Senior Manager, People Systems & Operations- Remote

Senior Manager, People Systems & Operations Remote, MST 3-9- month contract to hire Contract Rate: $80.00-100.00/hr. Salary: $170,000-200,000K The Senior Manager, People Systems & Operations serves as the strategic leader and accountable owner of the organization's integrated People technology and operations ecosystem. This role oversees the end-to-end People infrastructure, including Workday, ServiceNow, People Operations, and the future AI-enabled employee support roadmap. This position combines People Systems, People Operations, governance, compliance, and technology strategy into a single leadership role responsible for ensuring that systems, service delivery, data, and automation work together as one cohesive employee experience platform. The ideal candidate is both a strategic thinker and operational leader who can build scalable processes, optimize technology investments, drive compliance, and lead a high-performing team while partnering closely with HR, Finance, Legal, Payroll, and business stakeholders. Team Leadership Direct leadership responsibilities include:

• Senior Workday Analyst (future hire)
• Workday Analyst (future hire)
• Two People Support Specialists located in Utah and Ireland

Key Stakeholder Partnerships This role partners extensively with:

• People Business Partners (PBPs)
• Total Rewards
• Centers of Excellence (COEs)
• Finance
• Legal
• Payroll
• Business Leaders

Core Areas of Ownership People Technology Ecosystem

• Own and lead the organization's integrated People technology stack, including:
• Workday HRIS
• ServiceNow People Operations environment
• AI-enabled employee support and automation roadmap
• People systems governance and change management
• Data architecture and reporting foundation
• Contingent workforce infrastructure
• Compliance, security, and risk management

Strategy & Portfolio Management

• Develop and execute the People Systems & Operations roadmap aligned to organizational objectives and People strategy priorities.
• Translate business requirements into scalable technology and service solutions.
• Prioritize and manage competing initiatives across Workday, ServiceNow, and future AI capabilities.
• Manage technology budgets, vendor relationships, and investment ROI.
• Maintain visibility into project status, risks, dependencies, and resource allocation.

Workday Leadership & Governance

• Serve as the executive owner of the Workday tenant and overall HRIS strategy.
• Lead business process design, configuration governance, security architecture, and release management.
• Establish and maintain SOX-compliant security controls and role-based access frameworks.
• Govern HR systems change management, approvals, testing, and deployment processes.
• Oversee contingent worker processes and workforce data integrity.
• Partner with internal and external resources to drive Workday optimization and adoption.

ServiceNow & People Operations

• Lead the design and optimization of the People Operations service delivery model.
• Own ServiceNow architecture, workflows, routing logic, escalations, and SLA management.
• Develop scalable employee and manager support processes.
• Identify opportunities to improve service delivery through automation and process enhancements.
• Drive continuous improvement through operational metrics and service analytics.

AI Strategy & Automation

• Develop the business case and roadmap for AI-enabled employee support capabilities.
• Evaluate and recommend AI technologies and vendor solutions.
• Design future-state automation strategies focused on employee self-service and support deflection.
• Lead implementation, governance, adoption, and performance measurement of AI-enabled solutions.
• Establish controls, governance standards, and escalation frameworks for AI-assisted support models.

Systems, Data & Analytics

• Establish data governance standards and ensure data integrity across People systems.
• Build scalable reporting and analytics capabilities that support strategic decision-making.
• Partner with HR, Finance, and business leaders to deliver meaningful workforce insights.
• Identify opportunities to improve employee experiences through automation, analytics, and process optimization.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Maintain accountability for HR systems compliance, security, privacy, and audit readiness.
• Ensure adherence to SOX, GDPR, I-9, and applicable employment regulations.
• Lead access reviews, controls testing, risk mitigation efforts, and compliance audits.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for HR systems governance and compliance matters.
• Manage vendor governance, contract oversight, and technology risk management.

Stakeholder Partnership & Enablement

• Partner with HR leaders to deliver scalable self-service capabilities and workforce insights.
• Translate complex technical concepts into clear business recommendations.
• Support organizational change management and technology adoption efforts.
• Drive user training, system enablement, and operational excellence across HR teams.

People Leadership

• Recruit, develop, and mentor a high-performing People Systems & Operations team.
• Establish clear standards, documentation practices, and operational discipline.
• Create development plans and growth opportunities for team members.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and customer-focused service delivery.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Information Systems, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in HRIS, People Operations, HR Technology, or related functions.
• 3+ years of leadership experience managing teams and complex cross-functional initiatives.
• Deep expertise in Workday configuration, business processes, security, governance, and reporting.
• Experience managing ServiceNow or similar service management platforms.
• Strong understanding of Hire-to-Retire processes and HR operations.
• Experience leading enterprise-scale HR technology implementations and optimization initiatives.
• Knowledge of SOX controls, GDPR requirements, change management, and HR compliance frameworks.
• Proven ability to lead technology strategy, vendor management, and process transformation initiatives.
• Strong analytical, project management, and stakeholder management skills.
• Occasionally come to Headquarters office in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Preferred Qualifications

• Workday certifications and advanced Workday administration experience.
• Experience supporting global HR operations.
• Experience evaluating and implementing AI-powered HR technologies.
• Familiarity with Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, or hybrid project delivery methodologies.
• Experience building HR service delivery models and shared services organizations.
• Background in workforce analytics, automation, and digital transformation initiatives.