Product Manager, HR Technology

Company: Ares Operations
Location: Los Angeles
Posted on: April 1, 2026

Job Description:

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry. Job Description Ares is seeking a Product Manager, HR Technology to join Corporate Technology, reporting to the Product Lead, HR (who reports to the Head of Corporate Technology). This role will own assigned product areas and initiatives within our global HR Technology portfolio, supporting product strategy, roadmap execution, and delivery across HR and employee-lifecycle technologies. This role sits at the intersection of HR, Technology, and cross-functional operational teams, helping evolve HR data, process automation, and platform capabilities across Workday HCM and adjacent systems. This role requires an adaptable, detail-oriented and trustworthy professional who can operate successfully across various phases of a dynamic project and can multi-task and transition quickly as business priorities shift. The ideal candidate combines strong HR domain knowledge with solid product management discipline — translating complex HR and operational needs into scalable technology solutions that support accurate employee data, consistent global processes, regulatory alignment, and a strong employee experience. Strong understanding of Workday HCM functionality, best practices, and data structures with the ability to evaluate solution options, articulate tradeoffs, and partner with Workday configuration experts to deliver scalable, compliant designs — configuration experience is beneficial but not required. In addition, strong understanding of broader HR applications and adjacent enterprise systems, including how platforms interoperate through integrations, data flows, APIs, and downstream dependencies within a global technology ecosystem. PRIMARY FUNCTIONS AND ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES Product Strategy & Roadmap Ownership Own roadmap planning and execution for assigned product areas within the HR Technology portfolio, ensuring alignment with broader HR and enterprise technology strategy. Translate business objectives into clear product initiatives with defined outcomes, KPIs, and a prioritization framework that balances immediate business needs with longer-term platform evolution. HR Domain Expertise Apply strong knowledge of employee lifecycle processes (hire, onboarding, job changes, org management, separations), global data standards, security models, and compliance requirements to support product decisions and delivery. Partner with key stakeholders to understand business processes and opportunities for process improvement, automation, and simplification across HR processes and technical workflows. Contribute to the implementation, enhancement, and ongoing support of HR applications such as Workday HCM, Workday Learning, Workday Prism, Visier, and related tools, helping identify opportunities for process improvement, scalability, and better user outcomes. Solution Design & Delivery Collaborate with architecture and integration teams to ensure HR platforms integrate reliably with downstream applications (payroll, time, benefits, finance, analytics). Ensure solution designs account for downstream dependencies, data quality impacts, and cross-platform integrations across key HR and enterprise systems. Own assigned initiatives through the product lifecycle from discovery and design through implementation, testing, deployment, and post-launch iteration. Help drive modern, resilient solution design leveraging Workday configuration best practices and scalable data models. Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence Ensure consistent execution of testing, training, deployment governance, and support processes. Maintain strong vendor relationships and evaluate new platform capabilities with Workday and other HR technologies. Coordinate cross-platform dependencies and sequencing with other HR Technology product owners and platform teams to ensure end-to-end process outcomes. Collaborate with Enterprise Architecture and Information Security to ensure solutions align with architectural standards, resiliency requirements, identity/access controls, privacy, and data governance expectations. Provide executive-ready reporting and decision support: roadmap progress, risks/issues, dependencies, KPIs, and clear recommendations with appropriate context. Oversee vendor/consulting resources as needed, ensuring delivery quality, documentation standards, and alignment with Ares’ operating model. Maintain delivery discipline and transparency through strong tool usage and hygiene, including Jira, Confluence, and Smartsheet (plans, milestones, RAID, status). QUALIFICATIONS Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computing, HR, Information Systems or related fields Experience Required: 5 years of progressive experience in HR Technology, HRIS, or product management for enterprise HR platforms, with demonstrated ownership of assigned product areas and delivery of HR technology initiatives. Strong knowledge of HR business processes, including onboarding, employee lifecycle (e.g. Hire, Term, Change Job), and HR data structures including supervisory organizations, cost centers, and custom organizations. Demonstrated experience acting as a product owner or product manager for enterprise HR technology platforms, ideally Workday HCM. Proven track record of delivering technology initiatives end-to-end using modern product development practices (Agile, discovery, iterative delivery). Strong collaboration, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence decisions and work effectively across teams. Analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a focus on delivering results and improving processes. Working knowledge of agile principles and tools such as Jira and Confluence. General Requirements: Attention to detail a must Adaptable, ability to manage multiple priorities, organized, and independent Strong/concise communication skills, experience providing support to end users Strong documentation skills of process, steps, methodology Strong team player High energy level Familiarity with alternative manager or investment management industry/Corporate HR business functions is a plus Consulting background is a plus Reporting Relationships Product Manager, HRIS Compensation The anticipated base salary range for this position is listed below. Total compensation may also include a discretionary performance-based bonus. Note, the range takes into account a broad spectrum of qualifications, including, but not limited to, years of relevant work experience, education, and other relevant qualifications specific to the role. $140,000 - $170,000 The firm also offers robust Benefits offerings. Ares U.S. Core Benefits include Comprehensive Medical/Rx, Dental and Vision plans; 401(k) program with company match; Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA); Healthcare Savings Accounts (HSA) with company contribution; Basic and Voluntary Life Insurance; Long-Term Disability (LTD) and Short-Term Disability (STD) insurance; Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and Commuter Benefits plan for parking and transit. Ares offers a number of additional benefits including access to a world-class medical advisory team, a mental health app that includes coaching, therapy and psychiatry, a mindfulness and wellbeing app, financial wellness benefit that includes access to a financial advisor, new parent leave, reproductive and adoption assistance, emergency backup care, matching gift program, education sponsorship program, and much more. There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.

Keywords: Ares Operations, Laguna Beach , Product Manager, HR Technology, IT / Software / Systems , Los Angeles, California