People Data Manager

SWCA, Incorporated; Phoenix (AZ); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

SWCA Environmental Consultants seeks a People Data Manager to lead the development of people analytics products and insights. You will partner with HR and leaders to translate questions into scalable analytics solutions, leveraging Power BI, Excel, and AI-enabled approaches to deliver trusted workforce insights.

You will help establish data governance, improve data quality, and extend analytics across recruiting, retention, engagement, and compensation.

Qualifications

• Strong experience developing people analytics, BI, or workforce reporting solutions, with advanced skills in Power BI and Excel.
• Demonstrated ability to partner with business leaders, understand their needs, and translate complex workforce questions into analytics products.
• Strong understanding of data visualization, data modeling, and BI concepts, with ability to communicate complex data clearly.
• Strong systems thinking and understanding of data from multiple business systems.
• Committed to data quality, accuracy, governance, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and implementation of advanced data analytics strategies to support HR decision-making and strategic planning.
• Manage HR data projects, including design, configuration, and deployment of new data models and reporting tools.
• Provide expert consultation to operations on HR data capabilities and best practices.
• Ensure data integrity and security through governance and privacy standards.
• Analyze data to identify trends informing HR policies and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with IT and HR to troubleshoot data-related issues.
• Train and mentor analysts on data management and advanced analytics.
• Evaluate new data technologies to enhance analytics capabilities.
• Develop HR data policies and procedures aligned with best practices.
• Support benchmarking through market research and data analysis.

Skills

Power BI

Excel

Data visualization

Data modeling

BI concepts

Systems thinking

Data governance

Data quality

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Power BI

Excel

Power Query

SQL

Job description

About the opportunity

Want to shape how people analytics helps leaders make better workforce decisions as SWCA Environmental Consultants continues to grow?

SWCA is seeking a People Data Manager, who will lead the development of people analytics products and insights, partnering directly with HR and business leaders to turn their questions into meaningful, scalable solutions. You’ll have an opportunity to advance how we use Power BI, self-service analytics, and emerging technologies such as AI to make trusted workforce insights easier to access and act on. You’ll bring strong people analytics and data visualization skills, a natural ability to understand what internal customers need, and the systems thinking to connect people, data, technology, and business.

As People Data Manager, you’ll lead our people analytics function and help establish the standards and approaches that make our workforce data trusted, accessible, and useful. You’ll work across the employee lifecycle, including recruiting, retention, engagement, compensation, and workforce planning, helping leaders understand not only what is happening, but why it matters.

You’ll collaborate closely with HR, technology, and enterprise data partners to develop scalable analytics solutions, strengthen data quality and governance, and improve how workforce information is organized and delivered. Rather than simply responding to reporting requests, you’ll help identify the underlying business need and determine the best analytics solution.

This is a great opportunity for someone who enjoys working at the intersection of people, data, technology, and business and wants to help define what modern people analytics can look like at a growing organization.

This is a full-time, regular (with benefits), salaried/exempt position reporting to our Phoenix, AZ corporate office. This role allows for the flexibility to work either hybrid-based from any of our SWCA U.S. office locations or distributed (remote) based on preference.

What you will accomplish

• Leads the development and implementation of advanced data analytics strategies to support HR decision-making and strategic planning for the business, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
• Manages HR data projects, including the design, configuration, and deployment of new data models and reporting tools, to enhance data-driven decision-making.
• Provides expert consultation services and support to operations leaders on HR data capabilities and best practices, fostering a data-driven culture.
• Ensures data integrity and security by implementing robust data governance and compliance protocols, maintaining high standards for data quality and privacy.
• Conducts comprehensive data analysis to identify trends, patterns, and insights that inform HR policies and practices, driving continuous improvement.
• Collaborates with IT and HR teams to troubleshoot and resolve complex data-related issues, ensuring seamless data management processes.
• Trains and mentors specialists, analysts, and HR staff on data management best practices and advanced analytics techniques, promoting continuous learning and development.
• Evaluates and recommends new data technologies and tools to enhance data analysis capabilities and efficiency, staying abreast of industry trends and innovations.
• Participates in the development and implementation of HR data-related policies and procedures to support organizational objectives, ensuring alignment with best practices.
• Drives market research and data analysis to support benchmarking and inform business decisions, providing actionable insights and recommendations.
• Follows applicable federal, Tribal, state, local, industry, contractual, and company regulations, standards, and specifications.
• Performs related work as assigned.

Additional Job-Specific Responsibilities:

• Partners with HR and business leaders to understand workforce questions and translate business needs into meaningful people analytics products and insights.
• Develops people analytics solutions using Power BI, Excel, and other tools, translating complex workforce data into clear visualizations, business insights, and recommendations.
• Applies people analytics expertise across areas such as recruiting, retention, engagement, compensation, employee experience, and workforce planning.
• Partners with HRIS and enterprise data teams to develop trusted, scalable data models and analytics solutions that promote consistency, quality, and reuse across the organization.
• Explores emerging capabilities, including AI and self-service analytics, to improve how workforce insights are developed, accessed, and used.

Experience and qualifications for success

• Strong experience developing people analytics, business intelligence, or workforce reporting solutions, with advanced skills in Power BI and Excel.
• Demonstrated ability to partner with business leaders, understand their needs, and translate complex workforce questions into effective analytics products and actionable insights.
• Strong understanding of data visualization, data modeling, and business intelligence concepts, with the ability to organize and communicate complex data clearly.
• Strong systems thinking and understanding of how data from multiple business systems can be structured, connected, and used effectively.
• Demonstrated commitment to data quality, accuracy, governance, and continuous improvement.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with people or workforce data and metrics across areas such as recruiting, retention, engagement, compensation, employee experience, and workforce planning, including experience with HRIS, ATS, ERP, or related systems.
• Experience with Power Query, SQL, semantic models, or similar data transformation and modeling capabilities.
• Experience partnering with data engineering or technology teams on data integration, architecture, or enterprise analytics solutions.
• Experience using or evaluating AI and self-service analytics to improve analytics development, accessibility, or user experience.
• Experience using Excel VBA and macros to automate recurring processes, improve efficiency, and support data analysis.

Application deadline

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and interviews may be scheduled as qualified candidates are identified.