Principal, Employee Engagement

Paychex; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 151,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

401(k) + employer match

Tuition reimbursement

Volunteer time off

Job summary

Paychex is reimagining how businesses manage their workforce through a connected HCM platform. The Principal, Employee Engagement leads the Voice of the Employee ecosystem, turning feedback into actionable insights that boost engagement, retention, and organizational health.

The role requires strategic autonomy, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to influence HR and business leaders. It may evolve into people leadership as the function grows, with a focus on scalable listening and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Organizational Psychology, Business, Analytics, Communications, or related field.
• 7 years of experience in Employee Experience, Employee Engagement, Organizational Development, HR Analytics, Workforce Insights, or a related discipline.
• Experience designing and managing enterprise survey and listening programs.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze large datasets and translate findings into business recommendations.
• Strong executive communication and storytelling skills.
• Experience presenting to senior leaders and influencing strategic decisions.
• Proven ability to manage complex cross-functional initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve the VoE strategy and listening framework.
• Establish governance and standards for listening programs.
• Lead the design, execution, and optimization of listening programs (annual surveys, pulse surveys, lifecycle surveys).
• Develop executive-level reporting, dashboards, and narratives.
• Transform data into actionable insights for leaders and connect sentiment to business metrics.
• Consult with leaders to interpret results and develop action plans.
• Influence decisions across HR functions to drive aligned actions.

Skills

Employee engagement

Data analysis

Executive communication

Storytelling

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's Degree in HR, Organizational Psychology, Business or Analytics

Advanced degree in Organizational Psychology, Business, HR, Analytics

Tools

Voice of the Employee platforms

Survey technologies

Job description

Paychex is reimagining how businesses manage their workforce by bringing payroll, HR, benefits, and advisory services together into a single connected HCM platform. As Paychex and Paycor come together, we're combining innovative technology, data-driven insights, AI, and human expertise to help organizations work smarter, support their people, and achieve better business outcomes. This is an exciting time to join our team as we continue to invest in innovation, simplify client experiences, and shape the future of work. At Paychex, you'll have the opportunity to grow your career, make a meaningful impact, and be part of something bigger as One Paychex.

Overview

The Principal, Employee Engagement serves as the strategic owner of Paychex's Voice of the Employee ecosystem, transforming employee feedback into actionable business insights that improve engagement, retention, productivity, and organizational effectiveness. This role owns the design, administration, analysis, and evolution of enterprise listening strategies while serving as a trusted advisor to HR and business leaders on employee sentiment and experience trends. As a senior individual contributor, this role is expected to operate with significant autonomy, influence leaders across the organization, and build the foundation for a scalable employee insights capability. The position may evolve into a people leadership role as the function expands. This role is responsible for creating a connected listening ecosystem that includes engagement surveys, pulse surveys, lifecycle feedback, workplace sentiment, employee experience analytics, and emerging listening channels. The individual will identify meaningful trends, connect employee feedback to business outcomes, and ensure leaders receive actionable recommendations that drive measurable improvements in the employee experience.

Responsibilities

• Voice of the Employee Strategy & Governance
• Own and continuously evolve the enterprise Voice of the Employee (VoE) strategy and listening framework.
• Establish governance, standards, and methodologies for employee listening programs.
• Ensure employee feedback channels are integrated into a cohesive listening ecosystem.
• Create strategic roadmaps that align employee listening efforts with business priorities and Employee Experience goals.
• Evaluate and implement innovative listening tools, methodologies, and technologies.
• Employee Listening Programs
• Lead the design, execution, and optimization of employee listening programs, including: o Annual engagement surveys o Pulse surveys o Lifecycle surveys o Post-interaction surveys o Workplace and culture sentiment measurement o Emerging listening channels and feedback mechanisms
• Experiment with new approaches to collecting employee feedback and evaluate effectiveness through the Employee Experience Design Loop.
• Partner with stakeholders to ensure listening activities create value and drive action.
• Insights & Analytics
• Transform complex employee data into compelling, actionable insights for leaders.
• Identify emerging trends, risks, opportunities, and root causes impacting employee experience.
• Build executive-level reporting, dashboards, scorecards, and narratives.
• Analyze key drivers of engagement, retention, performance, and culture.
• Connect employee sentiment data to business metrics and outcomes.
• Develop predictive insights related to retention, employee experience, and organizational health.
• Engagement & Action Planning
• Serve as the enterprise expert on employee engagement strategy and measurement.
• Consult with leaders to interpret survey results and develop meaningful action plans.
• Facilitate leadership discussions regarding engagement opportunities and themes.
• Monitor progress against engagement commitments and organizational initiatives.
• Support business units in translating insights into measurable improvements.
• Stakeholder Consultation & Influence
• Act as a trusted advisor to HR leaders, people managers, and executive stakeholders.
• Present findings and recommendations to senior leadership teams.
• Influence organizational decisions using employee insights and data-driven recommendations.
• Partner across Employee Relations, Communications, Total Rewards, Talent, Learning, and Operations to drive aligned actions.
• Employee Experience Research & Innovation
• Research best practices, benchmarks, and emerging trends in employee listening and engagement.
• Evaluate external market data to contextualize internal employee sentiment.
• Recommend innovative approaches to measuring and improving the employee experience.
• Lead pilots and experimentation efforts to improve insight generation and employee participation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in in Human Resources, Organizational Psychology, Business, Analytics, Communications, or related field. - Required
• 7 years of experience in Employee Experience, Employee Engagement, Organizational Development, HR Analytics, Workforce Insights, or a related discipline.
• Experience designing and managing enterprise survey and listening programs.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze large datasets and translate findings into business recommendations.
• Strong executive communication and storytelling skills.
• Experience presenting to senior leaders and influencing strategic decisions.
• Proven ability to manage complex cross-functional initiatives.
• Advanced degree in Organizational Psychology, Business, Human Resources, Analytics, or related field.
• Experience with employee listening platforms and survey technologies.
• Knowledge of employee experience design, journey mapping, and change management methodologies.
• Experience building employee analytics capabilities or VoE programs from the ground up.
• Previous informal leadership or team leadership experience.

Compensation

In the spirit of pay transparency, we are excited to share that the starting base pay range for this position is $90,300 - $150,600 annually. Please keep in mind that this range is the base pay only and does not consider other components that make up the total rewards package for the position. If you are hired at Paychex, your overall compensation will be determined based on factors such as geographic location, skills, education, and/or experience which may result in total compensation outside of this range.

Live the Paychex Values

• Act with uncompromising integrity.
• Provide outstanding service and build trusted relationships.
• Drive innovation in our products and services and continually improve our processes.
• Work in partnership and support each other.
• Be personally accountable and deliver on commitments.
• Treat each other with respect and dignity.

What's in it for you?

• We value your well-being: We provide over 21 comprehensive rewards, including medical coverage, virtual wellness classes, tuition reimbursement, 401(k) + employer match, adoption assistance, financial assistance, and much more.
• We value your time: From paid time off to company holidays, culture days, and comprehensive work-life balance programs, we will ensure you have the flexibility you need to be your best.
• We value your development: Our award-winning training and development programs empower our employees with ongoing learning opportunities to give you the building blocks to grow your career.
• We value your perspective: Our company culture reflects the diversity of our employees. We want you and your voice to be heard.
• We value our communities: We offer paid time off for volunteerism and promote many company-wide and local initiatives that benefit organizations you care about.

Note: The benefits described apply to full-time employees. Benefits for part-time, contract, and intern roles may vary.

Paychex is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering a respectful and inclusive workplace where all individuals are treated fairly and evaluated based on their qualifications, experience, and merit. We comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws prohibiting discrimination in employment.