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 Stephanie Salley, MBA in this month’s Consultant Spotlight.
Stephanie Salley brings over 20 years of Project Management and HCM technology experience to the HRchitect team. Stephanie gained her project management skills from top organizations such as the State of Arizona, ADP, and American Express. As a Project Manager, Stephanie is responsible for managing the complete life cycle of client-facing HCM implementation projects at HRchitect. Stephanie excels in managing several projects simultaneously to ensure the successful delivery of our projects on time and within budget.
Hometown: I am originally from Arkadelphia, Arkansas, but I relocated and currently live in Arizona.
Alma mater: I received both my MBA and B.S. in Business from Western International University in Arizona as well as a Human Resource Management Certification and Project Management Certification from the University of Phoenix, in Tempe, Arizona.
All-time favorite restaurant: My favorite restaurant is Wing Stop. I love the wings with the Louisiana rub.
Last book you read: The last book I read and completed was The Bible. I am re-reading it again to gain even more insight.
What do you do when you’re not working? I love to travel. My favorite place I traveled to was Israel in November of 2022. I am looking forward to going back to Israel as well as visiting Egypt, hopefully in 2025. Another favorite travel destination is Cabo San Lucas. I went there on a cruise for my 50th birthday.
How did you find out about HRchitect, and what made you join the company? I started researching consulting firms when I knew I wanted to make a career switch. HRchitect was the first consulting firm that came up in my online search. My prior experience at ADP was a good fit for the Project Management Office (PMO) at HRchitect and I could easily transfer my project management skillset into overseeing UKG implementation projects as the processes and procedures were similar to ADP. I have been loving my role at HRchitect ever since I joined.
How has your background impacted your experience as a consultant? My previous experience as a project manager implementing HR technology was very helpful in understanding UKG’s methodology for implementations. The initial process is the same as it was with previous systems that I have implemented, but with more project management involvement.
In your own words, what do you do at HRchitect? At HRchitect, I lead a team of consultants, facilitate status calls for clients and our internal team, create and maintain project plans, and provide status reports to our clients and leadership team. I am responsible for assisting the client and leading the consulting teams to ensure every project team member has what they need. In the event that challenges or concerns arise, I help to mitigate those risks and resolve concerns. Currently, I am working on 11 projects. I have some challenging days, but the challenges allow me to learn something new that I can share with my team and apply to future client engagements.
What’s a typical workday like for you? I go through my to-do list, tend to urgent emails, prepare for meetings, check Slack for any requests or any System Engineer (SE) needs or process updates, and facilitate status meetings for clients and internal meetings with the team.
What’s been one of your favorite destinations to travel to for a client site visit? I have not traveled a lot for client visits lately. However, one of my favorite destinations to travel in general is New York City.
As part of a team that works 100% virtually, what technology or collaboration tools do you use to make your work life easier? I use Slack for our internal team which is a great tool for collaboration, a quick answer, fun, and team kudos. I also use Zoom a lot internally and externally, and I use MS Teams within our PMO.
What motivates you to wake up and go to work every day? I am motivated by helping my clients improve their organization by implementing the software they chose. I’m also motivated by my team.
Which employee perk that HRchitect offers do you enjoy the most? Why? The Unlimited PTO is incredible. Many companies say they have unlimited PTO, but HRchitect truly stands by it. The management team truly instills work-life balance here. I also am enjoying a new perk, Summer Fridays, where employees are encouraged to take Friday afternoons off. That program was implemented in June at the suggestion of an employee.
Learn more about Stephanie on LinkedIn