Director | Strategic Workforce Planning

Memorial Hospital of Boscobel•La Crosse, WI

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Emplify Health is seeking a strategic, data-driven leader to establish and advance enterprise workforce planning and management across its growing health system. The Director will shape workforce strategy in support of high-quality patient care, fiscal stewardship, and long-term organizational growth, translating complex workforce data into clear insights that influence senior leaders and enterprise decisions. The role partners with executives and teams across HR, Finance, Operations, ITDS, and other areas to help ensure the organization has the right talent in the right place at the right time. A major focus is building workforce planning capabilities, advancing human capital management systems, and helping define future use of Workday Adaptive Planning across HR and Finance. The position is hybrid, with occasional on-site needs. Candidates must reside in an eligible state at hire. The posting lists Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota in the role details, and Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota in the benefits section; candidates are ideally within reasonable driving distance of La Crosse or Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Business Analytics, Healthcare Administration, or a related field.
Eight or more years of experience in strategic workforce planning, healthcare operations, or leadership, or equivalent proven experience.
Strong analytical skills, including the ability to interpret complex data and make data-driven decisions.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.
Demonstrated leadership, project management, and agile execution experience.
Familiarity with workforce planning tools and human capital management systems.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Business Analytics, Healthcare Administration, or a related field.
Certification in workforce planning or human resources management.
Experience in a healthcare setting.
Experience with Workday Adaptive Planning in HR and Finance; hands-on experience is also specified.
Knowledge of labor market trends and regulatory considerations.
Direct experience in healthcare analytics, preferably tied to workforce planning.
Ability to turn dense data into clear, compelling business narratives.
Strong executive presentation skills and confidence presenting to senior leaders.
Experience influencing strategy, optimizing headcount, and supporting long-range talent decisions.
Collaborative, forward-thinking mindset and ability to build a function from the ground up.

Responsibilities

Set the strategic direction for enterprise workforce planning and management in alignment with organizational goals, market trends, and evolving workforce needs.
Partner with executive leadership to translate business priorities into workforce strategies that support patient care, operational performance, and financial stewardship.
Analyze workforce data to identify trends, risks, gaps, and opportunities, and develop solutions for current and future talent needs.
Build forecasting structures that integrate business forecasts, strategic initiatives, operational demands, external economic factors, market trends, and organizational growth.
Lead deployment, adoption, and capability-building for human capital management and time scheduling systems, including UKG and Workday.
Help lead the introduction of Workday Adaptive Planning for HR and Finance.
Define business requirements and partner with ITDS to ensure systems support efficient scheduling, timekeeping, and workforce planning.
Develop staffing models and resource allocation strategies to improve workload balance, patient experience, workforce engagement, and cost control.
Collaborate with leaders on staffing levels, skill mix, scheduling approaches, and workload distribution.
Support talent acquisition, retention, development, and succession planning strategies for critical roles and future skill needs.
Develop and maintain KPIs, dashboards, reports, and presentations for senior leadership and data-driven decision-making.
Lead scenario planning and workforce analysis to help anticipate and prepare for future workforce needs.
Partner with HR business partners, Organizational Development, Talent Acquisition, Finance, and the Business Strategy & Innovation Office to align workforce planning with enterprise priorities.
Drive process improvement, change management, and continuous improvement across workforce planning and management practices.
Provide direction, coaching, and accountability to teams and partners, emphasizing outcomes, collaboration, and servant leadership.