Workforce Planning Consultant

Guardian Life Insurance•Boston, MA

19h•$86,210 - $141,635•Hybrid

About The Position

This role will report to the Head of Workforce Management, Group Benefits and serve as a strategic workforce planning consultant, trusted advisor, and subject-matter expert. You will own and evolve workforce planning methodologies, lead complex scenario planning, and translate workforce data into executive-ready recommendations that influence staffing decisions. You will be a partner with business leaders, Finance, Human Resources, Operations, Technology, and other stakeholders to evaluate workforce risks, challenge assumptions, and develop practical workforce strategies aligned with financial, operational, customer, and colleague objectives. Working with significant autonomy, you will lead specialized initiatives, create customized solutions to complex workforce challenges, and strengthen workforce planning capability through mentorship and knowledge transfer.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in business, finance, mathematics, statistics, data science, analytics, or a related field, or comparable professional experience.
10+ years of experience in workforce management, workforce planning, capacity planning, workforce analytics, or a related discipline, with demonstrated ownership of complex planning work and business recommendations.
Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to synthesize incomplete or conflicting information and develop customized solutions.
Experience advising senior leaders, challenging assumptions constructively, explaining trade-offs, and influencing decisions without formal authority.
Exceptional written, verbal, facilitation, and presentation skills, including the judgment and discretion required for sensitive workforce discussions.
Proven ability to translate complex quantitative analysis into clear executive narratives, recommendations, and decisions.
Experience leading complex or specialized projects across multiple stakeholders in a matrixed organization.
A self-directed, collaborative, and improvement-oriented mindset, with the ability to manage competing priorities and operate effectively with guidance only in the most complex situations.

Nice To Haves

Specialized expertise in workforce forecasting, staffing and capacity modeling, scenario planning, productivity analysis, shrinkage, service-level dynamics, and workforce risk assessment in both back office and contact center environments.
Demonstrated ability to design, adapt, and govern workforce planning methodologies rather than only apply established models.
Strong business and financial acumen, with the ability to connect workforce decisions to service, cost, quality, customer, colleague, and operational outcomes.
Expert proficiency with analytical and presentation tools such as Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; experience with workforce management, data visualization, forecasting, or modeling platforms such as Verint, Tableau, or comparable tools.
Experience mentoring analysts or serving as a technical advisor and thought leader within a workforce planning or analytics function.

Responsibilities

Own and evolve workforce planning methodologies, standards, assumptions, and governance to support consistent, transparent, and defensible workforce decisions.
Lead complex workforce planning and scenario modeling efforts that evaluate demand, productivity, shrinkage, staffing, capacity, service, and operational risk.
Develop executive-ready workforce recommendations that clearly communicate alternatives, trade-offs, risks, and a recommended course of action.
Serve as a strategic advisor to senior business leaders by translating workforce insights into practical strategies aligned with business priorities and operating commitments.
Challenge workforce assumptions and established approaches when business conditions, emerging risks, or opportunities require a different solution.
Evaluate strategic staffing alternatives, including hiring, cross-training, vendor, channel, skill, productivity, and operating-model scenarios.
Influence workforce investment and resource decisions through objective analysis, consultative partnership, and clear articulation of business impact.
Identify emerging workforce risks and opportunities, recommend mitigation strategies, and provide decision support during periods of material business change or uncertainty.
Partner with Finance and business stakeholders to connect workforce plans with budgets, forecasts, productivity commitments, headcount strategies, and long-range business plans.
Lead complex or specialized workforce initiatives from problem definition through recommendation, stakeholder alignment, implementation support, and outcome review.
Mentor workforce planning talent by providing technical guidance, sharing best practices, and strengthening consultative and analytical capabilities across the team.
Communicate difficult concepts and recommendations to diverse audiences, adapting the message to build understanding, alignment, and action.