UKG Pro Implementation & Systems Specialist

PEPL; United States; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

PEPL has been engaged to place a UKG Pro Implementation & Systems Specialist for a growing technology company. This role leads end-to-end UKG Pro and UKG WFM onboarding for acquired businesses, owning the project lifecycle from pre-close assessment through go-live across both platforms.

The ideal candidate combines structured project management with deep UKG expertise and a collaborative approach with HR, Finance, IT, and Operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, HR, Information Systems, or related field.
• 5+ years of HRIS experience with UKG Pro expertise, including hands-on module configuration.
• Proven experience leading HRIS implementation or onboarding projects across core HR and timekeeping platforms.
• Proficiency in UKG Pro reporting tools; ability to build queries, transform data, and deliver outputs.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end UKG Pro and UKG WFM implementation projects for acquired companies.
• Develop and maintain detailed project plans, milestones, and status communications; track risks and blockers.
• Coordinate data migration activities including employee record conversion and historical data validation.
• Facilitate discovery sessions with HR, Finance, Operations, and IT to capture requirements and map to UKG configuration.
• Document post-go-live support plans and transition OpCos to BAU support processes.

Skills

HRIS experience

UKG Pro

Project management

Data reporting

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

UKG Pro

Job description

PEPL has been engaged to place an UKG Pro Implementation & Systems Specialist for a growing technology company. The UKG Pro Implementation & Systems Specialist serves as the primary driver of UKG Pro and UKG Workforce Management (WFM) onboarding for acquired businesses across the organization’s decentralized portfolio. This role owns the full project lifecycle for M&A HRIS integration — from pre-close assessment through go-live — across both platforms, while also supporting ongoing system configuration, reporting, and process improvement initiatives when acquisition activity allows. The ideal candidate combines structured project management discipline with deep expertise across the UKG suite and a collaborative, consultative approach to working with field HR, Finance, IT, and Operations stakeholders. Success in this role requires a practitioner who can navigate ambiguity, solve problems independently, and do detailed configuration and audit work alongside stakeholders — not just manage a project plan.

Key Responsibilities

Acquisition Onboarding & HRIS Implementation

• Lead end-to-end UKG Pro and UKG WFM implementation projects for newly acquired operating companies, serving as the primary point of contact from pre-close through go-live.
• Develop and maintain detailed project plans, milestones, and status communications for each onboarding engagement across both platforms; track risks and escalated blockers proactively.
• Conduct pre-close HRIS risk assessments to evaluate incumbent systems, data quality, headcount complexity, timekeeping environment, and integration readiness.
• Coordinate data migration activities including employee record conversion, historical data validation, and parallel testing across payroll, benefits, HR, and timekeeping modules.
• Facilitate discovery sessions with acquired company HR, Finance, Operations, and IT teams to capture business requirements and map them to UKG Pro and WFM configuration.
• Anticipate and communicate downstream impacts of configuration and process decisions — including how changes to WFM work rules, pay codes, or business processes affect payroll output, benefits integrations, and reporting — before they reach production.
• Partner with the Payroll team to validate pay codes, pay groups, deduction setup, and first-cycle processing for newly onboarded entities.
• Assess acquired companies’ timekeeping needs and lead WFM configuration including schedules, work rules, accruals, and labor allocation to support accurate time collection and payroll processing.
• Document post-go-live support plans and transition acquired OpCos to standard BAU support processes.
• Configure and maintain UKG Pro modules including Benefits, Absence/Time Off, Compensation, Business Processes, Security, Notifications, and Reporting.
• Configure and administer UKG WFM including timekeeping rules, schedules, shift differentials, accrual policies, labor distribution, and employee self-service settings.
• Manage system change requests across both platforms including testing, validation, and release coordination in partnership with UKG support and the HRIS team.
• Maintain UKG Pro and WFM security role governance and support the periodic user access review process in alignment with SOX control requirements.
• Troubleshoot system issues, integration failures, and data anomalies across UKG Pro and WFM; coordinate with IT and UKG support as needed to drive resolution.
• Support integration maintenance and enhancements across SFTP feeds, Integration Hub connections, and third-party vendor interfaces (e.g., benefits carriers, 401(k) recordkeepers).

HRIS Reporting & Analytics

• Design, build, and maintain standard and ad hoc reports to support HR, Finance, Payroll, and field leadership across all operating companies.
• Perform data audits and integrity checks to ensure employee records, pay-related transactions, and system configurations are accurate and complete.
• Partner with Finance to produce employee-related financial reports and support audit requests as needed.
• Identify reporting gaps and develop proactive solutions that improve data visibility and reduce manual reconciliation effort.

Project & Process Improvement

• Manage HRIS project work outside of acquisitions, including system upgrades, module expansions, and process automation initiatives.
• Document current-state workflows and recommend process improvements that leverage UKG Pro capabilities more effectively.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and consultative resource for field HR teams on HRIS-related questions and process design.
• Contribute to the HRIS team's internal documentation library, ensuring configuration decisions, runbooks, and SOPs are kept current.
• Operate with a high degree of independence and resourcefulness — diagnose issues, develop solutions, and drive resolution without requiring escalation; know when to engage others and when to own a problem through to completion.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Human Resources, Information Systems, or a related field.
• 5+ years of HRIS experience with demonstrated UKG Pro expertise, including hands-on module configuration; UKG WFM experience strongly preferred.
• Proven experience leading HRIS implementation or onboarding projects, including project planning, stakeholder management, and go-live execution across both core HR and timekeeping platforms.
• Strong understanding of core HR and payroll processes including pay setup, benefits administration, and employee lifecycle transactions.
• Proficiency in UKG Pro reporting tools; ability to build queries, transform data, and deliver actionable outputs.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills; able to manage multiple concurrent projects across a decentralized environment.

Preferred

• Experience supporting M&A HRIS integration in a multi-entity or holding company environment.
• Hands-on UKG WFM configuration experience including work rules, scheduling, accruals, and labor tracking in a manufacturing, field services, or similarly complex hourly workforce environment.
• Familiarity with HRIS integration methods including SFTP file-based feeds, UKG Integration Hub, and vendor-specific connection protocols.
• Exposure to SOX compliance requirements related to HRIS access controls and data integrity.
• UKG Pro and/or UKG WFM certification or equivalent formal training.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent project management experience. Note: This is a hands-on implementation role; candidates who combine PM skills with direct configuration and audit experience are preferred over those with purely managerial backgrounds.