HCM principal consultant

About PARA ConsultingPARA Consulting is a people-centric consulting firm dedicated to helping businesses optimize technology, people, and processes. We provide strategic and tactical services across HR, ERP, and business operations—delivering high-impact outcomes through tailored digital ecosystem solutions. From full HR outsourcing and NetSuite ERP support to workforce planning and business process automation, PARA brings integrity, agility, and community into everything we do.As a remote organization, we prioritize flexibility, outcomes, and sustainable growth for our clients and team members alike.Why Choose PARA?Growth Opportunities – Build expertise across domains, work on high-visibility projects, and shape scalable delivery processes.True Strategic Impact – Be part of our clients’ long-term transformations, not just one-off projects.Mentorship & Leadership Development – Opportunities to coach junior resources and help grow PARA.Autonomy & Flexibility – We trust our team to deliver resultsRemote-First Culture – Work from anywhere and connect meaningfully with global teammates.Lean, Agile Operations – Skip corporate red tape, just make it happen.About the RolePARA Consulting is seeking an experienced HCM Principal Consultant to join our implementation team and lead our HCM practice delivery.This role expands beyond a traditional HCM Lead position. In addition to serving as the Lead Consultant on complex client implementations, you will oversee all HCM projects across PARA Consulting, ensuring consistency, quality, and successful delivery at scale.You will be responsible for driving functional excellence, guiding implementation teams, and acting as the senior functional authority across HCM engagements. This role combines hands-on consulting, project oversight, client advisory, and team leadership.You will partner closely with technical leads, project managers, and leadership while serving as the highest-level functional expert for HCM clients.What You’ll DoServe as the Lead Consultant on HCM implementations from discovery through go-liveOversee all active HCM projects, ensuring alignment with delivery standards, timelines, and quality expectationsLead and review functional configurations across HCM modulesCreate, review, and approve functional documentation, workflows, and UAT test scriptsEnsure compliance with SOC/SOX requirements and client-facing audit controlsFacilitate executive-level client workshops and business requirement sessionsAct as the escalation point for complex functional, compliance, or delivery issuesPartner with Project Management to monitor project health, risks, and success metricsMentor, coach, and provide functional guidance to HCM consultants across projectsEnsure consistency in implementation approach, documentation, and best practicesCollaborate with cross-functional teams to align business requirements with system capabilitiesMinimum RequirementsBachelor’s degree in HR, IT, Business Administration, or a related field5+ years of experience in HCM consulting or HR systems implementations (Rippling, Workday, NetSuite SuitePeople, ADP, UKG, or similar)2+ years of experience in a lead, senior, or supervisory roleProven experience leading end-to-end HCM implementationsStrong experience creating and reviewing functional documentation and UAT test scriptsSolid knowledge of SOC/SOX compliance or internal control frameworksExcellent stakeholder management and client-facing communication skillsAbility to translate business needs into scalable HCM system configurationsStrong understanding of end-to-end HR processes and optimized HCM workflows Preferred Qualifications(Not required, but will make you stand out)Relevant HCM certifications (e.g., Workday HCM, Rippling, ADP, UKG)Experience overseeing multiple concurrent HCM implementationsExperience in multi-country or global HCM deploymentsKnowledge of regional compliance requirements (GDPR, SOX, labor regulations)Familiarity with payroll, tax, benefits administration, and open enrollment workflowsExperience with HR data migration and system integrationsA Day in the LifeYou begin your day reviewing dashboards across all active HCM projects, quickly identifying risks, dependencies, and areas requiring attention. During your morning standup, you align with project managers and consultants, providing guidance on complex configurations and unblocking critical issues.Mid-morning, you step into a high-priority client escalation call as the Lead Consultant, translating business concerns into clear functional solutions and ensuring delivery stays on track. You review a go-live readiness checklist for one client while advising another team on a challenging payroll or benefits configuration.In the afternoon, you lead a cross-functional workshop to align technical and business teams, review implementation quality across projects, and mentor consultants on best practices. You close your day confident that all HCM projects under your oversight are progr