Executive Director, HR Technology

Yale New Haven Health•Stratford, CT

About The Position

Responsible for directing systems development and maintenance of all Human Resources/Payroll information systems for the Health System. Establishes, maintains, and ensures data integrity, timeliness of reporting and generation of computer-based analysis. Coordinates and communicates the maintenance and update of system-wide tables with functional representatives. Consults and collaborates with entity and functional clients to identify HR/Payroll systems needs, quantifies requirements and recommends HR/Payroll systems-based options and strategies. Coordinates system application upgrades and ensures on-going user training for all facets of HR/PR systems.

Requirements

Bachelors degree required in Human Resources, Information Systems, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, Computer Science, or a related field.
Seven (7) to ten (10) years of progressive experience in HRIS, HR technology, or enterprise systems within a complex organization; healthcare or similarly regulated environment strongly preferred.
Minimum of three (5) to five (7) years of leadership or management experience overseeing HRIS teams, vendors, and enterprise HR systems.
Demonstrated hands-on experience with enterprise HR platforms and integrated ecosystems, including core HR, Payroll, recruiting, employee/manager self-service, and third-party applications (e.g., Workday, Infor, iCIMS, ServiceNow, or similar).
Proven experience leading HR technology strategy, system implementations, upgrades, integrations, and optimization initiatives.
Experience partnering with executive leadership, IT/Digital Technology teams, Analytics, and external vendors to deliver scalable, secure HR technology solutions.
Experience supporting data governance, standardized metrics, reporting, and dashboard development to enable data-driven decision-making.
Enterprise-level HR technology strategy leadership with accountability for multi-year roadmaps, platform interoperability, and alignment to workforce and business strategy.
Executive stakeholder influence and governance leadership, including defining decision rights, resolving cross-functional tradeoffs, and escalating enterprise risks.
Proven capability to lead investment decisions, business case development, ROI modeling, and prioritization across complex HR technology portfolios.
Advanced vendor, contract, and financial stewardship skills, ensuring value realization, risk mitigation, and sustainable total cost of ownership.
Deep expertise in HR data governance, workforce analytics strategy, and executive-level data storytelling to support enterprise decision-making.
Strong leadership in operating model design, capacity planning, and performance management for large, multidisciplinary HR technology teams.
Ability to champion user-centered design, change management, and adoption at scale across a complex, regulated healthcare environment.
Demonstrated ability to direct an agile change governance framework, including Change Control Boards (CCB), that balances high-velocity delivery with enterprise-grade platform stability.
Expertise in embedding knowledge management into the HR technology operating model, ensuring content quality, self-service enablement, and consistent operations across teams.
Ability to independently configure, test, and document changes within HR technology platforms while adhering to established standards, change governance, and audit requirements.
Ability to define and execute a comprehensive talent strategy for the HR technology function, including long-term competency frameworks, upskilling investment, and performance coaching cultures that develop and retain specialized technology talent.

Nice To Haves

Masters degree preferred (e.g., MBA, MHA, MS in HRIS, Information Systems, or related discipline).
Professional certifications preferred but not required (e.g., SHRM-SCP, SPHR, PMP, ITIL, Workday or other HRIS platform certifications).

Responsibilities

Directs the design, implementation, maintenance, and optimization of Human Resources information systems, including core HR, Payroll, Manager and Employee Self Service, recruiting, and third-party HR applications (e.g., Infor, Workday, iCIMS, ServiceNow HR case management).
Partners with the HR Executive Team, Digital Technology Services (DTS), Analytics, and external vendors to deliver HR technology solutions aligned with Health System strategy, workforce needs, and operational priorities, with executive accountability for creating, maintaining, and executing the HR Technology strategy and multi-year roadmap. Exercises enterprise decision authority to resolve crossfunctional tradeoffs and ensure alignment to approved standards and outcomes.
Leads end-to-end business case development for major HR technology initiatives, including options analysis, benefit estimates, ROI modeling, total cost of ownership, and risk assessment to support investment decisions and executive governance.
Leads the development and execution of the HR technology roadmap by synthesizing business needs into multi-year technology roadmaps that prioritize high-impact capabilities and sustainable platform growth, including system enhancements, integrations, automation, AI-enabled capabilities, and technical debt reduction to drive efficiency, scalability, and employee and manager experience.
Continuously scans the HR technology market, benchmarks platforms and vendor offerings, and brings forward evidence-based options that address emerging business needs and evolving workforce expectations.
Prioritizes and leads remediation of technical debt as part of release and roadmap planning, ensuring platform sustainability and reducing long-term risk and operating cost.
Establishes and enforces a robust HR technology intake, prioritization, and demand management process in collaboration with HR and DTS, ensuring alignment with enterprise priorities, available resources, and delivery capacity. Chairs and/or designates governance forums that classify work, validate business ownership, and defer materially incomplete submissions until requirements and sponsorship are clear.
Utilizes the ServiceNow platform to manage HR technology intake, case management, project tracking, and resource allocation, providing transparency into demand, prioritization, and delivery status.
Ensures appropriate governance and escalation of HR technology risks, issues, and competing priorities to HR and DTS Vice Presidents to support timely decision-making and enterprise alignment.
Oversees system upgrades, patches, and releases in coordination with DTS and functional HR teams, ensuring comprehensive testing, change management, and minimal disruption to operations
Ensures the security, integrity, confidentiality, and availability of all HR and Payroll systems and data in compliance with Health System policies, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices.
Establishes and maintains HRIS configuration and design standards, including system values, codes, tables, workflows, security roles, and system structures to support standardized, scalable, and sustainable operations. Holds authority to approve exceptions through governance and to pause or redirect designs that introduce rework, data inconsistency, or compliance risk.
Leads design of end-to-end HR technology architectures that support scalability, security, and integration; defines integration patterns and standards that reduce duplication and improve data quality.
Manages HRIS vendor relationships, including vendor governance meetings, escalation management, contract oversight, performance evaluation against expectations, service delivery management, and issue resolution, ensuring vendors meet Health System expectations.
Leads solution evaluations and RFP processes for HR technology capabilities, comparing options against business and technical requirements and recommending best-fit solutions.
Builds and manages HR technology budgets for projects or domains, tracking spend against plan; supports or leads contract discussions (scope, pricing, and service commitments) to ensure value, performance, and risk alignment.
Develops and maintains HRIS policies, procedures, and governance standards to support consistent system usage and enterprise-wide adoption.
Sets the overall governance approach for HR technology policy, ensuring alignment with enterprise standards, security requirements, and the organization's risk appetite; establishes clear, simple, and transparent decision rights that are consistently applied across the Health System.
Defines the HR technology risk framework and ensures appropriate controls, monitoring, and remediation plans are in place, including proactive identification and prioritization of risks and technical debt that could impact stability, compliance, or employee experience.
Directs an agile change governance framework that balances high-velocity delivery with enterprise-grade platform stability; sets the overall release strategy (including automation direction, environment strategy, and risk tolerance) and ensures the operating model clearly distinguishes break/fix work from structural improvements, holding teams accountable for timely resolution.
Sets the overall capacity model for the HR technology function, including sourcing strategy, staffing mix, and long-term workforce planning; establishes performance expectations and a metrics framework to steer investment and operating decisions and ensure transparency across demand, delivery, and outcomes.
Partners with functional and entity stakeholders to identify HR technology needs, requirements, and recommend system-based solutions and strategies.
Leads testing, training, and change management activities for HR technology enhancements, ensuring training is intuitive, easy to deliver, and drives high system adoption.
Ensures HR technology solutions are user-centered, intuitive, and aligned with employee experience principles, including effective use of self-service and automation; champions a cohesive employee and manager experience across HR technology and ties UX outcomes to measurable business and operational results.
Serves as the primary liaison between HRIS, DTS, Payroll, and entity leadership to facilitate issue resolution, communication, and crossfunctional decision-making.
Establishes and manages service level agreements (SLAs) for HRIS services and monitors performance to ensure service expectations are met.
Oversees HRIS service delivery through standardized workflows and ServiceNow case management, ensuring consistent, timely, and highquality support
Leads employee data governance, ensuring data standards, definitions, quality controls, and stewardship across HR systems.
Partners with the Analytics team to deliver accurate, reliable HR dashboards and reports that provide actionable workforce insights to support enterprise decision-making.
Ensures standardized HR metrics and reporting (e.g., turnover, time to fill, workforce costs, benefits metrics) are consistently defined and available across the Health System; builds descriptive analyses and shares findings in a clear, actionable way for leaders and stakeholders.
Designs workforce data models that support complex analytics, compliance reporting, and operational needs; partners with Analytics to architect interactive visualizations that highlight actionable trends and the story behind the data rather than static metrics.
Ensures effective data integrations and data flows across HR platforms (e.g., Infor, Workday, iCIMS, ServiceNow) to support analytics and decision-making.
Directs, coaches, and develops HRIS staff, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.
Maintains current knowledge of HR technology trends, including automation, AI, and emerging digital solutions, and evaluates opportunities for adoption with the Health System.
Maintains working knowledge of employment, compensation, payroll, tax, and benefits regulations impacting HRIS and ensures systems remain compliant.
Drives continuous process improvement and operational efficiency through effective use of HR technology, data, and analytics.