Job Description

Who We Are

Founded in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a private, not-for-profit educational, historic, and cultural institution that owns and operates one of the largest and best-known museum complexes in the world. Our mission is “that the future may learn from the past” through preserving and restoring 18th-century Williamsburg, Virginia’s colonial capital. We engage, inform, and inspire people to learn about this historic capital, the events that occurred here, and the diverse peoples who helped shape a new nation.

Today, Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the U.S. The Historic Area is the 301-acre restored colonial capital with 88 original buildings and 525 buildings reconstructed to how they appeared in the 18th century through extensive archaeological, architectural, and documentary research. The Historic Area is staffed by highly trained, historically dressed interpreters and expert tradespeople who bring the 18th century to life. The Foundation also owns and operates two world-class museums, the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, and a renowned research library, the John D Rockefeller Jr Library.

Additionally, Colonial Williamsburg is home to five world class accommodations at the Williamsburg Inn, Williamsburg Lodge Autograph Collection, the Griffin Hotel, the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotels and Suites and the unique Colonial Houses in the Historical Area. Visitors may also indulge in food and drink at our many on site restaurants and taverns that blend a historically inspired dining experience with today’s evolved tastes. Each year over 5 million people visit Williamsburg and another 20 million engage with us digitally.

About the Position

The Director, HRIS is responsible for the strategic leadership, governance, implementation, optimization, and ongoing support of the organization's Human Resources Information Systems, with primary accountability for the successful implementation and adoption of Workday Human Capital Management (HCM) and related HR modules over the next twelve to twenty-four months. This role serves as the business lead for HR technology transformation initiatives, partnering closely with Human Resources, Payroll, Finance, IT, and external implementation partners to design and deploy scalable, compliant, and user-centric solutions.The Director, HRIS provides leadership across the full system lifecycle—from strategy, requirements gathering, design, testing, change management, training, deployment, and stabilization through ongoing enhancement and support. This hands-on leader drives process standardization, operational excellence, data integrity, and continuous improvement while developing a high-performing HRIS team and ensuring HR technology investments deliver measurable business value.This role is based in Williamsburg, VA with remote workplace flexibility available.

Main Duties

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Lead the enterprise implementation of Workday HCM and related modules, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within budget, and aligned with business objectives.
• Establish implementation governance, project plans, milestones, risk management strategies, testing protocols, change management plans, and post-go-live support models.
• Serve as the primary HR technology leader and strategic partner to HR, Payroll, Finance, IT, and executive stakeholders throughout implementation and transformation initiatives.
• Direct requirements gathering, process design, system configuration, testing, data conversion, integration strategy, user acceptance testing, training, and deployment activities.
• Manage relationships with Workday, implementation partners, consultants, and third-party vendors to ensure successful project execution and value realization.
• Lead organizational change management efforts to drive user adoption, process consistency, and long-term success of implemented solutions.
• Oversee day-to-day administration, maintenance, and optimization of the Workday platform following implementation.
• Lead and mentor a team of HRIS professionals, establishing priorities, development plans, and performance expectations.
• Partner with subject matter experts across compensation, talent acquisition, benefits, talent management, payroll, finance, and IT to streamline processes, reduce manual effort, and improve the employee experience.
• Configure, test, troubleshoot, and maintain Workday business processes, security, integrations, and system functionality.
• Develop and execute an HR technology roadmap that supports organizational goals and future growth.
• Manage Workday releases and upgrades, evaluating new functionality and implementing enhancements where appropriate.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, internal controls, security standards, and governance processes.
• Establish data governance standards and reporting strategies that improve decision-making and workforce analytics.
• Continuously identify opportunities to leverage technology to improve efficiency, accuracy, compliance, and user experience.
• Participate in the evaluation, selection, and implementation of future HR technologies and related business systems.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and resource for enterprise technology initiatives that impact HR processes and data.

This job description reflects the general responsibilities of the position and is not intended to be an exhaustive list. Duties and responsibilities may evolve over time based on operational needs.

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Information Systems, Business Administration, or related field.
• 8+ years of progressive HRIS experience, including significant experience leading enterprise HR technology initiatives.
• Demonstrated success leading at least one full-cycle Workday implementation, including planning, configuration, testing, deployment, and stabilization.
• 5+ years of Workday configuration experience, including Business Processes, Security, and core HCM functionality.
• Experience implementing and/or supporting multiple Workday modules such as HCM, Recruiting, Talent, Compensation, Benefits, Time Tracking, Absence, Payroll, and/or Learning.
• 3+ years of people leadership experience managing HRIS, systems, or project teams.
• Strong program and project management skills with the ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives.
• Experience managing implementation partners, consultants, vendor relationships, budgets, and project resources.
• Strong understanding of HR operations, data governance, compliance requirements, and process improvement methodologies.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at all organizational levels.
• Demonstrated ability to balance strategic planning with hands-on execution in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and change management capabilities