People Systems Specialist/ Workday HRIS

People Systems Specialist/ Workday HRIS
Salt Lake City, Utah (hybrid- onsite 3 days per week)
3-month contract to hire
Pay Rate: $40.00 - $50.00per hr.

Our client is looking for a proactive and technically capable People Systems Specialist/ Workday HRIS to help build and evolve our People Systems function. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys balancing hands-on Workday configuration with operational support, reporting, process improvement, and stakeholder engagement. Initially, the role will be approximately 50% Workday configuration and system administration and 50% operational support, reporting, and continuous improvement, reflecting our growing People Technology function. You'll play a key role in delivering a reliable, scalable, and user-friendly Workday environment while partnering closely with HR, Payroll, Total Rewards, Shared Services, and business stakeholders. This position is well suited to someone who enjoys both solving technical challenges and helping users successfully adopt new systems and processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Administer, configure, and maintain Workday HCM and related People Systems, supporting the Hire-to-Retire lifecycle including Core HCM, Compensation, Benefits, Payroll, and Leave & Absence.
• Perform day-to-day system administration, configuration, maintenance, and troubleshooting while ensuring high levels of data integrity and system performance.
• Support Workday enhancements, releases, upgrades, and continuous system improvements, including testing, documentation, and deployment activities.
• Gather business requirements and partner with HR, Payroll, Total Rewards, Shared Services, and other stakeholders to translate business needs into effective system solutions.
• Create, maintain, and improve HR processes and workflows, identifying opportunities to simplify manual activities and improve the employee and manager experience.
• Develop User Acceptance Testing (UAT) plans, create test scripts, execute testing, document results, and support issue resolution through implementation.
• Investigate system, security, and data issues, identify root causes, implement solutions where appropriate, and escalate complex issues to meet service level expectations.
• Maintain documentation including configuration records, process guides, knowledge articles, and training materials for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Extract, cleanse, validate, and analyze workforce data using advanced Excel techniques to identify trends, answer business questions, and support decision-making.
• Design, build, maintain, and continuously improve Power BI dashboards and reporting solutions that provide meaningful workforce insights.
• Perform regular data quality audits and reporting controls to maintain system accuracy, compliance, and agreed service KPIs.
• Manage competing priorities across operational support, cyclical HR events, enhancement projects, and strategic roadmap initiatives.
• Promote adoption of Workday and People Systems by providing user guidance, training, and change management support across the organization.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to ensure People Systems continue to meet evolving business needs while supporting a secure and scalable environment.

Required Skills:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Information Systems, Business, or a related discipline or equivalent practical experience.
• Approximately 3-5 years' experience in HRIS, People Systems, or Workday administration (equivalent experience will also be considered).
• Strong hands-on experience administering Workday HCM, with exposure to Compensation, Benefits, Payroll, Leave & Absence, and broader Hire-to-Retire processes.
• Experience configuring and supporting Workday rather than solely acting as an end user.
• Demonstrated ability to build, configure, and improve HR system processes in evolving or growing environments.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including Pivot Tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, data cleansing, reconciliation, and analysis.
• Experience creating and developing dashboards in Power BI (or a similar BI platform), including building new reports rather than only maintaining existing ones.
• Experience writing UAT test scripts, executing testing, documenting outcomes, and supporting successful project delivery.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to troubleshoot data, configuration, workflow, and security issues.
• Experience driving process improvement across HR workflows while balancing operational excellence with user experience.
• Understanding of HR data governance, system security, and maintaining high standards of data quality.
• Customer-focused approach with a passion for delivering high-quality People Systems support.
• Change management experience with the ability to build trust, influence stakeholders, and encourage adoption of new ways of working.

Bonus Skills:

• Workday certifications or other HRIS certifications are advantageous but not required.
• Experience supporting organizations during Workday implementation, expansion, or optimization projects is highly desirable.
• Experience working in fast-paced, growing, or build-stage environments is highly valued.
• Exposure to ServiceNow or similar service management platforms is beneficial but not essential.