The Importance of Fostering and Uplifting a ‘Strong and Amazing Team’ of Women: From a Director

How did Alison Heinrich grow into a tech leadership position as the Director of People Technology at Sunrun?

Her journey began with getting a degree in Management Information Systems. “Since then, I have spent my entire career growing in HR Technology,” Heinrich tells us. During these 17 years, “I have worked with many strong female leaders and am lucky to have a female CTO at Sunrun,” notes Heinrich. 

Today, she’s happy to pay this support forward and focuses on uplifting other women. As for how she does this, Heinrich shares that “I always like to give credit where credit is due. I could not accomplish anything without my strong and amazing team that is made up of mostly women.”

Here, Heinrich reveals more about her life as an experienced leader, her advice for women who want to support others, and why Sunrun is a great place for women to work!

A closer look at my role at Sunrun. 

Throughout her whole journey, Heinrich says that she’s most proud of her move to Sunrun in 2019 to support their recently implemented Workday system. Due to this, “I have been able to work on some great projects, build a very strong team, and complete an acquisition requiring a huge workday integration — all while knowing the company is focusing on clean energy to help with climate change,” shares Heinrich.

And she’s not only growing projects! During her time at Sunrun, Heinrich has grown from a Senior Manager to a Director. Her current team does all the technical configuration for the Workday HCM and payroll system at Sunrun. “We also build and maintain around 80+ system integrations,” explains Heinrich.

This work provides another opportunity for Heinrich to empower those around her. “I enjoy sharing the knowledge of Workday and technology with our stakeholders, especially if there is interest in moving into a technology field supporting a system like Workday,” she tells us.

Advice on how individuals and companies can support women.

Looking back on her entire career journey, including her seven years of leadership experience, Heinrich has four top tips on how women like you can support other women:

1. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions and speak up!

2. Look for a mentor at work that inspires you.

3. Although it might not feel like it sometimes, hard work pays off in the end.

4. Always be willing to be a team player and pitch in when needed. Ask how you can help. It will be appreciated and you will probably learn something.”

As for companies that actively support women, Heinrich says that Sunrun is a great example of a culture that does just that!

“Sunrun has many strong women in leadership,” notes Heinrich. “We have a great Women’s ERG that has fantastic events and great speakers, including our CEO Mary Powell. Sunrun ensures equal pay across genders, and we really do work hard to show women that they can be successful leaders across the organization.”

Looking for an uplifting career where you can be surrounded by a company and people that support you? Consider joining the Sunrun team.