Client Solution Senior Manager - Global Payroll Operate

Job description

At EY, we’re all in to shape your future with confidence. We’ll help you succeed in a globally connected powerhouse of diverse teams and take your career wherever you want it to go. Join EY and help to build a better working world. EY Global Delivery Services (GDS) is the hub of innovation, a technology powerhouse, a global talent center and, a driver of operational excellence within EY, propelling EY’s purpose of building a better working world. With a robust network spread across 9 countries and 20 cities, GDS’s dynamic network of highly talented professionals leverage data, AI, and cutting-edge technology to enhance EY's wide array of services in assurance, consulting, tax, strategy, and transactions. Join us at EY GDS Hungary to shape your future with confidence. Position Overview The EY GPO Client Solution Senior Manager is a client-facing lead role within EY Global Payroll Operate responsible for shaping, designing, and delivering global payroll technology and implementation solutions for multinational clients. The role bridges client stakeholders, EY technology, implementation, central, service management, and payroll teams to ensure global payroll solutions are scalable, compliant, integrated, and aligned to client business objectives. Purpose of the Role This Senior Manager leads solutioning from sales handover through implementation and go-live, setting the global design approach, guiding client decisions, managing expectations, and enabling consistent local delivery across countries. The role serves as a subject matter expert for EY’s GPO technology ecosystem, including EY Payroll Command Center, EY Digital Payroll, EY Interact Payroll, EY IP Mobile, GTPW, in-country payroll, and integrations with client HCM, workforce management, general ledger, and third-party systems. Key Responsibilities Lead global design workshops and client solutioning sessions to define requirements, solution architecture, integration scope, data flows, testing approach, conversion strategy, cutover planning, and go-live readiness. Own and maintain global implementation deliverables, including global user stories, solution design documents, integration designs, SOR global mapping data dictionaries, testing plans, conversion plans, and deployment strategies. Act as the global design owner, monitoring local design decisions for impact on the overall solution and redirecting or re-solutioning where needed to preserve scalability, quality, compliance, and maintainability. Support sales-to-implementation handover activities, including review and clarification of MSA, SOW, LCA, PSM, scope assumptions, pricing inputs, and implementation commitments. Serve as the primary technology and solution point of contact for clients and internal stakeholders, articulating EY’s payroll technology capabilities and advising on implementation options, risks, and trade-offs. Lead cross-functional implementation teams across multiple countries or regions, managing scope, timelines, resources, risks, issues, dependencies, change requests, budgets, and project communications. Collaborate with EY technology, central, service management, payroll, and local implementation teams to ensure delivery aligns with EY global standards, quality requirements, client expectations, and project governance. Provide escalation support, issue resolution, quality assurance, and solution guidance throughout the implementation lifecycle. Support business development activities such as RFPs, RFIs, pricing, client pitches, technology demonstrations, feasibility assessments, and vendor evaluations. Contribute to continuous improvement by developing templates, tools, methodologies, lessons learned, and action plans that enhance EY GPO implementation capability and client value. Coach and mentor team members, support professional development, and foster a collaborative, high-performing delivery culture. Required Experience and Skills 8+ years of experience in global payroll implementations, HR/payroll technology, systems integration, program management, or technology consulting within complex multinational environments. Proven ability to lead large-scale, multi-country payroll or HCM implementations through design, build, testing, cutover, go-live, and stabilization. Strong understanding of payroll business processes, global payroll operations, regulatory compliance, data privacy, cybersecurity, and cross-border payroll data requirements. Experience with cloud-based global payroll or HR platforms such as Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle HCM, ADP, or similar systems, including inbound and outbound integrations. Hands-on understanding of integration technologies and data formats, including APIs, middleware, ETL, EDI, SFTP, XML, JSON, CSV, data mapping, transformation, validation, and reconciliation. Strong project and program management capability, including scope, budget, resource, timeline, risk, issue, dependency, financial, and stakeholder management. Excellent communication, executive presence, facilitation, negotiation, and presentation skills with the ability to engage both technical and non-technical audiences. Demonstrated leadership in matrixed environments, including the ability to influence teams, resolve ambiguity, drive accountability, and deliver high-quality outcomes under tight deadlines. Financial acumen, including experience with project budgets, billing, margins, ERP reporting, service specifications, and Statements of Work. Preferred Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business, Engineering, MIS, or a related field; master’s degree preferred. Project management certification such as PMP or PRINCE2 preferred. Lean Six Sigma experience or certification preferred. Global payroll implementation experience or certification preferred. Workday, Oracle, SAP, or integration-related certification preferred. SAP US payroll implementation experience and background is an added value and preferred qualification. Experience with EY technology platforms, GPO service delivery models, or managed payroll services preferred. Fluency in English required; Spanish, German, French, or Portuguese language capability is an added value. Key Success Factors Builds trusted advisor relationships with clients and internal stakeholders globally. Balances strategic solution design with pragmatic implementation delivery. Anticipates risks, identifies integration challenges early, and drives scalable, serviceable solutions. Maintains strong focus on quality, compliance, operational excellence, automation, and client experience. Develops people, strengthens delivery capability, and contributes to continuous improvement across EY GPO. EY | Building a better working world EY is building a better working world by creating new value for clients, people, society and the planet, while building trust in capital markets. Enabled by data, AI and advanced technology, EY teams help clients shape the future with confidence and develop answers for the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow. EY teams work across a full spectrum of services in assurance, consulting, tax, strategy and transactions. Fueled by sector insights, a globally connected, multi-disciplinary network and diverse ecosystem partners, EY teams can provide services in more than 150 countries and territories.