Program Manager

Title: Program Manager

Duration: 6 Months(with possible extension)

Schedule: Hybrid (Tue - Thu in office)

Location: Chicago, IL/New York, NY/Dallas, TX

Note:

This role is not a traditional HRIS Manager position. Instead, it is a Customer Support Operations role that leverages deep HRIS and absence-management expertise to drive operational accuracy, process efficiency, and high-quality support outcomes.

Workday Absence Management (Core Focus)

• Lead the build, configuration, and setup of new absence plans in Workday (PTO, sick leave, statutory, sabbatical, regional policies, accrual rules).
• Develop and maintain eligibility rules, accrual calculations, carryover rules, and statutory compliance requirements within Workday.
• Conduct thorough testing, validation, and troubleshooting of Absence configurations.
• Partner with HR, People Ops, and IT teams to ensure system accuracy, compliance, and readiness for rollout.
• Support and validate system integrations impacted by absence and time-off data.

Program / Project Leadership

• Drive end-to-end program delivery including planning, requirements gathering, documentation, configuration, testing, and deployment.
• Serve as the key liaison between technical and business teams.
• Coordinate timelines, workflows, stakeholder communications, and cross-functional dependencies.
• Prepare and deliver clear project updates, dashboards, and documentation.

Business Analysis & Documentation

• Collect and translate business requirements into functional specifications and user stories.
• Develop SOPs, training guides, and process documentation for future system users.
• Build scalable, repeatable processes for future absence-related system enhancements.
• Support UAT, issue tracking, change management, and rollout readiness.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work with HR, IT, PMO, and Operations teams to ensure alignment across requirements, timelines, and implementation plans.
• Ensure system changes support organizational policies and business needs.
• Partner with product and engineering teams (where applicable) in a tech-driven environment.

Required Qualifications

• 5 years experience in Program Management, HRIS Business Analysis, or HR Systems roles.
• Hands-on Workday Absence Management configuration experience (must have built absence plans, not just supported them).
• Experience designing new absence programs in HR systems, including rule logic, accruals, eligibility, compliance, and multi-region considerations.
• Strong understanding of HR data accuracy, integrations, workflows, and lifecycle processes.
• Experience creating SOPs, process maps, documentation, and training materials.
• Ability to work on both technical and business sides of a project.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.