Strategic Workforce Planning Program Manager

Strategic Workforce Planning Program Manager

Job Summary

The Strategic Workforce Planning Program Manager supports the launch and ongoing execution of the Strategic Workforce Planning function. This role manages key workstreams related to program planning, tools, resources, training, communications, and cross-functional coordination. Working with HR business partners, Workforce Intelligence, Finance, and local subject matter experts, this role helps define business requirements, support tool and vendor evaluations, coordinate pilots, and drive adoption of workforce planning processes and resources. The role also helps translate workforce insights into clear business implications, decision options, and recommended next steps. This is a highly collaborative role suited for someone who is comfortable building structure in a developing function and translating ambiguity into organized plans, routines, and deliverables.

Key Job Responsibilities

Program & Workstream Management

• Build and maintain integrated project plans, timelines, dependencies, and milestone tracking across Strategic Workforce Planning workstreams.
• Help establish and maintain the operating cadence for the Strategic Workforce Planning function, including recuring planning routines, governance checkpoints, and status updates.
• Manage routine program governance deliverables, including action tracking, decision logs, and concise stakeholder updates.
• Prepare decision materials that summarize options, tradeoffs, risks, dependencies, and recommended next steps.
• Facilitate working sessions, capture decisions, drive follow-ups, and escalate issues as needed.

Tool Planning & Vendor Evaluation Support

• Partner with Workforce Intelligence to support Strategic Workforce Planning tool evaluations, including criteria, scorecards, and demo materials tied to business use cases.
• Coordinate vendor touchpoints, including scheduling, agendas, materials, notes, and comparison summaries.
• Document workforce planning options and tradeoffs, including implementation considerations, risks, dependencies, and time-to-value.

Requirements & Implementation Planning

• Partner with Strategic Workforce Planning Analysts and Workforce Intelligence to define business requirements for dashboards, datasets, and workflow needs.
• Support implementation planning, including scope, resources, roadmap, training inputs, and readiness criteria.
• Coordinate user acceptance testing, capture feedback, and help translate feedback into backlog items and release plans.

Enablement, Training & Communications

• Support adoption and change management activities, including training calendars, office hours, pilot sessions, stakeholder communications, and feedback loops.
• Support partner-facing toolkit materials, such as quick-start guides, FAQs, release notes, and how-to resources.
• Establish feedback loops with HR partners and local subject matter experts to identify recurring issues and practical improvements.

Governance, Quality, and Sustainment

• Support governance routines, including intake, prioritization, change control, publish readiness, and issue triage.
• Track issues related to data refresh, access, or tooling, and coordinate triage and stakeholder communications with Workforce Intelligence.
• Document repeatable standard work and transition operational routines as the function matures.

Job Requirements (Skills & Experience)

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Business, Project Management, Information Systems, Analytics, or related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• 3-5+ years of experience in program development, program management, HR, analytics, learning and development, or a related field.
• Demonstrated program and project management capability (planning, dependency management, meeting facilitation, action tracking, status reporting).
• Experience coordinating cross-functional work involving HR, analytics, technology, and/or finance partners.
• Experience supporting requirements development and implementation planning.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to produce clear, partner-friendly materials and executive-ready updates.
• Experience preparing concise updates, recommendations, and decision materials for leadership.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to coordinate across multiple workstreams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting dashboards, tools, and data products (requirements, testing, rollout coordination, adoption support).
• Familiarity with HR data and Strategic Workforce Planning concepts (definitions, cadence schedules, data quality principles, access considerations).
• Experience supporting vendor demos and evaluations (criteria development, scorecards, comparison summaries).
• Familiarity with collaboration and program/project management tools (Teams/SharePoint, Planner/Project/Smartsheet, etc.).

Additional Success Factors

• Operates with a high degree of ownership, accountability, and follow-through in a developing function.
• Brings structure, clarity, and momentum to complex, cross-functional work.
• Communicates proactively with stakeholders and helps keep workstreams aligned, organized, and moving forward.
• Demonstrates sound judgment when managing priorities, dependencies, risks, and tradeoffs.
• Continuously improves processes, tools, and routines to support effective Strategic Workforce Planning delivery.

About Southern Company

Southern Company (NYSE: SO ) is a leading energy provider serving 9 million customers across the Southeast and beyond through its family of companies. Providing clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy with excellent service is our mission. The company has electric operating companies in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a competitive generation company, a leading distributed energy solutions provider with national capabilities, a fiber optics network and telecommunications services. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation, resilience and sustainability, we are taking action to meet customers'' and communities'' needs while advancing our goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Our uncompromising values ensure we put the needs of those we serve at the center of everything we do and are the key to our sustained success. We are transforming energy into economic, environmental and social progress for tomorrow. Our corporate culture has been recognized by a variety of organizations, earning the company awards and recognitions that reflect Our Values and dedication to service. To learn more, visit www.southerncompany.com .

Southern Company invests in the well-being of its employees and their families through a comprehensive total rewards strategy that includes competitive base salary, annual incentive awards for eligible employees and health, welfare and retirement benefits designed to support physical, financial, and emotional/social well-being. This position may also be eligible for additional compensation, such as an incentive program, with the amount of any bonus/awards subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable incentive plan(s). A summary of the benefits offered for this position can be found here https://seo.nlx.org/southernco/pdf/SOCO-Benefits.pdf . Additional and specific details about total compensation and benets will also be provided during the hiring process.

Southern Company is an equal opportunity employer where an applicant''s qualifications are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Job Identification: 21288

Job Category: Human Resources

Job Schedule: Full time

Company: Southern Company Services