Director, HR Platform Technology

Job Description:

Pacific Life is investing in bright, agile and diverse talent to contribute to our mission of innovating our business and creating a superior customer experience. We’re actively seeking a talented Director, HR Technology, to join our Enterprise Corporate Systems team in Newport Beach, CA. This role can be on-site or hybrid.

The Director of HR Technology is a strategic leadership role responsible for driving the HR technology product management and IT delivery functions within the IT organization. This role will work closely with the Head of HR Solutions, HRIS teams, and other key stakeholders to ensure that HR technology investments align with business goals, enhance employee experience, and drive operational efficiency. The HRIS teams manage Workday HCM configuration and day-to-day operational support, while this role focuses on product strategy support, architecture, and IT execution to support HR transformation initiatives.

How you will make an impact: 

 HR Technology Strategy & Product Management

• Develop and execute a strategic roadmap for HR technology, ensuring alignment with enterprise and HR strategic goals.
• Define and implement an operating model to support HR functions, aligning with the HRIS function to establish HR technology product management best practices.
• Conduct software market analysis to determine whether to enhance existing solutions or invest in new technologies, supporting vendor discovery, RFI/RFP processes.
• Act as a technical consultant, providing insights on emerging HR technologies to improve employee experience and operational efficiency.

 Architecture & Engineering Excellence

• Lead the retirement of redundant HR systems, ensuring smooth transitions with minimal business disruption.
• Develop Technology Strategic Plans & Roadmaps to bridge the gap between divisional/corporate strategies and IT execution.
• Establish best practices for SDLC, incident management, and automation in HR technology.
• Design solutions that prioritize a great employee experience while maintaining cost-effectiveness and operational soundness.

 HR Data Strategy & Governance

• Support the development of an HR analytics strategy, including standards for operational reporting, dashboards, and analytics.
• Realize the implementation of the enterprise data strategy to the HR domain with disciplines including: master data management, data quality, and governance
• Define HR data architecture, including how HR data integrates with enterprise data stores and operational systems.

 Skills Architecture & Workforce Planning

• Support the head of HR Solutions in developing a skills architecture strategy and ontology to be used across various HR processes, including Talent Mobility, Talent Management, Career Pathing, Talent Development, and Workforce Planning.
• Partner with HR and Finance to stand up an Operational/Strategic Workforce Planning capability.

HR Technology Projects & Initiatives

• Deliver IT solutions for key initiatives such as:
  • Workday Optimization and Global Total Rewards.
  • Content Management Strategy for personnel files, ensuring governance and compliance with information classification standards.
• Ensure HR technology is aligned with broader enterprise IT strategy and enhances scalability, compliance, and security goals.

The experience you bring: 

• 10+ years in HR Technology leadership roles within a complex enterprise IT environment.
• Proven experience managing HR technology portfolios, product management, and IT delivery in a large organization.
• Deep expertise in Workday HCM and other HR technology platforms.
• Strong background in HR data management, reporting strategies, and data governance.
• Experience in HR process transformation, automation, and enterprise HR architecture.
• Demonstrated ability to lead large-scale IT projects related to HR technology.
• Strong understanding of HR business capabilities, workforce planning, and talent management processes.

Technical & Leadership Skills:

• Experience in HR technology architecture & engineering best practices.
• Ability to drive change management in a dynamic HR IT landscape.
• Strong collaboration skills, working effectively with HR, Finance, Enterprise Architecture, and IT teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, translating technical strategies into business outcomes.
• Understanding of data privacy, security, and compliance regulations affecting HR technology.

#LI-DW1

You can be who you are.

• People come first here. We’re committed to