1

Strategic Workforce Planning Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The Specialist translates business strategies into actionable workforce insights, analyzing demand, supply, location, and skills, and supports planning discussions leading to effective decisions.

Position Overview Cengage is seeking a strategic, analytical, and highly collaborative leader to serve as our first Head of Workforce Planning . This newly created role will establish workforce ...

next page

Showing results 1-20

Strategic Workforce Planning information

See salary details

$65.5K

$119.5K

$161.5K

How much do strategic workforce planning jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 18, 2026, the average yearly pay for strategic workforce planning in the United States is $119,462.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $100,500.00 and $138,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What jobs involve strategic planning?

Jobs that involve strategic planning include roles such as strategic planner, business analyst, management consultant, and corporate strategist. These positions require skills in analysis, forecasting, and decision-making to develop long-term goals and align resources accordingly.

Is WFM a good career?

Workforce Management (WFM) is a growing field that involves forecasting staffing needs, scheduling employees, and analyzing productivity to optimize organizational efficiency. It often requires skills in data analysis, scheduling tools, and communication, making it a viable career path with opportunities in various industries such as customer service, healthcare, and retail.

What is a Strategic Workforce Planning job?

A Strategic Workforce Planning job involves analyzing an organization’s current and future workforce needs to ensure the right talent is in place to achieve business objectives. Professionals in this role assess workforce trends, skills gaps, and succession planning while aligning talent strategies with long-term business goals. They collaborate with HR, finance, and leadership teams to develop data-driven workforce solutions. This role requires a strong understanding of labor market trends, organizational strategy, and workforce analytics.

What jobs will no longer exist in 2030?

Strategic workforce planning suggests that roles heavily reliant on manual, repetitive tasks, such as data entry clerks and assembly line workers, are likely to decline due to automation and AI advancements. Jobs requiring routine cognitive skills may also diminish as AI tools become more capable, while roles emphasizing complex problem-solving, creativity, and emotional intelligence are expected to grow. Workforce shifts will depend on technological progress, industry adoption, and reskilling efforts.

What does a strategic workforce planner do?

A strategic workforce planner analyzes an organization’s current and future staffing needs to ensure the right talent is in place to meet business goals. They use data, forecasting tools, and industry trends to develop long-term staffing strategies, often collaborating with HR and leadership. Strong analytical skills and knowledge of workforce analytics are essential for this role.

What does a typical week look like for someone working in Strategic Workforce Planning?

A typical week in Strategic Workforce Planning involves a mix of data analysis, forecasting future talent needs, and meeting with department leaders to understand business objectives. You may spend time developing workforce models, reviewing hiring trends, and creating reports to present recommendations to senior management. Collaboration with HR business partners, finance, and operations teams is common, making effective communication and relationship-building important. The work is both analytical and strategic, offering exposure to high-level decision-making and providing a solid pathway for career advancement into broader HR or organizational leadership roles.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Strategic Workforce Planning position, and why are they important?

To thrive in Strategic Workforce Planning, you need strong analytical abilities, business acumen, and a solid understanding of human resources principles, typically supported by a degree in HR, business, or a related field. Familiarity with workforce analytics platforms, HRIS, and advanced Excel skills—plus certifications like SHRM-SCP or SWP—are often considered a plus. Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and problem-solving skills help you influence decision-making and foster cross-departmental collaboration. These competencies are crucial because the role requires aligning talent strategies with business goals and ensuring the organization can anticipate and respond to workforce needs.

More about Strategic Workforce Planning jobs
What cities are hiring for Strategic Workforce Planning jobs? Cities with the most Strategic Workforce Planning job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Strategic Workforce Planning jobs? The most popular types of Strategic Workforce Planning jobs are:
What states have the most Strategic Workforce Planning jobs? States with the most job openings for Strategic Workforce Planning jobs include:
Infographic showing various Strategic Workforce Planning job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 90% Full Time, 6% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 81% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 14% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $119,462 per year, or $57.4 per hour.
Strategic Workforce Planning Lead

Strategic Workforce Planning Lead

Aurora Innovation

Pittsburgh, PA • On-site

Full-time, Part-time

Posted 8 days ago


Job description

Who we are
Aurora's mission is to deliver the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly.
The Aurora Driver will create a new era in mobility and logistics, one that will bring a safer, more efficient, and more accessible future to everyone.
At Aurora, you will tackle massively complex problems alongside other passionate, intelligent individuals, growing as an expert while expanding your knowledge. For the latest news from Aurora, visit aurora.tech or follow us on LinkedIn.
Aurora hires talented people with diverse backgrounds who are ready to help build a transportation ecosystem that will make our roads safer, get crucial goods where they need to go, and make mobility more efficient and accessible for all. We're searching for a Strategic Workforce Planning Lead.
The Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP) Lead will be a key driver in shaping our organizational capabilities and ensuring long-term success. This role is responsible for designing and executing a comprehensive SWP framework to analyze current workforce capabilities and forecast future talent needs based on business strategy and objectives. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker with deep business acumen, data-driven decision-making, and best-practice SWP methodologies.
Responsibilities:
Strategic Forecasting & Gap Analysis:
  • Demand Forecasting: Analyzing business goals (e.g., expansion into a new market) to project future staffing requirements.
  • Supply Analysis: Evaluating the current internal workforce to identify existing skills and potential attrition (retirements, turnover).
  • Gap Identification: Pinpointing the discrepancy between future needs and current reality, whether in total headcount or specific technical skills. Including how AI can augment human labor or change the profile of employees required in the future.
  • Partnership: Partner with Executive Leadership, Finance, Talent Acquisition, Compensation, and People Analytics to align workforce strategies with business goals, budget, and headcount projections.

Data Analytics & Reporting:
  • Predictive Modeling: Using historical data and market trends to build models that simulate various business scenarios (e.g., "What happens to our capacity if turnover increases by 10%?").
  • Metric Development: Develop data-driven models and dashboards to track key workforce metrics, trends (internal and external), and the efficacy of SWP initiatives. Translate workforce data into actionable insights for the C-suite.

Financial & Operational Alignment:
  • Budget Integration: Partnering with the Finance department to ensure hiring plans align with the annual operating budget and long-range financial plans.
  • Resource Optimization: Recommending the ideal mix of full-time, part-time, and contingent (contract) workers to maximize efficiency.
  • Location Strategy: Advising on where talent should be located based on cost, skill availability, and business continuity.

Talent Strategy:
  • Identify critical talent gaps, surpluses, and skill adjacencies, developing mitigation strategies (e.g., build, buy, borrow).
  • Skill Mapping: Identifying "perishing" skills that are no longer needed and "emerging" skills (like AI proficiency) that must be prioritized.

Skills:
  • Business Athlete Mindset: You are deeply knowledgeable about the business and industry, comfortable navigating and leading others through ambiguity, pivoting quickly to address new challenges, and solving complex problems without a pre-existing playbook.
  • Systems Thinker: You recognize the connections across the organization, and take a holistic approach to analyzing situations and developing solutions that are sustainable in the longer term and account for system interdependencies.
  • Strategic Acumen: You have an ability to translate long-term business strategy into concrete workforce initiatives.
  • Data-Driven: You use data and insights to proactively diagnose issues, inform your recommendations, influence decisions, and measure the impact of your work.
  • Execution Excellence: You deliver high quality results through leading projects and initiatives with milestones and delivery schedules in partnership with stakeholders, and develop clear action plans with results-oriented goals for measuring success.
  • Resilience and a Growth Mindset: You possess the resilience to thrive in a fast-paced environment and the ability to energize those around you.
  • Consulting & Partnering: You have a strong ability to build trust and credibility with business leaders and other partners as a subject matter expert, and to collaborate effectively across multiple business areas and teams in a fast-paced environment.
  • Innovation: You have a continuous improvement mindset, seeking out and applying best practices and technology solutions in the HR space.
  • Change Management: You are skilled in leading organizational change and ensuring successful adoption of new HR processes.

Qualifications:
  • 10+ years of progressive experience in Human Resources, with a strong focus on Workforce Planning
  • Proven experience partnering directly with C-suite executives within a rapidly scaling organization.
  • Technology industry experience is strongly preferred.
  • Bachelor's degree in Human Resources (or related field) required. Advanced degree preferred.
  • Proven experience designing and implementing Strategic Workforce Planning frameworks and models.
  • Highly proficient in using Workday and other systems/tools tools to extract, analyze, and present data-driven insights to senior leaders.
  • Exceptional verbal, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization.
  • Strong communication skills (written and verbal) to effectively address all organizational levels.
  • Fluent in English.
  • Ability to travel within the U.S. approximately 10% of the time.
  • This role requires this person to be in the office at least 3 days per week.

The base salary range for this position is $147k - $238k per year. Aurora's pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, the successful candidate's starting base pay will be determined based on factors including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, relevant education or training, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future. The successful candidate will also be eligible for an annual bonus, equity compensation, and benefits.
#LI-MS1
#Mid-Senior
Working at AuroraAt Aurora, we bring together extraordinarily talented and experienced people united by the strength of our values. We operate with integrity, set outrageous goals, and build a culture where we win together - all without any jerks.
We believe in-person work increases collaboration, empathy and our ability to lead effectively. As a result, we operate in a hybrid work environment where Aurorans are in office at least 3 days per week.
Our Careers page provides insight into what it is like to work at Aurora, and you can find all the latest updates in our Newsroom.
Our commitment to safety
At the core of everything we do is our commitment to safety. Building best-in-class self-driving technology will take time, and we believe that each employee at Aurora has a role in contributing to safety, every step of the way. Aurora expects commitment to our safety policies from every employee, and seeks candidates who take an active responsibility, can contribute to building an atmosphere of trust, and invest in the organization's long-term success by prioritizing working safely, no matter what.
Our commitment to inclusion
Aurora considers candidates without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy status, parent or caregiver status, ancestry, political affiliation, veteran and/or military status, physical or mental disability, or any other status protected by federal or state law. Aurora considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at careersiteaccommodations@aurora.tech.
For California applicants, information collected and processed as part of your application and any job applications you choose to submit is subject to Aurora's California Employment Privacy Policy.