People Operations Manager Jobs in Michigan
People Operations Manager jobs in Michigan are consistently in demand, with the strongest concentration in manufacturing, healthcare, automotive supply chain, and financial services sectors at mid to senior levels. Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Ann Arbor account for the largest share of openings, with well-established employers like General Motors, Beaumont Health, and Consumers Energy maintaining ongoing people operations functions across their Michigan operations. HR business partnering, employee relations, and talent acquisition oversight are the specialties appearing most often in Michigan listings. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
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Showing 5 of 209+ People Operations Manager jobs
Are you an experienced HR leader looking for a role where you can shape culture, lead labor relations, and support essential public services? If so, read on!
About Metro
Metro is the public transportation provider serving Kalamazoo County, with a history that stretches back to 1900. Over the past 50 years, we’ve evolved into a modern, accessible, and community‑focused transit system. Metro operates 21 fixed‑route bus lines across the Kalamazoo area, including the cities of Kalamazoo, Portage, and Parchment, as well as major institutions like Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo Valley Community College. Our fleet includes 46 fixed‑route buses. We also operate Metro Connect, a federally mandated, county‑wide ADA paratransit service that provides curb‑to‑curb transportation for seniors and individuals with disabilities.
About the Opportunity
The Human Resources Director serves as the senior executive leader responsible for developing and leading the agency’s people-focused strategies, culture, labor relations, and workforce programs. This role ensures the transit authority attracts, develops, and retains a skilled, diverse, and engaged workforce to support safe and reliable public transportation. The Human Resources Director provides strategic leadership in labor relations, organizational development, employee experience, benefits, and workforce compliance.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, providing strategic guidance on organizational structure, workforce planning, and cultural development.
- Develop and implement long-term HR strategies to support the organizational mission, operational goals, and fiscal sustainability.
- Lead workforce modernization initiatives, including technology adoption, training, and organizational development.
- Oversee HR operations including talent acquisition, onboarding, employee relations, performance management, compensation, benefits, and compliance.
- Ensure HR policies and procedures reflect industry best practices and comply with federal, state, and local employment laws.
- Serve as a negotiator or executive leader in collective bargaining with represented employee groups.
- Maintain strong, collaborative relationships with union leadership while ensuring adherence to collective bargaining agreements.
- Manage grievance procedures, arbitration preparation, and contract administration.
- Foster an organizational culture of respect, accountability, safety, and continuous improvement.
- Oversee leadership development, training programs, and succession planning to ensure a resilient workforce pipeline.
- Ensure compliance with FTA regulations related to workforce, drug and alcohol programs, safety-sensitive positions, and training requirements.
About You
- Demonstrated progressive HR leadership experience, including experience in a senior leadership role.
- Experience working in a unionized environment with responsibility for labor negotiations and grievance resolution.
- Strong knowledge of federal and local labor and employment laws.
- Demonstrated experience improving organizational culture and employee engagement.
- Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite (e.g., Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint).
- Ability to act with a sense of urgency and multitask in a fast-paced environment.
- Excellent interpersonal and collaborative skills and proven track record of success in working with cross-functional teams. 
- Strong oral and written communication skills and the ability to explain complex ideas to different audiences.
- Proven ability to inspire, coach, and develop effective relationships with all members of a team.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Human Resources, Public Administration, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field. Master’s degree preferred.
- Experience in public transportation, municipal government, or other regulated public-sector environments preferred.
Work Location: In person
Are you an experienced HR leader looking for a role where you can shape culture, lead labor relations, and support essential public services? If so, read on!
About Metro
Metro is the public transportation provider serving Kalamazoo County, with a history that stretches back to 1900. Over the past 50 years, we’ve evolved into a modern, accessible, and community‑focused transit system. Metro operates 21 fixed‑route bus lines across the Kalamazoo area, including the cities of Kalamazoo, Portage, and Parchment, as well as major institutions like Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo Valley Community College. Our fleet includes 46 fixed‑route buses. We also operate Metro Connect, a federally mandated, county‑wide ADA paratransit service that provides curb‑to‑curb transportation for seniors and individuals with disabilities.
About the Opportunity
The Human Resources Director serves as the senior executive leader responsible for developing and leading the agency’s people-focused strategies, culture, labor relations, and workforce programs. This role ensures the transit authority attracts, develops, and retains a skilled, diverse, and engaged workforce to support safe and reliable public transportation. The Human Resources Director provides strategic leadership in labor relations, organizational development, employee experience, benefits, and workforce compliance.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, providing strategic guidance on organizational structure, workforce planning, and cultural development.
- Develop and implement long-term HR strategies to support the organizational mission, operational goals, and fiscal sustainability.
- Lead workforce modernization initiatives, including technology adoption, training, and organizational development.
- Oversee HR operations including talent acquisition, onboarding, employee relations, performance management, compensation, benefits, and compliance.
- Ensure HR policies and procedures reflect industry best practices and comply with federal, state, and local employment laws.
- Serve as a negotiator or executive leader in collective bargaining with represented employee groups.
- Maintain strong, collaborative relationships with union leadership while ensuring adherence to collective bargaining agreements.
- Manage grievance procedures, arbitration preparation, and contract administration.
- Foster an organizational culture of respect, accountability, safety, and continuous improvement.
- Oversee leadership development, training programs, and succession planning to ensure a resilient workforce pipeline.
- Ensure compliance with FTA regulations related to workforce, drug and alcohol programs, safety-sensitive positions, and training requirements.
About You
- Demonstrated progressive HR leadership experience, including experience in a senior leadership role.
- Experience working in a unionized environment with responsibility for labor negotiations and grievance resolution.
- Strong knowledge of federal and local labor and employment laws.
- Demonstrated experience improving organizational culture and employee engagement.
- Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite (e.g., Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint).
- Ability to act with a sense of urgency and multitask in a fast-paced environment.
- Excellent interpersonal and collaborative skills and proven track record of success in working with cross-functional teams. 
- Strong oral and written communication skills and the ability to explain complex ideas to different audiences.
- Proven ability to inspire, coach, and develop effective relationships with all members of a team.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Human Resources, Public Administration, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field. Master’s degree preferred.
- Experience in public transportation, municipal government, or other regulated public-sector environments preferred.
Work Location: In person
See All 209+ People Operations Manager Jobs in Michigan
Find roles in Michigan that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find JobsPeople Operations Manager Jobs by City in Michigan
Where Michigan roles are concentrated, by current openings.
People Operations Manager Job Market in Michigan
A snapshot from current Michigan openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Automotive
- Manufacturing
- Insurance
- Food & Beverage
- Medical Devices
What Michigan Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in people operations manager jobs across Michigan.
- Bachelor's degree in human resources, business administration, or a closely related field
- Professional HR certification such as SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR preferred
- Three or more years of progressive HR or people operations experience in a management role
- Demonstrated experience with HRIS platforms such as Workday, ADP, or UKG
- Strong working knowledge of Michigan employment law and federal labor regulations
- Proven ability to partner with business leaders on workforce planning and employee relations
People Operations Manager Jobs in Michigan: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a people operations manager in Michigan?
A bachelor's degree in human resources, business administration, or organizational development is the standard starting point for this role in Michigan. Michigan does not require a state-issued license to work in people operations, but employers across the state consistently prefer candidates who hold a professional certification such as the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP from the Society for Human Resource Management, or the PHR from HRCI. Building experience in generalist HR roles at Michigan manufacturers, health systems, or large service organizations is the most common path to a management position.
How much do people operations managers make in Michigan?
People operations managers in Michigan earn a median of about $138,930 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $88,990 for the lowest 10% to over $224,880 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire people operations managers in Michigan?
Employers hiring people operations managers in Michigan right now include Target, Flex-N-Gate, and Acrisure, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Michigan's concentration of large manufacturing, healthcare, and financial services employers means demand for people operations managers is distributed across both the Detroit metro and regional hubs like Grand Rapids and Lansing.
Which Michigan cities have the most people operations manager jobs?
Grand Rapids, Detroit, and Flint have the most people operations manager openings in Michigan. Detroit anchors the largest share of demand, driven by its concentration of automotive headquarters, large health systems, and financial services firms, while Grand Rapids reflects its fast-growing manufacturing and healthcare base and Ann Arbor draws openings from the University of Michigan and a dense cluster of technology and life sciences employers.
Are there remote people operations manager jobs in Michigan?
Yes, and more than many HR roles, because people operations managers at larger organizations frequently handle policy development, HRIS administration, and strategic planning that can be done off-site. About 43% of people operations manager openings tied to Michigan are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting genuine flexibility in the field. The parts of the role most likely to remain on-site are employee relations investigations and new hire onboarding that require a physical presence.
How can I get hired as a people operations manager in Michigan with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is an HR coordinator or generalist role at a mid-size Michigan manufacturer or health system, where exposure to benefits, onboarding, and employee relations builds the foundation employers expect before promoting into management. Large Michigan employers including automotive suppliers, regional hospital networks, and insurance carriers run rotational HR associate programs that bring in candidates without direct management experience. Earning a SHRM-CP certification early signals seriousness to Michigan hiring managers and meaningfully strengthens an application at the coordinator or specialist level before moving into a manager title.
Where can I find and apply to people operations manager jobs in Michigan?
You can find and apply to people operations manager jobs in Michigan on Migrate Mate, which lists current Michigan openings updated regularly. Search the roles available, identify the ones that match your background and location, and apply directly to whichever positions fit. No sign-up is required to view the listings.
See All 209+ People Operations Manager Jobs in Michigan
Find roles in Michigan that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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