Workday Payroll Program Manager

Description:
Hybrid 2 days onsite / 3 days remote in Washington, DC
Our client seeks a Senior Program Manager to lead enterprise Human Capital Management initiatives with a primary focus on Workday and UKG. The role will plan, coordinate, and drive execution of implementations, enhancements, integrations, reporting, governance, testing, readiness, and operational transition. The position will partner with HR, payroll, finance, operations, IT, vendors, and implementation partners to align solutions with organizational priorities, compliance requirements, workforce processes, and technology standards. The role reports to the PMO Manager and will drive stakeholder engagement, decision support, and delivery governance while translating complex HCM concepts for non-technical users.
Due to client requirements, applicants must be willing and able to work on a w2 basis. For our w2 consultants, we offer a great benefits package that includes Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits, 401k with company matching, and life insurance.
Rate: $60.00 to $70.00/hr. w2
Responsibilities:

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

Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree and 5+ years in program or project management, business analysis, technology delivery, or related field with enterprise HCM platform support.
• Proven experience leading complex, cross-functional HCM programs or projects across 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 define 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 reports, dashboards, status updates, decision materials, risk summaries, and 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.
• Hands-on experience supporting Workday and UKG initiatives across implementation planning, enhancements, requirements, configuration coordination, workflow alignment, integration coordination, testing, data validation, security and access, reporting, stakeholder readiness, training support, adoption planning, issue resolution, and stabilization.
• Working knowledge of HCM processes including core HR, payroll, time and attendance, absence management, benefits, talent, workforce scheduling, reporting, and employee self-service.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with the ability to explain complex HCM concepts, risks, tradeoffs, and implementation impacts to non-technical audiences.
• Excellent documentation skills and attention to detail.
• Competency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and collaboration tools.
• Hands-on use of Workday, UKG, and related enterprise tools for delivery support, reporting, issue tracking, communications, governance, testing coordination, cutover planning, and executive decision support.
• Preferred: Experience with Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Jira, DevOps, or equivalent tools. Certifications such as PMP, PgMP, SAFe, Agile, Scrum, Prosci, ITIL, Workday, UKG, or HRIS.

Education Requirements:
Bachelor's degree required.
Recruitment Transparency Notice

Eliassen Group values transparency in our recruitment practices. Please be advised that Eliassen Group utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) tools as part of its initial application screening and hiring process. You may receive email and SMS notifications from the Eliassen Virtual Recruiting Team (, ) inviting you to complete a brief voice screening as part of your application process. These tools assist our hiring teams in different ways, including but not limited to, assistance in reviewing application materials to help identify candidates whose qualifications most closely match the requirements of the position. All AI-assisted evaluations and responses are reviewed by human recruiters before any hiring decisions are made. The use of AI in our process is intended to support fairness, efficiency, and consistency, and Eliassen Group takes measures to prevent bias or discrimination in connection with its hiring practices. By proceeding, you acknowledge, agree, and consent to Eliassen Group's use of these tools, including AI tools, as part of the application and hiring process.
Skills, experience, and other compensable factors will be considered when determining pay rate. The pay range provided in this posting reflects a W2 hourly rate; other employment options may be available that may result in pay outside of the provided range.
W2 employees of Eliassen Group who are regularly scheduled to work 30 or more hours per week are eligible for the following benefits: medical (choice of 3 plans), dental, vision, pre-tax accounts, other voluntary benefits including life and disability insurance, 401(k) with match, and sick time if required by law in the worked-in state/locality.
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About Eliassen Group:
Eliassen Group is a strategic consulting firm that helps organizations reach further and achieve more through our technology, business advisory, and life sciences solutions. For nearly 40 years, we have combined exceptional people, deep domain expertise, and intelligent capabilities to expand our clients' capacity and accelerate meaningful outcomes. We are driven by a purpose to positively impact the lives of our employees, clients, consultants, and the communities we serve.
Eliassen is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team from a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We are an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer and all employment decisions are based on merit, performance, and business needs. Eliassen does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender identity or expression, sexual preference or orientation, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), marital status, creed, religion, physical or mental disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, age, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, prohibited criminal record inquiries of applicants and employees, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local laws.
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