Human Resources Data Specialist

Overview

The HR data specialist is accountable for the design and delivery of meaningful HR data and analytics in support of HR strategic initiatives and overall objectives.  The HR data specialist is accountable to design and build technical reporting solutions that support and enhance HR’s mandate, support business unit decision making and ensure data is stored, collected, and integrated efficiently, aligned with quality and privacy guidelines. The role has a holistic mandate for HR data architecture and data modelling in conjunction with Information Systems Technology (IST).

Responsibilities

Design of HR data infrastructure

• Work across HR technology areas to identify and resolve complex and high-impact issues related to data inter-dependencies between systems
• Design, develop, test, deploy and maintain custom Workday reports, integrations, and dashboards
• Build Workday Calculated Fields to derive the appropriate data to support the configuration of Business Process Conditions, Eligibility Rules and integrations and to support advanced reporting
• Design technical data marts and data sets to simplify the extraction of data for the people analytics specialist (s), business analysts (s)
• Build relationships with HR Subject Matter Experts and campus stakeholders to understand their data landscape and business priorities; analyze business requirements against Workday/PowerBI reporting capabilities
• Design, and configure reporting and data application security to meet business data requirements
• Support the integration of data from multiple systems and databases to develop the back end of reports and analytics for dynamic reporting
• Support HR’s relationship with Institutional Analysis and Planning (IAP) and IST while continuing to assess ways to streamline and consolidate employee information
• Research and provide recommendations on reporting and analytics tools that are most effective in meeting the reporting and analytics mandate including back end architecture and use cases
• Develop solutions that ensure the institution is maximizing its ability to automate and exploit data from all HR technologies as efficiently as possible
• Support the creation of integrated reports with Finance, HR and student reporting teams to advance the institution’s integrated platform
• Manage the design of the HR data architecture, data exploitation, including the business and technical integration of the solutions

Execute data integrity and quality initiatives

• Conduct audits and data remediation efforts to increase / maintain data quality and compliance
• Partner with internal teams to identify and document areas for improvement for data quality, process efficiencies/effectiveness, while making recommendations to automate or streamline data entry/collection processes to ensure the highest data integrity
• Identify data challenges and reconcile gaps/overlaps/contradictions within data sets while investigating methods for improving data collection and processes ensuring compliance with HR data quality standards and HR’s overall needs
• Support all system data conversions, EIB’s (Workday) and configuration changes to ensure that data integrity remains intact and reportable
• Design audit reports to track variances to standard processes while working with subject matter experts and the HR technology team to address any deviations from standard practices
• Maintains, troubleshoots and ensures data integrity of HR systems

Support the design and implementation of statistical analyses and predictive modelling aligned with the HR analytics roadmap

• Apply data analysis and research skills to identify key indicators and develop predictive modeling for key employee life cycle events
• Use statistical analysis to identify correlations and causal factors, and test arguments against historical data sets
• Turn data-based observations and insights into hypotheses through analytical rigor, leading to tests that will confirm or deny those hypotheses
• Apply methods to test significance, representability, and validity of data and relationships
• Mine and analyze large volumes of workforce data from a variety of sources using statistical and advanced analytical techniques

Data Governance and Privacy

• Provide detailed information and advice on privacy legislation, and university policies, as it pertains to the storage and distribution of HR data to the Director, HR Projects, Technology and Analytics to inform the university community including staff, faculty, departments, and external stakeholders
• Participate in the development and enhancement of processes and procedures to monitor, improve, and audit data privacy guidelines, data access, usage and distribution of HR data

Design and execute employee surveys

• In alignment with the HR analytics framework, create, execute and analyze employee based surveys including, but not limited to, HR satisfaction, exit and new hire surveys
• Research and analyze survey data to identify trends, uncover potential issues and work with the Director of HR Projects, Technology and Analytics to develop recommendations
• Collate, analyze, manipulate, mine and interpret quantitative and qualitative data
• Prepare presentations to present the data to the HR leadership team and committees as requested on campus

Continuous Improvement

• Contribute towards new development and/or enhancement of HR analytics practices, tools, methodologies and processes
• Identify opportunities to leverage HR technologies to promote self-service analytics and access to data to drive decision making

Qualifications

• BA / BS in Computer Science, Math, Human Resources or social sciences or equivalent experience and education
• 3-5 years of experience performing significant business, financial and people analytics data analysis and report development
• 3+ years working directly with internal and external stakeholders to gather requirements and provide/create proof of concepts reports/dashboards based on user requirements
• Strong organizational and multi-tasking skills with the ability to balance competing priorities in a fast-paced environment
• 1-2 years experience gathering business requirements and requirements documentation
• Experience with data governance and privacy is highly preferred
• Knowledge of Workday and Workday HCM business processes is required
• Advanced analytical and data mining skills
• Knowledge of project management and business analysis techniques
• Knowledge of data governance and privacy standards for HR data at the subject matter expert level
• Statistical modelling experience with exposure to predictive techniques
• Proficient knowledge of enterprise systems including relational and object based models
• Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical abilities
• Proven experience using data to tell compelling stories to drive decision making at all levels
• 3+ years of experience in a role using Microsoft Excel and statistical analysis tools
• Excellent oral communication skills; comfort working directly with senior leaders and engaging technical peers

Equity Statement

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion.  As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

Positions are open to qualified candidates who are legally entitled to work in Canada.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources at hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca  or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.