Sr. Systems Analyst – Workday Time & Absence Implementation Lead / Project Manager

Work Schedule

Standard (Mon-Fri)

Environmental Conditions

Office

Job Description

As part of the Thermo Fisher Scientific team, you’ll discover meaningful work that makes a positive impact on a global scale. Join our colleagues in bringing our Mission to life every single day to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We provide our global teams with the resources needed to achieve individual career goals while helping to take science a step beyond by developing solutions for some of the world’s toughest challenges, like protecting the environment, making sure our food is safe or helping find cures for cancer.

DESCRIPTION:

The Workday Time & Absence Implementation Lead / Project Manager will be part of Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Human Resources Technology Services (HRTS) team, with dual responsibility for leading Workday Time Tracking and Absence project workstreams and serving as the hands-on functional and configuration lead.

With support from the Workday Time and Absence Architect and Program Leads, this role will lead Time Tracking and Absence implementations associated with M&A and payroll transformation initiatives from requirements and design through configuration, testing, deployment, and stabilization. The individual will directly configure Workday while managing project scope, schedule, risks, dependencies, resources, and deliverables.

The role will coordinate cross-functional teams, implementation partners, and consultants and partner with HR, Payroll, IT, Finance, Legal/Compliance, and business stakeholders. The successful candidate will combine strong Workday Time Tracking and Absence expertise with project management capabilities to deliver scalable solutions addressing complex business, payroll, policy, and regulatory requirements. This role offers the opportunity to advance technological solutions while supporting our mission of enabling customers to make the world healthier, cleaner, and safer.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Workday Time & Absence Solution Leadership and Configuration

• Serve as functional and configuration lead for Workday Time Tracking and Absence implementations, including M&A, divestitures, payroll transformations, and other HR technology initiatives.
• Lead discovery and requirements activities covering business processes, time and absence practices, policies, payroll dependencies, regulatory requirements, and technology.
• Perform fit-gap assessments against Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Workday configuration and global standards and translate requirements into scalable solutions.
• Design, configure, test, and deploy Workday Absence solutions, including time-off plans, leave types, accruals, eligibility rules, business processes, and workflows.
• Design, configure, test, and deploy Workday Time Tracking solutions, including eligibility, workflows, overtime rules, differentials, time calculations, and related payroll earnings.
• Prototype solutions with stakeholders, identify gaps, evaluate alternatives, and assess impacts across HCM, Payroll, Compensation, security, and integrations.
• Partner with integration and payroll teams on third-party payroll interfaces and time, absence, employee, and payroll data.
• Maintain required functional, configuration, design, and test documentation.

Project and Workstream Leadership

• With support from Program/Project Leads and the Workday Time and Absence Architect, lead Time Tracking and Absence workstreams through planning, design, configuration, testing, deployment, cutover, and stabilization.
• Develop and manage workstream plans covering scope, schedule, resources, milestones, dependencies, deliverables, and governance.
• Coordinate internal teams, Workday consultants, implementation partners, and vendors, ensuring accountability for deliverables.
• Identify and mitigate risks and issues, develop remediation plans, and escalate key decisions and dependencies as appropriate.
• Lead workstream governance and communicate project status, risks, issues, and decisions to stakeholders using applicable project management standards and tools.
• Manage multiple concurrent initiatives while maintaining alignment with program objectives and milestones.
• Oversee partner and vendor deliverables, resources, timelines, budgets, and contractual commitments as applicable.

Testing, Deployment and Quality Assurance

• Lead Time Tracking and Absence testing, including test strategy, scenarios, defect management, and functional, integration, payroll, regression, and user acceptance testing.
• Review solution designs, configurations, specifications, test plans, and other deliverables for quality and completeness.
• Lead deployment readiness and cutover activities, including configuration migration, data validation, integration and business readiness, and go-live activities.
• Provide functional and project leadership during stabilization and hypercare and ensure successful transition to operational support.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Human Resources, Business, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of experience with Tier 1 HCM systems and HR technology implementations, including application configuration and complex technology projects.
• Strong hands-on functional and configuration experience with Workday Time Tracking and Absence Management or equivalent Tier 1 HCM solutions.
• Experience leading HR technology projects or workstreams in a global, matrixed organization.
• Experience across the project lifecycle, including requirements, solution design, configuration, testing, deployment, and stabilization.
• Strong knowledge of Time Tracking and Absence processes and their dependencies with Payroll and other HCM processes.
• Experience with M&A, divestitures, enterprise transformations, employee migrations, or similar cross-functional initiatives is strongly preferred.
• Understanding of HR processes, HR data, and enterprise HCM systems, including impacts of organizational, policy, and system changes.
• Knowledge of Workday HCM, Payroll, Compensation, security, business processes, and integrations is preferred.

Skills and Competencies

• Functional & Project Leadership: Ability to serve as both a hands-on Workday configuration expert and project workstream leader, managing scope, schedules, dependencies, risks, and delivery.
• Workday Expertise: Strong understanding of Workday Time Tracking and Absence configuration, business processes, dependencies, and implementation methodology.
• Partner & Stakeholder Management: Ability to coordinate consultants, vendors, internal teams, and stakeholders across functions and organizational levels.
• Problem Solving: Strong analytical skills with the ability to evaluate complex requirements and recommend practical solutions.
• Communication: Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, including communicating technical concepts in user-friendly language.
• Execution: Highly organized, self-motivated, and able to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic, global environment while maintaining quality and customer focus.