Company :
Highmark Health
Job Description :
JOB SUMMARY
The HRIS Consultant is a senior individual contributor who serves as the functional architect and implementation lead for Workday and its connected HR technology ecosystem. This role translates HR strategy and complex business needs into scalable, secure, and sustainable functional designs that support the organization’s strategic objectives.
The primary emphasis is Workday HCM, including Core HCM, business processes, security, data structures, and cross-module dependencies. The Consultant also defines functional requirements, system-of-record ownership, and integration dependencies involving UKG for time and attendance and Salesforce for HR service delivery. The role leads assigned enterprise HR technology implementations and coordinates implementation partners, vendors, internal stakeholders, IT, and the HRIS team.
This position has no formal people-management responsibility but serves as a senior mentor to HRIS analysts who perform day-to-day system configuration. The Consultant establishes functional design standards, reviews complex configuration, coaches analysts on business process design and problem-solving, and may perform hands-on configuration when needed for highly complex solutions or critical delivery milestones.
ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead assigned enterprise HR technology implementations from solution evaluation and design through configuration, testing, go-live, and hyper care. Coordinate implementation partners, vendors, internal stakeholders, IT, and HRIS resources; manage milestones, risks, dependencies, and decision-making; and confirm that delivered solutions meet approved business requirements.
- Serve as the functional architect for the HR technology ecosystem by defining scalable solution designs, system-of-record ownership, security requirements, and reliable upstream and downstream data flows across Workday, UKG, Salesforce, and other connected platforms.
- Serve as the senior functional subject matter expert for Workday HCM, with responsibility for the design and ongoing evolution of Core HCM, business processes, security, data structures, and cross-module dependencies.
- Translate complex business needs into documented functional requirements, solution designs, configuration specifications, data requirements, and acceptance criteria that technical and functional teams can execute.
- Review and approve complex Workday configuration and provide hands-on support when needed for high-complexity solutions, production issues, or critical project milestones.
- Provide functional direction, coaching, and technical mentorship to HRIS analysts on configuration standards, business process design, security, testing, documentation, and advanced problem-solving.
- Partner with HR, Payroll, IT, Security, Legal, Compliance, and business leaders to evaluate needs, resolve design decisions, and balance user experience, operational efficiency, risk, and platform sustainability.
- Develop and maintain a multi-year HR technology roadmap based on business strategy, platform capabilities, technical debt, regulatory requirements, and opportunities for simplification and automation.
- Design and deliver Workday solutions with data governance, privacy, security, and minimum-necessary access principles embedded, with Workday as the authoritative source for designated employee master data.
- Lead functional readiness for Workday and connected-system releases, including feature analysis, impact assessment, regression planning, stakeholder testing, deployment decisions, and adoption planning.
- Define and lead the testing strategy and plan for complex, cross-functional solutions, ensuring traceability to requirements and a comprehensive testing approach across key phases.
- Evaluate emerging HR technologies and platform capabilities; develop business cases and recommendations based on business value, feasibility, risk, cost, and expected return on investment.
- Other duties as assigned or requested.
EDUCATION
Required
- Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources, Information Systems, Computer Science, or a related field or relevant experience and/or education as determined by the company in lieu of bachelor's degree
Preferred
EXPERIENCE
Required
- At least 8+ years of progressive experience in HRIS, HR technology, or enterprise HCM systems, including at least 5 years of hands-on Workday HCM experience within that period. Experience should include configuration, business process design, security, and data structures across multiple functional areas.
- Experience leading at least one full-cycle Workday implementation or major enterprise Workday deployment from design through go-live and hyper care.
- Demonstrated experience serving as a Workday functional lead or solution architect and translating complex business requirements into functional designs and configuration specifications.
- Working knowledge of HR systems integrations, data mapping, data governance, system-of-record concepts, and upstream and downstream dependencies.
- Experience leading user acceptance testing for complex, cross-functional system implementations or integrations
- Strong knowledge of payroll processes and the data, controls, timing, accuracy, and compliance considerations that affect HR technology design
- Experience mentoring, coaching, or providing technical direction to HRIS analysts or other functional team members
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to facilitate design decisions and communicate effectively with business leaders, technical teams, and external partners
- Experience working in a consulting environment or a large, complex organization, with demonstrated ability to translate highly complex business requirements into scalable Workday solutions beyond standard out-of-the-box functionality
Preferred
- Working knowledge of workforce management platforms, preferably UKG, including data structures, time and attendance concepts, business rules, and integration dependencies with Workday and other HR systems.
- Experience configuring HR technology solutions to support complex unionized environments, including multiple collective bargaining agreements, union-specific eligibility rules, and varying pay, time, or work rules.
- Experience supporting HR technology in a healthcare or similarly complex, highly regulated organization
- Experience supporting mergers, acquisitions, or divestitures, including complex HR technology integrations, data conversion, organizational structure changes, and transition of acquired employees into Workday and connected platforms.
LICENSES or CERTIFICATIONS
Required
Preferred
- Workday Pro Certifications in one or more areas such as HCM, Reporting, Payroll, Time Tracking, Absence, Compensation, Advanced Compensation, Benefits, Performance & Talent, and Learning
SKILLS
Language (Other than English):
None
Travel Requirement:
0% - 25%
PHYSICAL, MENTAL DEMANDS and WORKING CONDITIONS
Position Type
Office-Based or Remote Position
Physical work site required
Constantly
Disclaimer: The job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this job title. It may not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to do this job.
Compliance Requirement: This job adheres to the ethical and legal standards and behavioral expectations as set forth in the code of business conduct and company policies.
As a component of job responsibilities, employees may have access to covered information, cardholder data, or other confidential customer information that must be protected at all times. In connection with this, all employees must comply with both the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) as described in the Notice of Privacy Practices and Privacy Policies and Procedures as well as all data security guidelines established within the Company’s Handbook of Privacy Policies and Practices and Information Security Policy.
Furthermore, it is every employee’s responsibility to comply with the company’s Code of Business Conduct. This includes but is not limited to adherence to applicable federal and state laws, rules, and regulations as well as company policies and training requirements.
Pay Range Minimum:
$118,400.00
Pay Range Maximum:
$196,800.00
Base pay is determined by a variety of factors including a candidate’s qualifications, experience, and expected contributions, as well as internal peer equity, market, and business considerations. The displayed salary range does not reflect any geographic differential Highmark may apply for certain locations based upon comparative markets.
Highmark Health and its affiliates prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all indiv