Senior HRIS Analyst

Senior HRIS Analyst

Join the best team in sport and spirit. At Varsity Brands, we believe every student deserves the opportunity to succeed and every educator wants to make a difference. It takes a team to make a real impact, and through our two divisions BSN Sports and Varsity Spirit and our network of 6,000+ employees and independent representatives, we are proud to partner with a wide range of educational institutions and club and professional sports to transform the student journey in sport and spirit.

Location: Hybrid (2-3 Days per week) Farmers Branch, TX

This job does not offer citizenship or H1-B Sponsorship. All applicants must be eligible to work in the United States.

How You Will Make An Impact

The Senior HRIS Analyst serves as a senior individual contributor and subject-matter expert for assigned Workday modules and other HR systems across Varsity Brands. This role independently delivers configuration, release, reporting, and project work for assigned areas; resolves complex Workday Help cases escalated by HRIS Analysts, escalating cross-module or high-impact issues; and acts as a reliable partner to HR Centers of Excellence (COEs), Payroll, HR Business Partners (HRBPs), Finance, and Technology & Product organizations. This role partners with Workday module administrators to prepare for releases and annual cycles and supports additional HR systems as assigned, including Phenom, which is integrated with Workday Recruiting to deliver a better candidate experience.

The Senior HRIS Analyst translates defined business needs into system capabilities with a strong focus on efficiency, data privacy, and compliance, and shares improvement ideas, including opportunities for AI and automation, with the team.

The Senior HRIS Analyst reports to the Director, HRIS and works day to day with the other members of the team; it does not manage people or direct the HRIS function. This role provides technical and functional expertise through module ownership, project contribution, and knowledge sharing, under the direction of the Director, HRIS.

What You Will Do

Workday Configuration, Releases, and Annual Cycles

• Serve as the functional and technical SME for assigned Workday modules, eliciting requirements and designing, building, testing, and deploying configuration changes independently, which may include complex or cross-module changes
• Active Workday modules include: Absence, Benefits, Core HCM, Compensation, Help, Payroll, Recruiting, Talent Management (Performance, Potential, Succession, Learning, Engagement), Time Tracking
• Translate business needs into Workday capabilities for assigned modules; recommend and implement enhancements that improve automation, user experience, and process efficiency, presenting options with business value, effort, and risk to inform prioritization
• In partnership with the other HRIS team members, support Workday release management for assigned modules:
• Review new features from Workday's two primary annual releases that affect assigned modules
• Maintain release backlog items for assigned modules
• Execute regression and impact testing for assigned modules
• Communicate changes and readiness to module administrators and HR stakeholders
• Configure and maintain Workday business processes, condition rules, and foundational data for assigned modules to meet evolving business needs, applying documented testing and change-control practices to protect data integrity and system stability
• Execute configuration, testing, and production support for annual and cyclical HR processes such as open enrollment, annual compensation/merit, talent review, and performance management for assigned modules
• Meet regularly with Workday module administrators and functional owners for assigned modules to understand upcoming needs, releases, and leading practices, and share recommended solutions and options
• Participate in readiness reviews with module administrators before each annual or cyclical HR process (e.g., performance, talent review, open enrollment, merit) to confirm configuration, testing, timelines, and communications
• Apply AI capabilities within Workday and other HR systems, as well as approved AI tools, to improve reporting, testing, documentation, support, and user experience, ensuring appropriate data privacy, security, and governance, and share ideas with the team
• Provide day-to-day support for Phenom, which is integrated with Workday Recruiting (ATS) to provide a better candidate experience, including configuration, enhancements, and issue resolution as assigned
• Monitor Workday integrations with internal systems and third-party vendors for assigned modules, troubleshoot failures (including EIB and data load issues), and coordinate with Technology & Product and vendors as directed
• Support additional systems and tools as HR adds them to its technology portfolio, including implementation, integration, and ongoing administration as assigned

Support, Security, and Data Integrity

• Resolve complex Workday Help cases escalated from HRIS Analysts for assigned modules, including system errors, EIB requests, security updates, access issues, and data errors, in a timely manner; escalate cross-module, high-impact, or unresolved issues.
• Perform root-cause analysis on recurring issues in assigned modules, implement fixes, and share trends that inform process and system improvements
• Maintain Workday security role assignments and security role matrices for assigned modules, ensuring access aligns with job requirements and with data privacy and compliance expectations
• Support periodic security access reviews and audit controls, including segregation-of-duties checks and remediation tracking, and provide documentation and evidence for internal and external audit requests as requested
• Follow and apply data governance standards set by the Director, HRIS and HR leadership, including data definitions, validation rules, and ownership expectations
• Run cadenced data audits for assigned modules, partnering with COEs and HRBPs to cleanse and correct data

Reporting

• Build and maintain advanced reports and dashboards across assigned modules, translating data into actionable insights for HR leadership, COEs, and HRBPs
• Develop reporting solutions, including calculated fields, matrix reports, and scorecards, that give HR partners reliable, self-service access to data
• Partner with COEs to support HRBPs and HR leaders in using self-service reporting, reducing reliance on ad hoc report requests
• Share trends and insights from Workday data with module administrators and HR leaders ahead of key decisions and cycles

Projects, Partnership, and Knowledge Sharing

• Lead assigned Workday workstreams within larger projects, including system releases and upgrades, enhancement packages, new functionality, and process redesign, from requirements through post-launch support, and contribute to projects within the broader team
• Identify project risks and issues early and escalate them to the Director, HRIS with proposed mitigation options
• Operate as a consultative partner to COEs, HRBPs, Payroll, Finance, and Technology & Product organizations for assigned modules: treat HR leaders, COEs, and HRBPs as customers and functional experts; provide recommendations, risks, and alternatives; communicate clearly with audiences from end users to HR leaders; and, once priorities are set by HR leadership, execute with urgency and clear status communication
• Drive adoption of employee and manager self-service by expanding Workday Help knowledge articles, job aids, and training resources in partnership with the HR Centers of Excellence
• Author and maintain process documentation for assigned modules, including configuration records, integration documentation, security role matrices, and support procedures
• Share knowledge and leading practices with HRIS Analysts and team members, including answering module questions and contributing to team documentation, job aids, and training materials
• Work with external consultants on assigned upgrades, customizations, integrations, and support cases,
• Engage with Workday Community, training, and user groups to stay current on capabilities and share learnings with the team and Workday module administrators

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Navigate ambiguity and adapt quickly in a fast-paced, privately held company undergoing rapid transformation, making sound decisions with incomplete information as priorities change
• Manage highly confidential employee, compensation, and organizational data with strict discretion and sound judgment
• Influence cross-functional partners without direct authority, building credibility through expertise, clear business cases, and follow-through
• Put customers first: understand the needs of HR colleagues before proposing solutions, and keep the end user, and ultimately the students Varsity Brands serves, at the center of decisions
• Drive results with a cost-conscious mindset, and maintain a positive, resilient outlook that stays focused on solutions through setbacks and shifting priorities
• Deliver on commitments, take ownership of errors, and correct course quickly
• Build strong, respectful working relationships, welcome different perspectives, and work as a team so shared goals are