Manager, People Systems (Workday)

Justworks•New York, NY

3d•$147,000 - $190,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Manager, People Systems (Workday) leads the team responsible for shaping and scaling Justworks’ People technology infrastructure. The role focuses on optimizing, integrating, and evolving Workday and related platforms to provide intuitive employee experiences and support the company’s growth. It combines hands-on Workday configuration and governance with people-first leadership, strategic planning, automation, and cross-functional partnership. The position owns the architecture, configuration, and governance of the Workday ecosystem, including Core HCM, Time Tracking & Absence, Leave, US Payroll, Benefits, Advanced Compensation, Peakon, Talent & Performance, Sana, and integrations. It also oversees the broader People technology stack, including Greenhouse, manages vendor and contract relationships, and partners with teams across Engineering, Finance, Legal, People, and business leadership. The manager leads a People Systems team, sets priorities, supports system releases and adoption, and advances the use of data, AI, and automation to simplify workflows and improve employee and manager experiences. This role is based at Justworks’ New York City headquarters. The stated base wage range is $147,000–$190,000 annually; compensation may vary based on factors including skills, relevant experience, and work location.

Requirements

At least 8 years of progressive, hands-on experience in People Systems; experience in high-growth or rapidly scaling organizations is preferred.
At least 2 years of experience leading others.
Extensive experience implementing or managing Workday, with deep knowledge of Core HCM, Advanced Compensation, Payroll, Benefits, and Talent Optimization modules.
Demonstrated experience exploring or implementing AI-powered solutions in People Systems, such as automation, data enrichment, or natural-language tools integrated with Workday or adjacent platforms.
Curiosity and comfort navigating emerging technologies, with the ability to assess AI capabilities critically, experiment thoughtfully, and champion tools that enhance scale, accuracy, and employee experience.
Ability to identify process-improvement opportunities and use data and metrics to inform decisions and measure impact.
Strong commercial mindset.
Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, including a track record of building trust across functions and levels.
High emotional intelligence, strong communication skills, and a user-centered mindset.
Ability to understand interconnected systems, balance immediate needs with long-term scalability, and translate technical concepts into clear plans.
Ability to collaborate across Engineering, People, Legal, and Finance with empathy and influence.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Learning platforms, Greenhouse (ATS), and other peripheral People systems.
Experience working in a high-growth or rapidly scaling organization.

Responsibilities

Manage and develop a team of People Systems professionals responsible for support, optimization, and strategic enhancements across People technology platforms.
Set and manage team priorities, ensuring high-quality delivery, ownership, and accountability.
Foster collaboration, continuous learning, and operational excellence within the team and across the People organization.
Help position the People team as a business-facing center of excellence and elevate its profile and service levels.
Own the end-to-end architecture, configuration, and governance of the Workday platform and its modules.
Design, test, and implement integrations with internal and third-party applications, and maintain the inventory of approximately 50 integrations across Workday technologies.
Lead rollout of new Workday modules in alignment with employee experience and growth strategies.
Drive automation and process simplification to reduce friction, improve data quality, and support employee and manager self-service.
Lead the People Systems roadmap and oversee peripheral People technology, including Greenhouse.
Ensure integrations between Workday and adjacent systems work smoothly, partnering with Engineering, Finance, and Legal on data flow, compliance, and usability.
Evaluate and recommend technologies that improve scale, usability, or analytics capabilities.
Partner with People leadership, People Ops, DEIB, and business leaders to design systems solutions for strategic initiatives such as job architecture, internal mobility, performance, AI enablement, and workforce planning.
Promote the use of data and insights to inform business decisions, support accountability, and measure employee experience.
Use AI and automation tools to improve operational efficiency, personalization, and the scale of People practices.
Act as a trusted advisor to business stakeholders, translating People needs into scalable systems solutions.
Lead Workday release planning, testing, and communications to support readiness and adoption.
Identify opportunities to improve the employee experience of People systems and make interactions more intuitive and efficient.
Manage contracts and vendors.
Communicate system release plans, project updates, and integration proposals clearly and transparently.