Systems Architect, Infrastructure & Analytics

Position: People Systems Architect, Infrastructure & Analytics
About the Company:

X is a diverse group of inventors and entrepreneurs who build and launch technologies that aim to improve the lives of millions, even billions, of people. Our goal: 10x impact on the world's most intractable problems, not just 10% improvement. We approach projects that have the aspiration and riskiness of research with the speed and ambition of a startup.

About the Team:

As the X People Operations team (POps), it's our mission to Attract, Accelerate, and Launch these moonshots into the real world. Due to the smaller size of our organization and the rapid pace of change, every Xer plays a critical role in the success of these moonshots. The X POps team not only executes programs and operations that accelerate the business, but we also are trusted thought partners to help make business-critical decisions (more information here).

About the Role:

The People Team at X is looking for a People Systems Architect, Infrastructure & Analytics to lead the next phase of our People Infrastructure. We have successfully transitioned key HR programs from third-party tools to a proprietary, AI-augmented ecosystem built on GCP.

We are looking for a strategic architect and analytical powerhouse to take ownership of this infrastructure. While you possess the technical proficiency to dive into the code for updates, your true leverage will come from your ability to weave data into strategy. You will rely heavily on advanced SQL and deep data storytelling to build robust dashboards and the underlying analytics architecture.

Alongside defining the product roadmap and designing system workflows, your role is to transform raw talent signals into the actionable insights that drive X's people strategy. The ideal candidate must be a scrappy, self-starter who can navigate ambiguity and find solutions independently; while there are resources across X, they should not expect hands-on technical mentorship from the People Team.

To give you a sense of the day-to-day, expect to spend roughly 30% of your time on product strategy and PRDs, 30% hands-on with SQL and data architecture, 15% coaching and managing a junior analyst, 15% writing operational scripts or triaging system updates, and 10% reserved for cross-functional People team projects.

How you will make 10x impact:

* Product Strategy & Architecture:
Act as the product owner for People team internal tools and our broader tech stack. Architect future system states, map data interconnection points across tools, and define the long-term technology strategy.

* Advanced Analytics & Dashboarding:
Own the People data architecture end-to-end. Write complex Google SQL queries, build dynamic dashboards (e.g., in Looker), and drive "data storytelling" that transforms raw talent signals into actionable insights for leadership. You should be comfortable presenting data to executives and senior leadership.

* Requirements & Workflow Design:
Translate ambiguous business challenges into clear, executable technical requirements. Write rigorous Product Requirement Documents (PRDs) and system design docs for engineering teams.

* Technical Resourcing & Delivery:
Triage and manage the technical backlog. Determine the most efficient resourcing for feature requests-distinguishing between what can be handled by internal technical staff, and what requires scoping for central engineering or vendor support.

* AI Integration & Automation:
Identify and execute opportunities to leverage Generative AI and automation to create operational leverage across the People Team.

* Vendor Management & Compliance:
Lead technical evaluations for new third-party tools. Manage Vendor Security Assessments (VSAs) and ensure all integrations meet Alphabet's strict privacy and security standards.

* System Maintenance:
You will take ownership of maintaining existing infrastructure and pushing feature updates or bug fixes to ensure system stability. You will also help shape and define the technical support model, partnering with central tech teams to scope resource needs and collaboratively problem-solve rather than relying on a pre-existing technical pod.

* People Management:
Act as a player-coach by directly…