HRIS Business Partner - 14 month Fixed Term Contract

Opencast; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

7% employer pension contribution

Share options

Discretionary bonus

25 days’ holiday

Life happens days

Wellbeing support

Professional development

Volunteering opportunities

Supportive team

Job summary

Opencast is seeking an experienced HRIS Business Partner with strong Workday HCM expertise to join our People Operations team. You will own hands-on administration, configuration, reporting and improvements across Workday, partnering with People, Planning & Insight, and stakeholders to deliver reliable data and practical system solutions.

You will translate operational needs into technical requirements, design and maintain reports, and support core HR processes such as hiring, onboarding and

Qualifications

• Workday administration and configuration in a live organisation.
• Reporting and analysis using advanced reports, calculated fields and dashboards.
• Business partnering and communication with a range of stakeholders.
• Organisational excellence and continuous improvement in a fixed-term role.

Responsibilities

• Providing hands-on administration, configuration and functional support for Workday HCM across the business.
• Collaborating with the People team and stakeholders to translate needs into practical system solutions.
• Providing guidance, demonstrations and knowledge transfer so colleagues can use Workday effectively.
• Designing and maintaining reports, dashboards and fields for headcount, recruitment, attrition and pay.
• Investigating data quality issues and reporting discrepancies with clear action plans.
• Developing models to simulate business scenarios and assess risk for initiatives.
• Supporting core People processes in Workday including hiring, onboarding, compensation and terminations.
• Monitoring BAU issues and integration exceptions and working to resolve root causes.
• Identifying opportunities to simplify processes and improve user experience while balancing effort.
• Applying data protection, security and access controls.
• Delivering continuous improvement from requirements gathering to production release and documentation.

Skills

Workday administration

Reporting and analysis

Business partnering

Continuous improvement

Job description

Ready for a new challenge? Are you looking for work that makes a difference? Do you want to work with people who learn and grow together? If so, Opencast could be the place for you. We're a growing technology consultancy that creates user-centred solutions with purpose for clients across government and business. We're looking for an experienced HRIS Business Partner with strong Workday HCM expertise, sound judgement and a practical approach to join our People Operations team.

The role

The HRIS Business Partner plays a key role within our People Operations team, taking hands-on ownership of supporting, maintaining and continuously improving Workday across Opencast. Working closely with the People team, Planning & Insight and stakeholders across the business, you'll provide functional support and translate operational needs into practical system solutions. From reporting and modelling to process improvement and BAU issue resolution, you'll ensure that our people processes, integrations and data remain effective, reliable and secure. Alongside hands-on system administration, you'll act as a trusted Workday advisor, using your expertise to guide colleagues, resolve data quality issues and identify opportunities to simplify processes and improve user experience. We're looking for people who value in-person collaboration, enjoy building strong relationships, and are passionate about delivering solutions that make a real difference for our people and our clients.

Responsibilities

• Providing hands-on administration, configuration and functional support for Workday HCM, acting as a subject matter expert across the business.
• Collaborating with the People team, Planning & Insight and wider stakeholders, translating operational needs into clear requirements and practical system solutions.
• Providing guidance, demonstrations and knowledge transfer so colleagues can use Workday processes and reporting effectively.
• Designing, building and maintaining reports, dashboards, worksheets and calculated fields, covering areas such as headcount, recruitment, attrition, absence, pay and workforce allocation.
• Investigating data quality issues and reporting discrepancies, explaining cause, impact and required action clearly.
• Developing and maintaining models to simulate business scenarios and assess risk for strategic initiatives and investments.
• Supporting and improving core People processes in Workday, including hiring, onboarding, compensation, absence and terminations.
• Monitoring BAU issues, integration exceptions and process blockers, working with stakeholders to resolve root causes.
• Identifying opportunities to simplify processes, reduce manual work and make effective use of existing Workday functionality, balancing business needs with delivery effort and maintainability.
• Applying appropriate data protection, security and access controls, ensuring compliance with regulations and internal policies.
• Delivering continuous improvement initiatives, from gathering requirements and sandbox testing through to production release and documentation.

Essential experience

• Workday administration and configuration: Practical experience administering or configuring Workday HCM in a live organisation, including troubleshooting business processes, security and notifications.
• Reporting and analysis: Building advanced and composite reports, calculated fields and dashboards, and interpreting data to provide actionable insight.
• Business partnering and communication: Providing guidance and challenge to a range of stakeholders, with the ability to convey complex, technical concepts clearly.
• Organisation and continuous improvement: Managing competing priorities independently, staying up to date with relevant regulations and compliance standards, and adapting confidently to a varied, fixed-term role in a changing environment.

Salary

£45,000 - £70,000 per annum

What we offer

• A competitive package including a 7% employer pension contribution, share options, and a discretionary bonus.
• You’ll also benefit from 25 days’ holiday and access to 3 annual "life happens" days to support unexpected situations.
• We provide wellbeing support, ongoing professional development, volunteering opportunities, and the chance to be part of a genuinely supportive team.

Where you'll work

This role requires regular on-site attendance at our HQ, hub offices and other business locations, alongside the flexibility to work from home. Travel may be required as part of the role and applicants should be able to travel when needed to support business activities and team collaboration.

We include you

We welcome candidates from all identities, attributes, ways of thinking and backgrounds to thrive in a career at Opencast. Our aim is for the diversity of our people to be reflected in the solutions we deliver, to help create a fairer society for all.

Interview

Interviews will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. We're happy to make adjustments to support your needs.

Want to know more?

Visit our website or email [email protected]

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.