Workforce Planning Consultant

Location: Holmdel

Is the opportunity to join a culture where “We Do the Right Thing,” and “We Courageously Shape Our Future Together” important to you? If so, Guardian is seeking a motivated individual to join our team as a Workforce Planning Consultant.

This role will report to the Head of Workforce Management, Group Benefits and serve as a strategic workforce planning consultant, trusted advisor, and subject-matter expert. You will own and evolve workforce planning methodologies, lead complex scenario planning, and translate workforce data into executive-ready recommendations that influence staffing decisions.

You will be a partner with business leaders, Finance, Human Resources, Operations, Technology, and other stakeholders to evaluate workforce risks, challenge assumptions, and develop practical workforce strategies aligned with financial, operational, customer, and colleague objectives. Working with significant autonomy, you will lead specialized initiatives, create customized solutions to complex workforce challenges, and strengthen workforce planning capability through mentorship and knowledge transfer.

You will

Own and evolve workforce planning methodologies, standards, assumptions, and governance to support consistent, transparent, and defensible workforce decisions.

Lead complex workforce planning and scenario modeling efforts that evaluate demand, productivity, shrinkage, staffing, capacity, service, and operational risk.

Develop executive-ready workforce recommendations that clearly communicate alternatives, trade-offs, risks, and a recommended course of action.

Serve as a strategic advisor to senior business leaders by translating workforce insights into practical strategies aligned with business priorities and operating commitments.

Challenge workforce assumptions and established approaches when business conditions, emerging risks, or opportunities require a different solution.

Evaluate strategic staffing alternatives, including hiring, cross-training, vendor, channel, skill, productivity, and operating-model scenarios.

Influence workforce investment and resource decisions through objective analysis, consultative partnership, and clear articulation of business impact.

Identify emerging workforce risks and opportunities, recommend mitigation strategies, and provide decision support during periods of material business change or uncertainty.

Partner with Finance and business stakeholders to connect workforce plans with budgets, forecasts, productivity commitments, headcount strategies, and long-range business plans.

Lead complex or specialized workforce initiatives from problem definition through recommendation, stakeholder alignment, implementation support, and outcome review.

Mentor workforce planning talent by providing technical guidance, sharing best practices, and strengthening consultative and analytical capabilities across the team.

Communicate difficult concepts and recommendations to diverse audiences, adapting the message to build understanding, alignment, and action.

You have

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in business, finance, mathematics, statistics, data science, analytics, or a related field, or comparable professional experience.
10+ years of experience in workforce management, workforce planning, capacity planning, workforce analytics, or a related discipline, with demonstrated ownership of complex planning work and business recommendations.

Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to synthesize incomplete or conflicting information and develop customized solutions.

Experience advising senior leaders, challenging assumptions constructively, explaining trade-offs, and influencing decisions without formal authority.

Exceptional written, verbal,…