Our Consultant Spotlight series is an opportunity to meet our team at HRchitect. Every month we shine a spotlight on a consultant for you to learn more about. Get to know more about Christian Soto in this month’s Consultant Spotlight.
Christian Soto, MBA, PMP is a Senior Implementation Consultant who brings over 4 years of UKG Dimensions consulting experience to the HRchitect team. Christian is known as a self-motivated and dynamic professional, with groundbreaking success in delivering simultaneous, large-scale, mission-critical projects on time, and within budget. Christian not only exemplifies stellar technical and leadership capabilities but embodies the solid knowledge and ability to navigate his projects while consistently exceeding the client’s expectations.
Hometown: Naguabo, Puerto Rico
Alma mater: I received my Master of Business Administration with a Concentration in Quality Management from Universidad Del Turabo in Gurabo, Puerto Rico and my Bachelor of Business Administration with a Concentration in Business Marketing from Universidad Interamericana in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.
All-time favorite restaurant: Texas Roadhouse. Though I live in Puerto Rico I love to go to Texas Roadhouse when I visit my family in Florida. Living in Puerto Rico I eat a lot of seafood, so I enjoy their different cuisine, in particular the steak and rolls.
Favorite series: Game of Thrones
What do you do when you’re not working? I like to play basketball with my nephew. He is in high school and I help him to practice his skills and attend his games. I also enjoy working out at the gym and enjoy going to the beach.
How did you find out about HRchitect, and what made you join the company? I worked with my Implementation Manager, Paula Tadayesky at a previous consulting firm. She was looking to join a smaller company that treated employees like family and she joined HRchitect. She told me about HRchitect, how happy she was, and that they were looking to add consultants to the UKG Dimensions team. I joined the HRchitect team in 2022.
How has your background impacted your experience as a consultant? I spent the first seven years of my career as a Project Manager. So, when I started my consulting career, the combination of my technical skills and IT background in addition to my previous project management experience, gave me the necessary skills required as a Solutions Consultant to understand the importance of project documentation and timelines to meet the client’s expectations.
In your own words, what do you do at HRchitect? In my role as a Senior Implementation Consultant, I help clients with all aspects of their UKG Dimensions implementation project. First, I review the scope of work of the implementation. I then review all the details to understand the clients I am working with, their unique needs, and their vertical. I try to give the best advice I can based on my expertise and their requirements for them to get the most out of the system. My clients appreciate how involved I get in the project, guiding them through the implementation and giving them the tips and tricks necessary for a successful implementation. I thoroughly enjoy building a good relationship with my clients.
What’s a typical workday like for you? I wake up at 6 a.m. to have my coffee and breakfast and then head to the gym. When I return, I check my emails, tend to my meetings, work on my current projects, and manage my integration work. I am currently working on two very large-scale long term projects; one with 22,000 employees and one with 55,000 employees that will last two years.
Tell me about a project you’ve worked on that you’re particularly proud of. I am very proud of an implementation project I was involved in at a former consulting firm for a well-known cell phone network. This was a very large implementation project for 65,000 employees and the project lasted for one year. It was so exciting when it went live.
What’s been one of your favorite destinations to travel to for a client site visit? I have not been on a client visit yet with HRchitect; however, last November the whole team flew to Las Vegas for 3 days to celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary. It was such a fun time to meet everyone in person, and I enjoyed that.
As part of a team that works 100% virtually, what technology or collaboration tools do you use to make your work life easier? For collaboration tools, I use a combination of Slack, MS Teams, and One Note.
What motivates you to wake up and go to work every day? I am motivated by the fact that I love what I do. Every day is different. That makes my job super fun. Every day I learn something new and collaborate with my team. My managers, my clients, and my team make my job exciting and enjoyable.
Which employee perk that HRchitect offers do you enjoy the most? Why? I enjoy HRchitect’s water cooler slack channels during my downtime to break up the day and make work fun. I also enjoy the Trivia Nights. HRchitect allows a good balance of work and fun.