HCM Lead

About the Role 

PARA Consulting is seeking an experienced HCM Lead / Senior Consultant to join our implementation team. 
You will be responsible for leading multiple HCM client projects, ensuring successful configurations, driving UAT testing, and overseeing documentation and compliance (SOC/SOX). This role combines functional consulting, stakeholder management, and team leadership. 

You will partner closely with our technical and project management teams while serving as the primary functional expert for the client.  

What You’ll Do 

• Lead HCM implementations from discovery to go-live. 

• Create and manage functional documentation, workflows, and UAT test scripts. 

• Ensure compliance with SOC/SOX and client facing audit controls. 

• Facilitate client workshops and business requirement gathering. 

• Manage overall project success metrics and proactively escalate risks. 

• Mentor and guide consultants to support their growth and development. 

• Coordinate with cross functional teams to align business and system requirements. 

Minimum Requirements 

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, IT, Business Administration, or related field. 

• 2+ years managing a team (lead, supervisor, or similar). 

• 5+ years of experience in HCM consulting or HR systems implementation. (Rippling, Workday, Netsuite, Suite people, ADP, UKG or similar). 

• Experience creating documentation and UAT test scripts. 

• Proven knowledge of SOC/SOX compliance or internal control frameworks. 

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills. 

• Ability to interpret business needs and convert them into system configurations. 

• Ability to analyze end-to-end business processes and design optimized HCM workflows within the system. 

 Preferred Qualifications 

(These are not required but will make you stand out.) 

• Relevant HCM certifications (e.g., Workday HCM certification, Rippling certification). 

• Experience in multi-country / global HCM implementations. 

• Deep knowledge of compliance requirements across regions (GDPR, SOX, labor laws). 

• Familiarity with payroll processing and tax requirements. 

• Understanding of benefits administration and open enrollment workflows. 

• Knowledge of HR data migration and system integration best practices. 

A Day in the Life 

You log in and start your day reviewing dashboards across multiple client projects, quickly identifying priorities and potential roadblocks before joining your morning team standup. Here, you provide guidance to your diverse team of consultants, offering mentorship on a complex benefits configuration challenge while delegating tasks to keep all workstreams moving forward. 

Your mid-morning brings a critical client escalation call where, as the primary point of contact, you expertly translate their concerns into actionable solutions, realigning stakeholder expectations and adjusting project timelines to ensure success. After the call, you jump between projects reviewing a go-live checklist for one client while troubleshooting a payroll integration issue for another. 

The afternoon finds you leading a cross-functional workshop, removing blockers that have been slowing down implementation and facilitating alignment between technical teams and business stakeholders. You spend time coaching a junior consultant through their first client presentation, then shift to a strategic planning session for an upcoming kickoff. 

As an expert navigator of complexity, you seamlessly balance tactical execution with strategic oversight whether you're diving deep into system configurations, managing client relationships, or ensuring your team has everything they need to succeed. You close out your day confident that every project under your watch is progressing smoothly toward a successful implementation, with quality and client satisfaction at the forefront of every decision.