HRIS - Absence Management Senior Associate

Grant Thornton•Chicago, IL

5d•$76,000 - $114,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Grant Thornton is seeking an Oracle HCM – Absence Management, HRIS Senior Associate to join the team. Approved office locations can be found below. Grant Thornton is seeking a Senior Associate – Absence Management Oracle HCM (HRIS) Specialist to join the People & Culture/HRIS Technology team. This in-house role supports and optimizes leave management processes across multiple jurisdictions using Oracle HCM Absence Management. The Senior Associate will serve as an experienced functional resource, independently managing complex configuration and support activities while partnering with People Operations/Leaves, Payroll, Benefits, regional HR teams, IT, and Enterprise Architecture. The role helps ensure absence configurations, integrations, and processes are accurate, compliant, scalable, and aligned with firmwide policies. This is not a consulting role; the position directly influences employee experience and operational continuity.

Requirements

4+ years of HRIS or leave of absence experience, including hands-on experience with Oracle HCM Absence Management.
Experience supporting leave programs across multiple states, countries, or regions with varying compliance and localization requirements.
Strong understanding of Oracle HCM data structures, workflows, testing cycles, integrations, and production support practices.
Demonstrated ability to independently diagnose complex issues, interpret data, assess impacts, and implement practical solutions.
Experience leading project workstreams, system enhancements, testing efforts, or process improvement initiatives.
Strong project management, critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively while managing multiple priorities and stakeholders.
High proficiency with Microsoft Office and aptitude for learning new technologies.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Snowflake, Dayshape, Oracle Transactional Business Intelligence (OTBI), Oracle Dynamic Skills, or Power Platform integrations.
Knowledge of HR Helpdesk systems and ticketing workflows.
Exposure to M&A integrations, systems transformation, or global HRIS initiatives.
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Information Systems, or a related field.

Responsibilities

Configure, maintain, and optimize Oracle HCM Absence Management for global leave plans, including FTO, Sick, Bereavement, Jury Duty, Parental Leave, and jurisdiction-specific programs.
Independently analyze complex business requirements and translate them into effective eligibility rules, approval workflows, and system configurations.
Ensure configurations align with applicable country- and jurisdiction-specific leave requirements and firm policies.
Lead or coordinate UAT, SIT, regression testing, and production validation for quarterly releases, upgrades, enhancements, and new feature enablement.
Maintain clear documentation of configuration decisions, process flows, test results, controls, and system dependencies.
Support and monitor absence data integrations with downstream systems such as Dayshape, Snowflake, and reporting platforms.
Investigate and resolve complex absence transactions, data mismatches, workflow failures, and production issues; identify root causes and recommend sustainable solutions.
Partner with IT, Enterprise Architecture, and integration teams to support reliable system connectivity, data quality, and governance.
Use reporting and analytics to identify trends, control gaps, and opportunities to improve data accuracy and operational efficiency.
Provide Tier 1 support for absence-related inquiries and serve as an escalation point for complex functional issues.
Partner with People Operations/Leaves, Benefits, and Payroll to support accurate leave processing, pay outcomes, and policy alignment.
Provide functional guidance to associates and business partners, share knowledge, and contribute to consistent support practices.
Balance multiple priorities and stakeholders in a fast-paced environment while communicating risks, decisions, and status clearly.
Lead workstreams or significant deliverables within global HRIS initiatives, including M&A onboarding, system harmonization, policy alignment, and transformation programs.
Evaluate process improvement, automation, and configuration enhancement opportunities that strengthen the employee experience and reduce operational risk.
Support stakeholder readiness through documentation, communication, knowledge transfer, and training materials.
Ensure adherence to data privacy, audit, and governance standards across jurisdictions.
Perform other duties as assigned.