A Day in the Life of a People Programs and Operations Lead at Alphabet
A day for this People Programs & Ops Lead at Alphabet involves significant long-term planning, "calendared a bunch of sessions for all the way through July, 2025," and iterative program improvement based on data and feedback; this includes creating presentations ("definitely a slide oriented company") and analyzing engagement survey results to inform decision-making.
Project Management, Data Analysis, Communication, Strategic Planning, Problem-Solving
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Michelle Lowry
People Programs & Ops Lead
Alphabet Inc. Company
University of California, Davis
N/A
Psychology
Aerospace, Aviation & Defense, Technology
Human Resources (HR)
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. A day in the life of a People Programs & Ops Lead involves a lot of forward-looking planning, sometimes up to a year or more in advance.
2. Creating presentations and slide decks is a significant part of the job, as is reviewing and iterating on existing programs based on feedback.
3. Data collection and analysis, such as through engagement surveys, plays a key role in informing decision-making and program adjustments.
Transcript
What does a day in the life of a PE programs lead look like?
This involves a lot of looking into the future and planning the year. I recently calendared a bunch of sessions all the way through July 2025.
You need to get on people's calendars, especially for programs happening every year. It's best to stay ahead of it.
This includes a lot of forward-looking activities and preparing slide decks for presentations. We're definitely a slide-oriented company, unlike some that prefer memos or documents.
Anytime I'm presenting to managers or even proposing a new program, I build a presentation with all the necessary information. So, a lot of time is spent in decks, as they're called, and reviewing programs for their next iterations.
For example, if I'm running a performance review process, I always get feedback. Hearing what people liked or disliked, and whether that feedback is valuable, helps determine if we should make changes for the next launch.
Especially in the startup world, constant change and readiness to adjust are just part of the job.
I also spend time collecting data. I conduct engagement surveys and analyze company data to inform our decision-making. It's important to stay aware of the company's status.