Program Manager

The Senior Program Manager provides program leadership and oversight for enterprise Human Capital Management (HCM) platform initiatives, with a primary focus on Workday and UKG. This position is responsible for planning, coordinating, and driving execution of HCM platform implementations, enhancements, integrations, reporting, governance, testing, readiness, and operational transition activities. The role requires strong stakeholder engagement across HR, finance, payroll, operations, IT, vendors, and implementation partners to ensure HCM solutions align with organizational priorities, compliance requirements, workforce processes, and enterprise technology standards.

Work design:

• Applicant will report directly to the Manager of the Project Management Office (PMO). Work with HR, payroll, finance, operations, IT, vendors, project managers leading the program workstreams, and implementation partners under the general direction of the manager.
• Perform in-depth analysis of HCM platform issues, risks, dependencies, business process impacts, data considerations, and readiness needs.
• Identify and recommend solutions to conventional and non-conventional Workday and UKG challenges.
• Assist in developing HCM program standards, templates, governance routines, implementation methodologies, and operational transition practices.
• Lead program planning, execution, testing, stakeholder engagement, decision support, and governance activities while explaining complex HCM platform concepts to non-technical users.

Position Accountabilities

• Lead complex, cross-functional HCM program and projects focused on Workday, UKG, and related enterprise workforce management capabilities.
• Develop and manage integrated HCM program plans, schedules, milestones, dependencies, risks, issues, budgets, and implementation roadmaps.
• Facilitate HCM governance and decision forums by preparing materials, documenting decisions, tracking actions, and communicating status to senior leaders and program stakeholders.
• Partner with HR, payroll, finance, operations, IT, vendors, and implementation partners to clarify scope, align priorities, identify and resolve issues and risks, and maintain delivery momentum for Workday and UKG initiatives.
• Coordinate HCM requirements, configuration decisions, workflow alignment, data validation, testing, readiness, cutover, implementation, transition planning, and post-implementation stabilization.
• Gather critical information from stakeholder meetings and produce useful reports, dashboards, executive updates, decision logs, RAID logs, and HCM program documentation.
• Communicate HCM program status, risks, issues, decisions, dependencies, and adoption impacts to leadership, program teams, project teams, and affected business areas.
• Support HCM process improvement, change management, stakeholder readiness, training coordination, adoption planning, and operational transition activities.
• Assist in developing and maintaining standards, templates, tools, and methodologies that improve HCM delivery consistency, platform governance, implementation readiness, and operational effectiveness.
• Maintain awareness of client workforce processes, HCM technologies, platform roadmaps, vendor capabilities, and delivery practices to support modernization and continuous improvement.
• Ensure HCM work products meet business needs, quality expectations, compliance requirements, data integrity standards, platform configuration expectations, and delivery commitments.
• Balance and prioritize multiple HCM programs, platform enhancements, implementation activities, and stakeholder needs.

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree; a minimum of 5+ years of experience in program management, project management, business analysis, technology delivery, or a related field, with demonstrated experience supporting enterprise HCM platforms.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional HCM programs or projects involving HR, payroll, finance, operations, technology teams, vendors, and senior leaders.
• Strong planning, organizational, facilitation, analytical, problem-solving, and time management skills.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and work closely with them to determine acceptable HCM solutions, delivery approaches, governance decisions, and operational readiness plans.
• Ability to interpret vendor feedback and provide recommendations to stakeholders and senior leadership.
• Experience developing and presenting executive-level HCM reports, dashboards, status updates, decision materials, risk summaries, and implementation readiness updates.
• Strong understanding of program and project management disciplines, including scope, schedule, budget, risk, issue, dependency, resource, change, benefits, and stakeholder management.
• Experience supporting Agile or other delivery methodologies in enterprise platform, ERP, HRIS, payroll, workforce management, or HCM environments.
• Strong experience supporting Workday and UKG initiatives, including implementation planning, enhancement delivery, requirements definition, configuration coordination, workflow and business process alignment, integration coordination, testing, data validation, security and access considerations, reporting, stakeholder readiness, training support, adoption planning, issue resolution, and post-implementation stabilization.
• Working knowledge of HCM business processes such as core HR, payroll, time and attendance, absence management, benefits, talent, workforce scheduling, reporting, and employee self-service.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex HCM platform concepts, risks, tradeoffs, and implementation impacts to non-technical audiences.
• Excellent documentation skills and attention to detail.
• Competency in Microsoft applications including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and related collaboration tools.
• Hands-on experience using Workday, UKG, and related enterprise tools to support program delivery, platform reporting, issue tracking, stakeholder communications, implementation governance, testing coordination, cutover planning, and executive-level decision support; experience with Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Jira, DevOps, or equivalent tools preferred.
• PMP, PgMP, SAFe, Agile, Scrum, Prosci, ITIL, Workday, UKG, HRIS, or similar certification preferred.