Sr. Manager, People Technology and AI Enablement

Job Description

Your Role

The People & Engagement Technology team is a critical member of the Corporate Platform in the IT Applications organization and is responsible for providing technical and functional leadership for multiple HR Technology products within the Corporate Platform. The team delivers product and system solutions that support digital transformation, automation, application security, regulatory compliance, and end-user support. The Sr. Manager, People Technology and AI Enablement is a strategic, solution-driven, and results-oriented leader accountable for the ownership, stability, and continuous evolution of Workday Compensation, Benefits, and Payroll. This role leads a mid-size team of HR Technology professionals and serves as the functional and solution leader for Total Rewards and Payroll across the enterprise.

In this role, you will work collaboratively across People & Engagement COEs, enterprise IT, Finance, Analytics & Reporting, Planning, and external partners to evaluate vendor solutions, design, build, and implement technology solutions, and enhance deployed applications. You will also play a key role in operationalizing AI-enabled capabilities and agent-assisted workflows to improve accuracy, efficiency, compliance, and employee experience.

Our leadership model is about developing great leaders at all levels and creating opportunities for our people to grow - personally, professionally, and financially. We are looking for leaders that are energized by creative and critical thinking, building and sustaining high-performing teams, getting results the right way, and fostering continuous learning.

Responsibilities

Your Work

In this role, you will:

• Own the multi-year product strategy and roadmap for Workday Compensation, Benefits, and Payroll, aligned to People & Engagement Technology objectives
• Partner with HR, Finance, Payroll, and IT leaders to define vision, prioritize capabilities, and deliver high-impact outcomes
• Lead the full product lifecycle, from strategy through execution, risk management, and continuous improvement and serve as a senior leader for enterprise HR platform transformation, acting as a quarterback across COEs, integrators, and technical teams
• Oversee end-to-end solution delivery, including configuration, integrations, data migration, security, testing, and privacy
• Act as design authority for Total Rewards and Payroll ensuring scalable, secure, and compliant configuration, owning complex Workday configuration across compensation, benefits, payroll, and business process frameworks, while maintaining strong platform fluency across other modules
• Provide end-to-end system leadership for Payroll, Compensation, and Benefits, owning payroll execution (parallel runs, cutovers, audits, and year-end), supporting cyclical programs (merit, bonus, equity, open enrollment), and serving as Tier-3 escalation owner to resolve complex Total Rewards and Payroll issues with durable, scalable fixes.
• Lead the enablement of AI-driven and AI-assisted capabilities within Workday to improve accuracy, efficiency, and proactive operations
• Design and deliver AI-supported use cases such as anomaly detection, intelligent validations, exception monitoring, and admin decision support
• Partner with Enterprise AI, Data, and Analytics teams to deploy agent-based and event-driven automation that surfaces insights and triggers actions within governance boundaries
• Ensure responsible AI adoption aligned with privacy, security, regulatory, and ethical standards
• Lead and develop a high-performing HR Technology organization, establishing strong configuration governance, change management, and reporting to drive clear outcomes, while acting as a trusted leader recognized for integrity, empathy, and influence

Qualifications

Your Knowledge and Experience

• Requires a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience with a minimum of 10 years of relevant HR technology experience, including at least 4 years of people management
• Strong understanding of Human Resources functions, Total Rewards, Payroll, and end-to-end HR business processes
• A minimum of 5 years of hands-on Workday experience including configuration, optimization, and post-implementation ownership
• Advanced expertise in Workday Compensation, Benefits, and Payroll
• Demonstrated experience embedding AI and agentic capabilities into HR operations, including the design and enablement of intelligent automation, event-driven orchestration, decision augmentation, and autonomous or semi-autonomous agents to enhance compensation, benefits, and payroll processes
• Significant experience leading complex, enterprise-wide system implementations or major enhancements
• Proven ability to lead through influence, manage stakeholders, and deliver measurable outcomes with urgency and accountability
• Critical thinker with the ability to develop multi-year product and technology roadmap and innovative solutions
• Demonstrates a strong bias for action, delivering measurable outcomes with urgency and accountability while maintaining quality and compliance
• Ability to lead through influence, manage stakeholders, and serve as a leader across People & Engagement projects
• Advanced knowledge and skills including technical or functional expertise, business acumen, risk management, delegation skills, and decision-making skills
• Experience with building high-performance teams by providing guidance, coaching, and training to team members
• Excellent verbal / written communication, collaboration, analytical and presentation skills
• Advanced expertise in Workday HCM, Security, Reporting, and Integrations preferred
• Experience with APIs, web services (REST/SOAP), MuleSoft middleware or Workday Studio preferred
• Strong understanding of HR data models, data governance, privacy, and compliance requirements preferred
• Experience with Workday dashboards, Prism Analytics, Tableau, Power BI, or similar tools preferred
• Knowledge of cloud architecture, SSO, and security protocols (SAML, OAuth) preferred
• Experience working in Agile or product-oriented delivery models using tools such as Jira and Confluence preferred

Hybrid

This role requires employees to be in-office based on our hybrid workplace model, balancing purposeful in-person collaboration with flexibility. For most teams, this means coming into the office two days each week.

Employees living more than 50 miles from an office location will work with their manager to determine in-office time based on business need.

About the Team

About Stellarus and the Ascendiun Family of Companies

Stellarus, launched in January 2025, is designed to scale innovative healthcare solutions that support customers in creating a health care experience deserving of their family, friends, and neighbors.


Stellarus is part of a family of organizations that is overseen by a nonprofit corporate entity named Ascendiun. The Ascendiun Family of Companies also includes Blue Shield of California and its subsidiary, Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan and Altais, a clinical services company.


Stellarus' vision is to empower its customers to create a healthcare experience that is worthy of their family, friends, and neighbors. Stellarus' objective is to offer innovative, modern, scalable solutions that challenge the health care status quo. This very closely aligns with Blue Shield of California's vision by using innovation to improve quality, affordability, and experience for members.


To achieve our mission, we foster an environment where all employees can thrive and contribute fully to address the needs of the various communities we serve. We are committed to creating and maintaining a supportive workplace that upholds our values and advances our goals.

Our Values:


At Stellarus, our core values of agility, trust, drive, courage and service shape our approach to developing innovative product offerings.

Our Workplace Model:


We believe in fostering a workplace environment that balances purposeful in-person collaboration with flexibility - providing clear expectations while respecting the diverse needs of our workforce. Our workplace model is designed around intentional in-person interaction, collaboration, connection, creativity and flexibility:

• For most teams, this means coming into the office two days per week.
• Employees living more than 50 miles from an office location, out of state employees, and employees in certain member-facing roles should work with their manager to determine in-office time based on business need.
• For employees with medical conditions that may impact their ability to work in-office, we are committed to engaging in an interactive process and providing reasonable accommodations to ensure their work environment is conducive to their success and well-being.

The Company reserves the right to require more presence in the office based on business needs, and requirements are subject to change with periodic reviews.

Physical Requirements:

Office Environment - roles involving part to full time schedule in Office Environment. Based in our physical offices and work from home office/deskwork - Activity level: Sedentary, frequency most of work day.

Please click here for further physical requirement detail.


Equal Employment Opportunity:

External hires must pass a background check/drug screen. Qualified applicants with arrest records and/or conviction records will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with Federal, State and local laws, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status or disability status and any other classification protected by Federal, State and local laws.