Kay Zachery – Senior HR Systems & People Operations Analyst

About Me

Systems thinker.
People-first operator.

I sit at the intersection of HR strategy and operational execution — the person who asks not just "what needs to change," but "how do we build it so it stays changed."

With a background spanning healthcare, higher education, and enterprise-scale operations (including Sodexo), I've built a track record of designing HR systems that reduce friction, accelerate adoption, and make data genuinely useful to the people who need it.

Much of my technical expertise — Power Automate, Smartsheet workflow and approval routing architecture, Visio process mapping, SharePoint integrations, and knowledge system design — is self-taught. That drive to figure things out means I don't just use tools. I optimize them for the problem at hand and build solutions that outlast the project.

My niche: HR Technology · Process Optimization · Knowledge Systems.

HR Systems Architecture

Designing HRIS workflows and data structures across platforms including ADP, UKG/Kronos, SAP SuccessFactors, Ellucian Banner, Cornerstone, and PeopleAdmin — from configuration through adoption.

Process Automation

Building end-to-end automation using Power Automate, Smartsheet approval routing logic, and SharePoint integrations — with audit trails and compliance tracking built in from day one, not bolted on afterward.

Knowledge Management

Designing SOP libraries, onboarding architectures, and searchable knowledge systems that reduce ramp time, improve adoption, and survive organizational change.

Cross-Functional Partnership

Translating between HR, IT, and vendor stakeholders — ensuring solutions get adopted and sustained, not just delivered and forgotten.

Case Studies

Work that moved the needle.

Four projects that demonstrate what happens when systems thinking meets organizational complexity.

Process Optimization

From $35K Monthly Leak to Policy-Driven Savings

The Problem

A legacy process and misaligned policy structure was costing the organization $35,000 every month — a figure hiding in plain sight across operational workflows that had never been audited end-to-end. The inefficiency was normalized, not recognized.

Approach

Conducted a cross-functional process audit across HR and Operations, mapping every step, decision point, and handoff in Visio. Identified redundancies, misaligned policies, and exception patterns that were silently consuming budget. Built a stakeholder-aligned redesign of both process flows and policy guardrails — with clear ownership documented at every stage and approval logic embedded into the Smartsheet workflow infrastructure.

Tools Used

Visio (Process Mapping) Smartsheet Power Automate Policy Analysis Stakeholder Workshops HRIS Reporting

Outcome

Full elimination of the $35K/month drain — $420,000 recovered annually. Policy documentation was updated, socialized, and adopted across teams. The process redesign became the organizational template for future audits, with the Visio maps serving as the living reference for ongoing process governance.

$420K

Recovered annually

$35K

Monthly savings, sustained

What this demonstrates

Senior-level financial impact through systematic analysis — not just identifying problems, but redesigning the structures that caused them, documenting the fix in Visio, and ensuring adoption sticks long-term.

Knowledge Architecture

Cutting New Hire Ramp Time in Half

The Problem

New hires were taking far too long to become productive contributors. Documentation was scattered, outdated, and context-free — creating a recurring pattern where institutional knowledge lived in people's heads, not in systems the team could access and maintain.

Approach

Audited the full onboarding journey from Day 1 through 90-day productivity milestones, cataloging every knowledge gap and friction point. Designed a centralized SOP library and documentation hub in SharePoint, with structured onboarding paths, role-specific guides, and a searchable knowledge base. Built Smartsheet workflows with Power Automate triggers to track onboarding progress and fire manager checkpoints automatically. Adoption was engineered into the design — not added as an afterthought.

Tools Used

SharePoint Smartsheet Power Automate Visio (Process Mapping) SOP Architecture HRIS Documentation

Outcome

Approximately 50% reduction in onboarding and ramp-to-productivity time. Managers reported faster team integration and fewer escalations in the first 30 days. The knowledge system became the organizational standard for subsequent onboarding cohorts — still in use and maintainable by non-technical staff.

50%

Reduction in ramp-up time

0 → 1

Knowledge system built from scratch

What this demonstrates

Strategic knowledge architecture — translating organizational complexity into structured, searchable systems that accelerate human performance and outlast the people who built them.

Automation Engineering

40 Hours Back Every Month Through End-to-End Automation

The Problem

High-volume manual HR tasks were consuming 40+ hours of team bandwidth every month at Sodexo. The work was repetitive, error-prone, and diverting attention from strategic priorities — but it had never been formally scoped as automatable. It was simply "how things were done."

Approach

Mapped all recurring HR workflows in Visio to surface automation candidates by volume, error rate, and complexity. Built a comprehensive Power Automate solution with Smartsheet-based approval routing logic — including multi-stage conditional approvals, escalation paths, and automated notifications. Integrated with SharePoint for document generation, audit logging, and secure storage. Designed compliance tracking directly into the automation layer so every action was logged and reviewable without additional manual effort. The entire framework was architected to be replicable across additional workflows with minimal rework.

Tools Used

Power Automate Smartsheet (Approval Routing) SharePoint Integration Visio (Workflow Design) Audit/Compliance Tracking Microsoft 365

Outcome

40 hours per month recovered and reallocated to strategic HR priorities. Error rate on affected processes dropped to near-zero. Compliance audit readiness improved significantly with full automated trail. Multiple additional workflows were subsequently built on the same framework — with no external vendor or developer support required.

40 hrs

Recovered per month

~0%

Error rate post-automation

What this demonstrates

End-to-end automation ownership — from Visio process mapping through production deployment — with compliance and audit logic built in from the start, not bolted on at the end.

Systems Transformation

Background Screening: From Fragmented to Fully Managed

The Problem

The background screening process was decentralized, inconsistently executed, and creating real compliance exposure with every new hire cycle. Multiple stakeholders operated with unclear ownership, no standardized tracking, and ad hoc communication — resulting in delays, compliance risk, and escalations that consumed leadership attention.

Approach

Redesigned the entire process from intake through adjudication using Visio to document every decision point, owner, and exception path. Built a Smartsheet tracking and reporting infrastructure with automated status updates and escalation triggers via Power Automate. Documented vendor SLAs in a formal agreement matrix, standardized all communication templates, and created an audit trail in SharePoint satisfying compliance requirements. Every component was designed to be maintained by stakeholders without specialized training.

Tools Used

Smartsheet Power Automate SharePoint Visio (Process Mapping) Vendor SLA Tracking Compliance Documentation

Outcome

Screening process became predictable, compliant, and fully measurable. Turnaround times improved materially across vendor partners. Compliance risk reduced through automated audit trails and documented adjudication records. The Smartsheet infrastructure became the system of record for all active screenings and vendor performance reporting.

100%

Process visibility achieved

↓ Risk

Compliance exposure reduced

What this demonstrates

The ability to take a high-stakes, compliance-sensitive process and transform it from reactive firefighting into proactive, auditable, stakeholder-ready management infrastructure.

Resume

The full picture.

Seeking Senior HR Systems / People Operations Analyst roles — fully remote.

Professional Summary

Senior HR Information Analyst with extensive hands-on expertise in HR systems architecture, process automation, and organizational knowledge management. Proven track record of delivering measurable financial and operational impact — including $420K in annual savings, 50% reductions in onboarding ramp time, and 40 hours/month recovered through automation — across healthcare, higher education, and enterprise environments. Brings deep experience with platforms including ADP, UKG/Kronos, SAP SuccessFactors, Ellucian Banner, Cornerstone OnDemand, and PeopleAdmin, alongside extensive automation expertise in Power Automate, Smartsheet approval routing, SharePoint integration, and Visio process mapping. Largely self-taught across technical disciplines; combines a continuous-improvement mindset with a commitment to building systems that scale, drive adoption, and leave operations stronger than I found them.

Experience

HR Information Analyst

Sodexo (Enterprise)

Enterprise-Scale Operations · Recent Role

Identified and resolved $35K/month ($420K annually) in process and policy inefficiencies through cross-functional audit, Visio process mapping, and full workflow redesign
Built and deployed end-to-end automation using Power Automate, Smartsheet approval routing logic with multi-stage conditional paths, and SharePoint integration for document generation and secure storage — recovering 40+ hours/month of manual effort with near-zero error rate
Designed and embedded audit and compliance tracking directly into automation workflows, ensuring every action was logged, timestamped, and reviewable without additional manual steps
Produced professional-grade process maps using Visio (self-taught) for stakeholder communication, system documentation, and ongoing process governance across multiple HR functions
Architected centralized knowledge management system and SOP library in SharePoint — reducing new hire onboarding and ramp-to-productivity time by approximately 50%
Transformed background screening process from fragmented, ad hoc execution to a fully tracked, SLA-governed, and audit-ready system using Smartsheet, Power Automate, and SharePoint
Served as primary cross-functional liaison between HR, IT, and external vendors during technology implementations, workflow builds, and system optimization initiatives
Developed and maintained comprehensive process documentation, training guides, and SOPs supporting multi-team HR operations at scale

HR Systems & Operations Roles

Healthcare & Higher Education Institutions

Previous Experience

Managed HR technology implementations — including Ellucian Banner, PeopleAdmin, and Cornerstone OnDemand — driving user adoption across complex institutional environments with diverse stakeholder groups
Supported HRIS configuration, data integrity audits, and HR reporting infrastructure across UKG/Kronos and ADP platforms
Designed process documentation and training frameworks for multi-department HR technology rollouts
Partnered with compliance and legal teams to document and enforce HR policies across geographically distributed teams

Key Achievements

$420K/year in savings identified and sustained through Visio process mapping, cross-functional audit, and policy redesign at Sodexo
50% reduction in new hire ramp time through centralized SOP architecture and structured onboarding design in SharePoint
40 hrs/month recovered through Power Automate and Smartsheet approval routing automation with built-in compliance tracking
Full audit readiness achieved on background screening through Smartsheet infrastructure, automated SLA tracking, and SharePoint documentation
Self-taught Visio to produce production-quality process maps used across HR operations for governance, stakeholder alignment, and system documentation

I make HR systems
actually work.

Systems thinker.
People-first operator.

Work that moved the needle.

From $35K Monthly Leak to Policy-Driven Savings

Cutting New Hire Ramp Time in Half

40 Hours Back Every Month Through End-to-End Automation

Background Screening: From Fragmented to Fully Managed

Built on depth,
not breadth.

The full picture.

Let's build something
that actually works.

I make HR systems actually work.

Systems thinker.People-first operator.

Work that moved the needle.

From $35K Monthly Leak to Policy-Driven Savings

Cutting New Hire Ramp Time in Half

40 Hours Back Every Month Through End-to-End Automation

Background Screening: From Fragmented to Fully Managed

Built on depth,not breadth.

The full picture.

Let's build somethingthat actually works.

I make HR systems
actually work.

Systems thinker.
People-first operator.

Built on depth,
not breadth.

Let's build something
that actually works.