define a standard set of operational excellence metrics to measure delivery speed and quality on an ongoing basis.

3. Scope of Work

3.1 In-Scope Processes

The assessment covers the following core employee lifecycle processes:

• Opening a new position for headcount (budget approval, position creation)
• Opening a new requisition to hire (requisition approval workflow)
• Recruitment & sourcing process
• Offer process and approvals
• Onboarding, including new-hire paperwork and pre-hire communications
• New hire orientation and IT/equipment set-up
• Employee data change (job, comp, location, manager changes)
• Termination process - involuntary, voluntary, and retrenchment/reduction-in-force
• Contractor hiring and onboarding

3.2 Geographic Scope

The engagement covers all geographies in which the Client operates and employs staff in the US, China, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Spain, and Serbia, a well as non-employee locations through EOR agreements. Process maps and RACI matrices will be produced once per process where the process is consistent across geographies, and separately per geography where the flow, approvals, or systems materially diverge - most commonly driven by local statutory or works-council requirements (e.g., termination/retrenchment, contractor classification, data privacy).

3.3 Out of Scope

• Compensation and benefits plan design or benchmarking.
• Payroll processing accuracy audits (payroll is in scope only as a hand-off point in the lifecycle, not as a payroll operations audit).
• System implementation, configuration, or build activity (recommendations only; implementation is a potential follow-on phase).
• Union/works council negotiation or legal advice (Consultant will flag statutory considerations but Client Legal retains responsibility for legal interpretation).

4. Methodology & Approach

4.1 Lean / Six Sigma DMAIC Framework

The engagement will be structured around the DMAIC framework:

• Define - Confirm scope, in-scope processes/geographies, stakeholders, and success criteria.
• Measure - Document current-state process maps, cycle times, approval/transit times, RACI, and systems used through workshops, interviews, system walkthroughs, and data pulls.
• Analyze - Apply value stream mapping to identify non-value-added steps, duplication, rework, bottlenecks, and root causes of delay or error (e.g., fishbone/5-Why analysis).
• Improve - Design future-state global standard processes and identify quick-win and structural recommendations.
• Control - Define standard operational excellence metrics, targets, and reporting mechanisms to sustain and monitor improvement.

4.2 Value Stream Mapping

For each in-scope process, the Consultant will develop current-state value stream maps identifying process steps, decision points, hand-offs between roles/systems, wait time, processing time, and rework loops, distinguishing value-added from non-value-added activity.

4.3 RACI Development

For each process (and geography variant where applicable), the Consultant will develop a RACI matrix identifying who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed at each major process step, validated with process owners and functional leads.

4.4 Data Collection Approach

• Stakeholder interviews with HR, Talent Acquisition, Hiring Managers, Operations, Finance, IT, Payroll, and Legal representatives per geography.
• Facilitated interviews and/or workshops to walk through current-state process steps and validate pain points.
• System walkthroughs/demos of core platforms (HRIS, ATS, IT ticketing, e-signature, background check, payroll interfaces).
• Quantitative data pulls where available (system timestamps, ticket volumes, approval logs) to support cycle-time analysis.

5. Deliverables

The Consultant will produce the following deliverables:

Deliverable

Description

Format / Output

D1. Current-State Process Maps

Swimlane process maps for each of the nine in-scope lifecycle processes, produced per geography where flows diverge. Each map documents process steps, decision/approval points, systems touched, cycle/wait times, and hand-offs.

Visio/Lucidchart-style swimlane diagrams; supporting narrative

D2. RACI Matrices

A RACI matrix for each core process and geography variant, identifying Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed parties across HR, Talent Acquisition, Hiring Managers, Payroll, IT, Legal, and third-party vendors.

RACI matrices (workbook), one tab per process

D3. Systems & Data Flow Inventory

Inventory of every system used in each process step (HRIS, ATS, background check, IT ticketing, payroll, benefits admin, e-signature), noting integration points, manual data entry/re-keying, and system-of-record conflicts.

Systems inventory workbook + data-flow diagrams

D4. Waste & Inefficiency Analysis

DMAIC-based analysis identifying non-value-added steps, duplication, rework, redundant approvals, and transit/approval time by process and geography, with root-cause findings (fishbone/5-Why).

Analysis report with prioritized findings log

D5. Gap Assessment

Evaluation of process and technical gaps, including missing HRIS integrations, manual workarounds, control weaknesses, and compliance exposure by geography.

Gap assessment report with severity/impact ratings

D6. Future-State Global Process Design

Recommended global standard process for each lifecycle area, with an explicit variance matrix identifying where local statutory/regulatory requirements require a country-specific deviation and why.

Future-state process maps + global-vs-local variance matrix

D7. Operational Excellence Metrics Framework

Recommended standard KPIs/SLAs to measure delivery speed and quality (e.g., time-to-fill, time-to-productivity, offer-to-start cycle time, data-entry error rate, approval cycle time), with target-setting methodology and reporting cadence.

Metrics framework document + KPI dashboard mock-up

D8. Executive Summary & Roadmap

Consolidated executive readout summarizing findings, quantified impact (time/cost/risk), and a phased implementation roadmap with sequencing and quick-win recommendations.

Executive presentation deck

6. Timeline & Phased Approach

The engagement is estimated at 12 weeks from kickoff, structured in four phases aligned to DMAIC. Final timeline will be confirmed based on the number of in-scope geographies and stakeholder availability.

Phase

Key Activities

Duration

Related Deliverables

Phase 1 Define & Measure

Kickoff and stakeholder alignment; confirm in-scope geographies; conduct stakeholder interviews and workshops; document current-state process maps, RACI, and systems inventory.

Weeks X to X

D1, D2, D3

Phase 2 Analyze

Apply value stream mapping and DMAIC analysis to quantify cycle time, wait time, rework, and non-value-added steps; identify systemic inefficiencies and gaps.

Weeks X to X

D4, D5

Phase 3 Improve (Design)

Design future-state global standard processes; define statutory-driven local variances; validate with process owners and regional HR/Legal leads.

Weeks X to X

D6

Phase 4 Control & Mobilize

Define operational excellence metrics, targets, and reporting cadence; prepare implementation roadmap, prioritization, and executive readout.

Weeks X to X

D7, D8

7. Roles, Responsibilities & Governance

7.1 Engagement RACI

The following high-level RACI defines responsibilities for major engagement activities. Detailed process-level RACIs are produced as part of Deliverable D2.

Activity

Consultant

HR/People Ops Sponsor

Regional HR Leads

IT/HRIS Owner

Legal/Finance

Stakeholder interviews & data collection

R

A

C

C

I

Current-state process mapping

R/A

C

C

C

I

Waste & gap analysis

R/A

C

I

C

I

Future-state process design

R

A

C

C

C

Statutory variance validation

R

C

A

I

A

Metrics framework definition

R

A

C

C

I

Executive readout & sign-off

R

A

I

I

I

7.2 Governance Cadence

• Weekly status update (written) covering progress, risks, and decisions needed.
• Bi-weekly steering committee check-in with the Client sponsor and key stakeholders.
• Phase-gate reviews at the end of each DMAIC phase to validate findings before proceeding.
• Final executive readout and roadmap presentation at engagement close.

8. Assumptions & Dependencies

• Client will provide timely access to relevant stakeholders, process owners, and system administrators across all in-scope geographies.
• Client will provide read-only or reporting access to core systems (HRIS, ATS, ticketing) as needed to support cycle-time analysis, subject to data privacy requirements.
• Regional HR leads will be made available to validate statutory and country-specific requirements.
• Existing process documentation (policies, org charts, prior process maps) will be made available at kickoff.
• Any delays in stakeholder availability or data access may extend the timeline in Section 6 accordingly.
• This SOW assumes analysis and recommendations only; implementation, change management, and system configuration are excluded unless separately scoped.

9. Success Metrics & Acceptance Criteria

Illustrative operational excellence metrics to be finalized and refined as part of Deliverable D7 include:

• Time-to-fill and time-to-start (requisition open to hire start date).
• Offer-to-acceptance cycle time and offer approval cycle time.
• Onboarding completion rate prior to start date (paperwork, background check, IT provisioning).
• New-hire time-to-productivity / ramp indicators.
• Employee data change processing time and error/rework rate.
• Termination processing cycle time and compliance-deadline adherence, by separation type.
• Percentage of process steps requiring manual data entry or re-keying across systems.
• Approval cycle time by process and approval tier.

Each deliverable will be reviewed and accepted by the Client sponsor per the phase-gate cadence in Section 7.2. Final acceptance of the engagement is contingent on delivery and sponsor sign-off of the Executive Summary & Roadmap (D8).

Salary: $150k-$200k

Centific is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, mental or physical disability, medical condition, sex (including pregnancy), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.