Senior HCM Consultant

About the Work Unit The Division of People, Culture, and Belonging brings together key operational activities that affect the Vanderbilt staff experience, including talent acquisition, professional development, workforce compensation and benefits, health and wellness initiatives, and the Vanderbilt Child & Family Centers. We strive to create an environment where individuals feel valued, understood, and integral to our collective success. Our approach emphasizes fostering genuine connections and upholding high standards of professionalism through our core beliefs of belonging, collaboration, self-direction, and growth. Essential Functions • Administers and oversees the HR records management system and related HRIS functions, ensuring the accuracy, integrity, confidentiality, security, and availability of employee data. • Provides expert consultation to HR leadership and departmental stakeholders on records management practices, data governance, system capabilities, and compliance requirements. • Designs, evaluates, standardizes, and optimizes processes supporting the full lifecycle of employee records and related HR operations, including onboarding, maintenance, retention, and archiving. • Identifies and implements opportunities to streamline and automate core HR processes (e.g., payroll, benefits, recruiting, onboarding, time tracking), reducing manual effort, duplication, and process inefficiencies. • Interprets and applies federal, state, and institutional regulations related to records retention, data privacy, and security, ensuring policies, procedures, and system controls are consistently followed. • Conducts audits and detailed analyses of records management and HRIS processes to identify risks, ensure compliance, and recommend operational and strategic improvements. • Leads and supports system and process enhancement initiatives, including digital record migrations, system upgrades, integrations, and workflow redesign efforts. • Develops, maintains, and delivers reports, dashboards, and data insights to support operational effectiveness and data-informed decision-making across HR and the institution. • Enhances the employee and manager experience by improving system usability, supporting self-service functionality, and ensuring processes are intuitive, accessible, and efficient. • Develops and maintains standards, governance practices, documentation, and best practices to ensure consistency, compliance, and sustainability of HRIS and records management operations. • Serves as a subject matter expert, providing guidance and knowledge transfer to team members and stakeholders on documentation standards, compliant data handling, and effective system use. • Collaborates with internal and external auditors to support audit activities, ensure accurate reporting, and maintain audit readiness. • Analyzes trends and performance metrics related to HRIS and records management operations and recommends strategic improvements to leadership. Scope and Impact • Operates with significant autonomy in managing HRIS and records systems and advising on process, compliance, and system optimization matters. • Influences departmental and HR-wide practices through subject matter expertise, data insights, and consultative engagement. • Impacts institutional compliance, audit readiness, data integrity, and operational efficiency through process design, automation, and governance. • Contributes to enterprise-level initiatives involving HR technology, data governance, process standardization, and digital transformation. • Supports the organization’s shift from reactive administration to proactive, data-driven, and continuously optimized HR operations. Minimum Qualifications • Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Information Systems, or related field • 5+ years of experience in HR systems, records management, HRIS, or data governance • Experience interpreting and applying regulatory requirements related to data privacy, security, and records retention • Experience with process improvement, system optimization, or workflow design Preferred Qualifications • Experience in higher education or similarly regulated environment • Advanced experience with HRIS/HCM systems (e.g., Oracle or similar platforms) • Experience supporting audits, system implementations, integrations, or data migration projects • Experience developing reports, dashboards, or analytics to support business decision-making • Familiarity with process automation tools or self-service system design