HRIS Payroll Architect

Next Ventures; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Next Ventures is seeking a Senior HRIS Technology Architect to lead the design, optimization, and support of its HR technology ecosystem, with deep Workday Payroll and Absence expertise.

The role focuses on scalable payroll integrations, data integrity, and continuous improvement across HR, payroll, and finance teams in a complex enterprise environment.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in enterprise HRIS, payroll, or ERP environments.
• Hands-on Workday Payroll and Workday Absence expertise.
• Experience configuring third‑party payroll and leave integrations.
• Strong understanding of payroll processes, compliance, and system architecture.
• Excellent analytical, troubleshooting, and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and optimize payroll integrations across HR, payroll, finance and third‑party systems.
• Validate data flows, calculations, compliance, and financial controls.
• Ensure integrations are scalable and reliable amid evolving business needs.
• Configure and optimize Workday Absence functionality.
• Lead integrations between Workday and leave management, time tracking, and benefits platforms.
• Mentor HRIS team members and drive governance and best practices.
• Identify opportunities to streamline workflows and improve system performance.
• Drive enhancements across the HR technology landscape and evaluate new technologies.

Skills

Workday Payroll

Workday Absence

HRIS integrations

Payroll processes

Analytics & troubleshooting

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Information Systems/Computer Science/Finance/Accounting

Workday Pro Payroll certification or CPP

Job description

Senior HRIS Technology Architect (Workday Payroll & Absence)

A well-established enterprise organization is seeking an experienced HRIS Technology Architect to lead the design, optimization, and support of its HR technology ecosystem. This is an excellent opportunity for a senior HRIS professional with deep expertise in Workday Payroll, Absence Management, and enterprise integrations who enjoys solving complex technical challenges while driving strategic improvements.

You’ll play a critical role in ensuring payroll and HR systems are scalable, compliant, and aligned with business objectives, while partnering closely with HR, Payroll, Finance, and Technology teams.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain enterprise payroll integrations across HR, payroll, finance, and third‑party systems.
• Validate payroll data flows, calculations, compliance requirements, and financial controls.
• Ensure integrations are scalable, reliable, and support evolving business needs.
• Configure, maintain, and optimize Workday Absence functionality.
• Manage integrations between Workday and third‑party leave management, time tracking, and benefits platforms.
• Ensure accurate and seamless data exchange across systems.
• Lead configuration, testing, validation, and deployment of complex payroll and absence solutions.
• Identify opportunities to streamline workflows, automate manual processes, and improve system performance.
• Recommend enhancements that improve user experience and operational efficiency.
• Serve as the senior escalation point for complex payroll, absence, and integration issues.
• Perform root cause analysis and implement long‑term solutions while maintaining compliance and business continuity.
• Mentor HRIS team members by establishing best practices, documentation standards, and governance processes.
• Drive ongoing enhancements across the HR technology landscape.
• Evaluate new technologies and recommend innovative solutions that improve operational effectiveness and support future growth.

What We’re Looking For

• 8+ years of experience supporting enterprise HRIS, payroll, or ERP platforms.
• Strong hands‑on experience with Workday Payroll and Workday Absence.
• Experience configuring and supporting third‑party payroll, leave, time tracking, or benefits integrations.
• Strong understanding of payroll processes, compliance, and enterprise system architecture.
• Excellent analytical, troubleshooting, and stakeholder management skills.
• Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Finance, Accounting, or a related field preferred.
• Workday Pro Payroll, Workday Absence, CPP, or similar certifications are highly desirable.

If you’re an experienced HRIS professional looking to make a significant impact in a complex Workday environment, we’d love to hear from you.