Manager, HRIS

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of HRIS professionals spanning HCM/Security, headcount and compensation, reporting, recruiting systems, payroll/benefits/time configuration, and generalist support.
• Establish clear goals, performance expectations, and development plans for each team member; conduct regular 1:1s and formal performance reviews.
• Manage workload distribution, capacity planning, and cross-training to ensure team resilience and coverage across all functional areas.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous learning, and service excellence within the HRIS team.
• Actively support the onboarding and ramp-up of new team members, including managing interim coverage during leaves or vacancies.

Workday Platform Management

• Serve as the functional owner of Workday HCM across all active modules, including Core HCM, Recruiting, Payroll, Benefits, Time & Absence, Talent, Compensation, Reporting, and Prism Analytics, as well as integrated tools including Kainos Smart Audit and Kainos Smart Test.
• Oversee the planning, testing, and deployment of Workday bi-annual releases, coordinating impact assessments and ensuring business readiness across HR and downstream stakeholders.
• Manage Workday security administration, including role-based security group assignments, domain policy governance, and access audits in partnership with IT and Compliance.
• Own the HRIS project roadmap, prioritizing enhancements, new module configurations, and operational improvements in alignment with HR and business strategy.
• Manage post-production support and implementation vendor relationships, holding partners accountable to deliverables, quality, and timelines while evaluating the ongoing balance between vendor reliance and internal capability-building.
• Partner with HR technology vendors — including but not limited to Workday, Kainos, the post-production support vendor, and other integrated solution providers — to stay current on product roadmaps, advocate for configuration needs, and maximize the value of existing platform investments.

Operations, Data Integrity & Compliance

• Ensure the accuracy, completeness, and auditability of employee data across all Workday modules and integrated systems.
• Establish and maintain HRIS data governance standards, including data entry procedures, audit schedules, and a framework for managing data quality escalations.
• Lead HRIS support for annual HR cycles, including merit, bonus, headcount planning, talent review, open enrollment, and compliance reporting (EEO-1, VETS-100, ACA, OFCCP).
• Partner with Legal, Compliance, and regional HR leaders to ensure HR technology configurations support global regulatory requirements, including GDPR, EU Pay Transparency, and local labor law obligations.
• Own and maintain SLA frameworks for HRIS-to-Payroll and HRIS-to-HR Shared Services data handoffs.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Act as the primary escalation point for HRIS issues raised by HR Business Partners, Payroll, Benefits, Talent Acquisition, and IT.
• Partner with the Director, HR Operations on business case development, headcount planning, vendor evaluations, and strategic HR technology investments.
• Collaborate with People Analytics to ensure Workday reporting outputs support workforce analytics and data-driven HR decision-making.
• Represent the HRIS function in cross-functional projects, steering committees, and CHRO-level briefings as required.

Change Management & Enablement

• Support change management and communications for Workday system changes, new module launches, and process improvements affecting the broader HR and employee population.
• Lead and coordinate the development and delivery of HRIS training materials, job aids, and enablement programs to build Workday competency across HR, managers, and employees.
• Champion AI adoption and HR technology literacy initiatives within the HR function, partnering with HR Operations leadership on training and baseline measurement.