Manager, Payroll Systems & Portfolio Management

Manager, Payroll Systems & Portfolio Management

Position Overview

The Manager, Payroll Systems & Portfolio Management will lead a portfolio of payroll projects and strategic initiatives from intake through implementation, stabilization, and closeout. Develops integrated project plans, defines scope and deliverables, manages milestones, dependencies, resources, risks, and requirements, and drives cross-functional teams to deliver measurable outcomes.

This individual will partner with Payroll Operations, Payroll IT, HRIS, Finance, P&O, business leaders, and vendors to establish governance, facilitate decisions, and maintain alignment and accountability. Applies payroll and HCM platform knowledge - especially UKG - to translate operational needs into project requirements while remaining primarily accountable for portfolio governance, execution, and successful delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Portfolio & Project Management (35%)

• Own a portfolio of payroll projects from intake and prioritization through implementation, stabilization, and closeout.

• Develop integrated plans defining scope, deliverables, milestones, dependencies, resources, timelines, critical paths, and success measures.

• Drive execution through RAID and decision logs, change control, action tracking, escalation management, and recovery plans.

• Maintain the portfolio roadmap and recommend priorities based on value, risk, operational impact, capacity, and readiness.

• Requirements, Planning & Delivery Governance (25%)

• Lead discovery and gather, analyze, validate, document, and prioritize business, functional, data, integration, reporting, and control requirements.

• Translate payroll needs into scope, process maps, use cases, acceptance criteria, implementation requirements, and workstream deliverables.

• Establish charters, governance, RACI matrices, meeting cadences, documentation standards, and decision protocols.

• Maintain traceability from approved requirements through design, testing, deployment, and benefit realization.

• Stakeholder Management & Cross-Functional Leadership (20%)

• Build stakeholder engagement and communication plans for executives, sponsors, process owners, technical teams, vendors, and end users.

• Facilitate meetings, working sessions, design reviews, status reviews, and decision forums with clear outcomes, owners, and due dates.

• Influence participants without direct authority, secure commitments, address resistance, and reinforce accountability for deliverables.

• Provide transparent status reporting on progress, risks, dependencies, decisions, resource constraints, and executive actions required.

• Testing, Change Management & Implementation Readiness (10%)

• Coordinate system, integration, UAT, regression, and parallel testing, including defect management and acceptance sign-off.

• Develop implementation, cutover, contingency, communication, training, and operational readiness plans with functional and technical partners.