Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for HR Data Management Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The HR Data Management Coordinator is responsible for ensuring the accuracy, integrity, and accessibility of workforce data across HR systems and downstream reporting. This role acts as the operational owner of HR data governance, HRIS maintenance, HR reporting and analytics support, and cross-functional coordination with payroll, talent, and finance teams. The ideal candidate combines strong HR systems knowledge (Workday, ADP, SuccessFactors, Oracle), data manipulation and reporting skills (SQL, Excel, Power BI/Tableau), and a customer-service mindset to deliver timely, compliant, and actionable HR data.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

HR Coordinator or HR Assistant transitioning into systems and data responsibilities
HRIS Analyst or HR Reporting Analyst with 1–3 years of experience
People Operations or HR Operations Associate with exposure to HR systems and payroll

Advancement To:

HRIS Manager or HR Systems Lead
HR Data Manager / HR Analytics Manager
HR Operations Manager or Senior HR Business Partner (with analytics focus)

Lateral Moves:

Payroll Specialist or Time & Attendance Analyst
Compensation & Benefits Analyst with strong data skills
Talent Analytics or Workforce Planning Analyst

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Maintain and administer the HRIS environment (e.g., Workday, ADP, SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle HCM) by managing user access, security roles, business process configurations, and periodic system updates to ensure reliable production performance and compliance.
Manage end-to-end data integrity processes including daily/weekly reconciliation of headcount, hires, terminations, transfers, job and payroll data across HRIS, payroll, finance, timekeeping, and benefits platforms to eliminate discrepancies and support accurate reporting.
Design, create, and maintain standard and ad-hoc HR reports and dashboards using SQL, Power BI, Tableau, or similar BI tools; translate business questions into metrics and clear visualizations for HR leadership and business stakeholders.
Run complex data extracts and transformations (ETL) for reporting, workforce analytics, payroll feeds, and HR projects—documenting processes and automating recurring jobs to reduce manual work and risk.
Own HR data governance and data quality initiatives: define data standards, implement validation rules, perform routine audits, and lead remediation efforts to improve completeness, consistency, and accuracy of employee records.
Serve as the primary point of contact for HR system change requests from business stakeholders; gather functional requirements, scope impact on data/processes, test configuration changes, and coordinate release to production.
Support payroll processing by providing timely headcount and employee status updates, auditing payroll feeds, investigating pay exceptions, and partnering with payroll vendors and finance to resolve issues.
Conduct root-cause analysis of recurring data problems, implement corrective actions, and track outcomes with clear documentation and follow-up to prevent reoccurrence.
Lead new hire system onboarding for HRIS users and HR business partners including training, role provisioning, job aids, and troubleshooting to boost adoption and reduce support tickets.
Coordinate and execute system integrations and API/data transfers between HRIS and third-party systems (time & attendance, benefits carriers, LMS), partnering with IT and vendors to ensure secure, scheduled, and tested data flows.
Support annual and ad-hoc compliance reporting (EEO, OSHA, COBRA/ACA, GDPR/CCPA requirements) by assembling required datasets, validating source data, and coordinating with legal or compliance teams.
Manage change control and release management activities: define test cases, execute UAT with HR stakeholders, document results, and maintain release notes and back-out plans.
Perform data modeling and maintain a data dictionary / metadata repository that documents fields, definitions, owners, and transformation logic to standardize reporting and reduce ambiguity.
Reconcile and validate equity, compensation, and bonus payment data in coordination with Total Rewards and Finance to ensure correct plan eligibility and payment processing.
Monitor HR system performance and support incident management by triaging support tickets, coordinating vendor escalations, and providing timely status updates to stakeholders.
Establish and maintain SLA-driven processes for HR reporting requests and HRIS support, tracking metrics like ticket resolution time, data accuracy rates, and dashboard refresh frequency.
Drive continuous improvement by identifying automation opportunities (Power Automate, scripts, stored procedures) and small-scale system enhancements to streamline HR operations and reporting cadence.
Partner with recruiters, talent acquisition, and people managers to ensure candidate and onboarding data flows are complete, reducing time-to-productivity and improving new hire data accuracy.
Validate and reconcile headcount and payroll cost center allocations in collaboration with finance and HR operations to support budgeting, forecasting, and month-end close activities.
Facilitate cross-functional meetings with HR, finance, IT, and external vendors to align on system roadmaps, data requirements, timelines, and escalation paths for critical HR projects.
Create and maintain user-facing documentation, process maps, and training materials that reflect as-built system configurations, standard operating procedures, and data stewardship responsibilities.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Assist with HR compliance audits by preparing requested datasets and evidence of data governance practices.
Participate in vendor evaluations and RFPs for HR technology by providing data requirements, integration constraints, and scoring on data handling capabilities.
Help manage master data for contingent workforce and contractor populations, ensuring consistent processes for onboarding, offboarding, and data feeds.
Provide subject matter expertise on HR data definitions during organizational reorganizations, mergers, or acquisitions to support data harmonization and migration.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

HRIS administration (Workday, ADP, SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle HCM) — user provisioning, security roles, configuration, and maintenance.
Strong SQL skills for querying, joining, aggregating, and troubleshooting HR datasets across relational databases.
Advanced Excel (PivotTables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, Power Query) for complex reconciliations and ad-hoc analyses.
Data visualization and reporting tools (Power BI, Tableau, Looker) — design, publish, and maintain interactive dashboards and scheduled reports.
ETL and data integration experience (API, flat-file feeds, SFTP, middleware) with ability to document and troubleshoot data flows.
Data governance and master data management — standards creation, validation rules, and stewardship.
Understanding of HR processes: payroll, benefits administration, time and attendance, onboarding, offboarding, job and comp structures.
Familiarity with data privacy and compliance frameworks (GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA where applicable) and techniques for data masking/anonymization.
Basic scripting or automation skills (Python, PowerShell, or R) to automate repetitive data tasks and improve operational efficiency.
Experience with ticketing and ITSM tools (ServiceNow, Jira) for incident tracking and change management.
Knowledge of reporting and analytics methodologies: headcount reporting, turnover, attrition, FTE calculations, and workforce planning metrics.
Strong documentation skills including data dictionaries, runbooks, and process maps for auditability and handover.

Soft Skills

High attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy and consistency.
Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills; able to translate technical data concepts for HR and business partners.
Problem-solving mindset with a bias for action and continuous improvement.
Confidentiality and integrity when handling sensitive employee and payroll information.
Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize multiple concurrent requests and deadlines.
Collaborative team player who builds trust across HR, IT, Finance, and external vendors.
Project management aptitude; capable of managing small-to-medium cross-functional initiatives independently.
Customer-service orientation with a proactive approach to support and escalations.
Analytical curiosity and the ability to turn raw HR data into actionable insights.
Adaptability to changing HR policies, systems upgrades, and business priorities.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Information Systems, Data Analytics, Business Administration, or related field; or equivalent relevant work experience.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s degree plus HRIS-specific certifications or advanced coursework in data analytics; certifications such as SHRM-CP, PHR, Workday Pro, or SuccessFactors Certification are a plus.
Coursework or certification in SQL, Power BI/Tableau, or data governance.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Human Resources Management
Management Information Systems (MIS)
Data Analytics / Business Analytics
Computer Science / Information Technology
Business Administration / Finance

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years of progressive HR systems, HR data, or HR analytics experience.

Preferred: 3–7 years experience administering HRIS platforms, producing HR reports and dashboards, performing data reconciliation, and partnering with payroll/finance teams. Proven track record of improving HR data quality, automating reporting processes, and delivering insights to HR leadership.