What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director, HRIS position at BrightFarms Inc?
At Cox Farms, we are setting the global standard in growing a safe, secure food supply capable of feeding a growing population, regardless of calendar or climate. Through our multinational network of indoor farms and consumer brands, BrightFarms and Mucci Farms, the business has already become the largest greenhouse operator in the United States and Canada, surpassing $500 million in revenue and growing our workforce to thousands of dedicated and passionate employees. We’re future proofing the world of produce and serving the biggest names in retail across thousands of stores. And we’re just getting started. Want to grow the future of food together? Join Cox Farms today!
Cox Farms is seeking a hands-on Director, HRIS to lead the design, implementation, and long-term success of our Workday platform.
This role will serve as the functional owner and product lead for Workday, responsible for ensuring the system is built to meet our current needs while scaling with the business over time. This is a highly hands-on role—ideal for someone who enjoys building, making decisions, and working directly in the details while also shaping future strategy.
You will partner closely with an internal Project Manager (who owns overall project execution) and an external implementation partner (who supports system configuration), while retaining accountability for what we build and why.
Following implementation, you will establish and lead the HRIS function, setting the vision, operating model, and roadmap as Cox Farms continues to grow.
Specifically, you will:
- Serve as the functional owner and product lead for Workday
- Define and drive system design aligned with Cox Farms’ HR processes and business goals
- Translate business needs into practical, scalable system solutions
- Provide direction and decision-making to the external implementation partner on configuration and design
- Partner with the internal Project Manager on priorities, risks, and execution while owning functional outcomes
- Make clear, timely tradeoffs between speed, simplicity, and long-term scalability
- Lead user acceptance testing (UAT) and ensure readiness for successful go-live
- Oversee data design, data quality, and conversion strategy
- Partner with HR leadership to align Workday with future ways of working
- Support change management and adoption across the organization
- Establish foundational HRIS processes, governance, and support model
- Define and execute a roadmap for enhancements, integrations, and system optimization
- Build and lead the HRIS function over time, including hiring and developing team members as needed
Ideal Candidate:
- 8 years of experience in HRIS, HR technology, or HR operations
- Proven experience leading or owning functional design in a Workday implementation
- Strong understanding of core HR processes and how they translate into systems
- Experience working with external implementation partners and cross-functional stakeholders
- Demonstrated ability to build structure and processes in a lean environment
- Strong decision-making skills and comfort operating with ambiguity
- Willingness and ability to be hands-on in both implementation and ongoing system ownership
Preferred Experience:
- Experience building or scaling an HRIS function from early stages
- Expertise in Workday core modules (HCM, Recruiting, Compensation, etc.)
- Exposure to integrations, reporting, and HR data architecture
- Prior leadership experience or readiness to step into a senior leadership role
Culture & Values at Cox Farms
At Cox Farms, we live out our Rooted Together culture:
Our Purpose, Vision & Mission
- Purpose: Nourish the Planet
- Vision: To be the most trusted partner in food
- Mission: Delivering the world a reliable supply of healthy and sustainable food powered by our people
- Anthem: The Future of Food Grows Here
Our Core Values
At Cox Farms, our culture is Rooted Together. We live our values every day:
- Growth & Innovation – Always learning, improving, and finding better ways
- Responsibility (Ownership & Accountability) – Own results, act like owners
- Open & Honest (Transparency, Trust, Speaking Up) – We build trust through clarity, candor, and courage
- We Before Me (Collaboration, Care, Service) – Support our people, our partners, our communities, and the consumers we serve
- Safety – Safety in everything we do
Employment Notice
This role will support all Cox Farms businesses. The employer for this role is BrightFarms Inc. and is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants/employees will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.
For roles based in the United States: Applicants must be authorized to work in the US without the need for employer sponsorship. For roles based in Canada: applicants must be legally eligible to work in Canada.Let’s grow the future of food together. Join Cox Farms today