Global Portfolio Leader – Payroll Technology (SuccessFactors)

Introduction
At IBM Corporate Headquarters (CHQ) and Other Functions, diverse teams such as marketing, finance, legal, operations, HR, and more work together to keep IBM moving forward. These functions play a vital role in solving complex challenges, supporting our clients’ success, and creating collaborative environments for IBMers worldwide. Working in CHQ and Other Functions means contributing your expertise to a global network that values teamwork, problem-solving, and innovation. You’ll have opportunities to grow your career while helping IBM operate with excellence and scale its impact across industries. With a culture that emphasizes learning, inclusivity, and career development, IBM offers the platform to apply your skills where they matter most. At the heart of our business.
Your role and responsibilities
The Portfolio Leader for HR Payroll Technology will serve as the strategic owner and thought leader for IBM’s global Payroll technology ecosystem, with primary focus on SAP Success Factors Employee Central Payroll (ECP) and adjacent HR, finance, and compliance systems.
This role will be accountable for defining the product vision, strategy, governance, and multi‑year portfolio roadmap that ensures global payroll accuracy, compliance, scalability, and innovation.
This role directly leads a team of product managers/business analysts, and partners closely with HR Operations, CIO/IT, Finance, and Compliance, and acts as an enterprise-level influencer driving decisions that impact employees globally.
Leaders are expected to spend time with their teams and clients and therefore are generally expected to be in the workplace a minimum of three days a week, subject to business needs.
Required education
Bachelor's Degree
Preferred education
Master's Degree
Required technical and professional expertise
Key Responsibilities 1.

Portfolio & Product Strategy Leadership:

Define and continuously evolve the payroll technology strategy, roadmap, and long‑term architecture across SAP ECP and integrated HR/Finance systems.
Set and drive a unified vision for payroll technology modernization, innovation, automation, and risk reduction.
Lead outcome-based planning, portfolio prioritization, and resource allocation for payroll products and platforms.
Champion a platform-oriented approach that ensures scalable design, performance, and global adaptability.
2.

Payroll Product Ownership & Governance:

Serve as the executive-level product owner for Payroll technology and oversight of other global payroll systems.
Own end-to-end governance of solution design, configuration standards, integrations, data quality, and compliance across all payroll technology assets.
Provide guidance on regulatory changes, design best practices, and SAP roadmap impacts for ECP and related platforms.
3.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Stakeholder Influence:

Build strong partnerships with Payroll Operations, HR Transformation, CIO/IT teams, Finance, Legal, and Compliance.
Lead executive-level communication, business reviews, and decision forums for payroll technology.
Influence global decision-making by aligning diverse stakeholders to a common vision and reducing cross-functional friction.
Represent payroll technology at enterprise governance bodies, HRSP cycles, and digital transformation committees.
4.

People Leadership & Talent Development:

Lead and grow a team of Payroll Technology Product Managers, Analysts, and SMEs.
Mentor and develop talent, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, psychological safety, and operational excellence.
Ensure team members demonstrate growth behaviours (customer-centricity, trusted collaboration, outcome-focused delivery).
Create succession pipelines and support team members in professional certification paths (e.g., SAP ECP, Agile).
5.

Execution Excellence & Operational Delivery:

Ensure driving team for timely and compliant execution of payroll releases, patches, enhancements, and year-end activities across geographies.
Oversee defect management, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement initiatives across payroll systems.
Drive rigorous quality assurance processes including SIT, Regression Testing, and UAT cycles for payroll changes as required.
Champion delivery excellence through best practices in Agile, design thinking, and outcome-driven product development.
6. Data, Analytics & Risk Management
Define KPIs and metrics to measure payroll accuracy, efficiency, processing stability, adoption, and compliance.
Monitor platform health, replication integrity, integration performance, and financial posting controls.
Lead risk assessments and implement controls across payroll processes, integrations, and financial posting flows.
Provide actionable insights to improve employee experience, process efficiency, and operational resilience.

Required Qualifications & Experience:

Overall 15+ years of experience including 10+ years of HR Technology or Payroll Technology leadership experience, with deep ownership of large-scale payroll systems.
SAP Success Factors Employee Central Payroll professional certification is a must.
Demonstrated success in owning portfolio-level strategy, managing complex cross-functional programs, and driving multi-year transformation.
Strong experience leading global teams and managing people in product/technology roles.
Proven track record of influencing senior executives and aligning diverse stakeholder groups.
Strong analytical, financial acumen, and data-driven decision-making skills.
Expertise in Agile product management, platform governance, and enterprise-grade technology delivery.
Preferred technical and professional experience

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience with global payroll operating models (North America, EMEA, APAC, LATAM).
Knowledge with finance posting, reconciliation, and payroll audit controls.
Background in product-led organizations or enterprise tech transformation programs.
Prior experience with automation, AI/ML in payroll operations, or digital process optimization.
5+ years of direct hands-on experience with SAP Success Factors Employee Central Payroll (ECP).
Behavioural Expectations
Operates as a thought leader, shaping direction and strategy across the enterprise.
Demonstrates exceptional communication and ability to galvanize cross-functional teams.
Builds trust by making transparent, data-driven decisions and enabling teams to act autonomously.
Shows resilience, strategic problem solving, and the courage to drive organizational change.
Acts as a mentor and leader, helping build future product and payroll technology talent.
·       Proficiency in applying Agile and Design Thinking principles with a growth mindset expected.

ABOUT BUSINESS UNIT:

IBM Corporate Headquarters (CHQ) team represents a variety of functions such as marketing, finance, legal, operations, HR, and more, all working together to solve some of the world's most complex problems, help our clients achieve success and build collaborative work environments for IBMers.
YOUR LIFE @ IBM
In a world where technology never stands still, we understand that, dedication to our clients success, innovation that matters, and trust and personal responsibility in all our relationships, lives in what we do as IBMers as we strive to be the catalyst that makes the world work better.
Being an IBMer means you’ll be able to learn and develop yourself and your career, you’ll be encouraged to be courageous and experiment everyday, all whilst having continuous trust and support in an environment where everyone can thrive whatever their personal or professional background.
Our IBMers are growth minded, always staying curious, open to feedback and learning new information and skills to constantly transform themselves and our company. They are trusted to provide on-going feedback to help other IBMers grow, as well as collaborate with colleagues keeping in mind a team focused approach to include different perspectives to drive exceptional outcomes for our customers. The courage our IBMers have to make critical decisions everyday is essential to IBM becoming the catalyst for progress, always embracing challenges with resources they have to hand, a can-do attitude and always striving for an outcome focused approach within everything that they do.
Are you ready to be an IBMer?
ABOUT IBM
IBM’s greatest invention is the IBMer. We believe that through the application of intelligence, reason and science, we can improve business, society and the human condition, bringing the power of an open hybrid cloud and AI strategy to life for our clients and partners around the world.
Restlessly reinventing since 1911, we are not only one of the largest corporate organizations in the world, we’re also one of the biggest technology and consulting employers, with many of the Fortune 500 companies relying on the IBM Cloud to run their business.
At IBM, we pride ourselves on being an early adopter of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and blockchain. Now it’s time for you to join us on our journey to being a responsible technology innovator and a force for good in the world.
IBM is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, or other characteristics protected by the applicable law. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.

OTHER RELEVANT JOB DETAILS:

IBM offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits program. Eligible employees may have access to:

• Healthcare benefits including medical & prescription drug coverage, dental, vision, and mental health & well being
• Financial programs such as 401(k), cash balance pension plan, the IBM Employee Stock Purchase Plan, financial counseling, life insurance, short & long- term disability coverage, and opportunities for performance based salary incentive programs
• Generous paid time off including 12 holidays, minimum 56 hours sick time, 120 hours vacation, 12 weeks parental bonding leave in accordance with IBM Policy, and other Paid Care Leave programs. IBM also offers paid family leave benefits to eligible employees where required by applicable law
• Training and educational resources on our personalized, AI-driven learning platform where IBMers can grow skills and obtain industry-recognized certifications to achieve their career goals
• Diverse and inclusive employee resource groups, giving & volunteer opportunities, and discounts on retail products, services & experiences
  We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable law.
  This position was posted on the date cited in the key job details section and is anticipated to remain posted for 21 days from this date or less if not needed to fill the role.
  US Citizenship Required.
  The compensation range and benefits for this position are based on a full-time schedule for a full calendar year. The salary will vary depending on your job-related skills, experience and location. Pay increment and frequency of pay will be in accordance with employment classification and applicable laws. For part time roles, your compensation and benefits will be adjusted to reflect your hours. Benefits may be pro-rated for those who start working during the calendar year.
  Job Title
  Global Portfolio Leader – Payroll Technology (Success Factors)
  Date posted
  13-Apr-2026
  Job ID
  107776
  City / Township / Village
  Armonk
  State / Province
  New York
  Country
  United States
  Work arrangement
  Hybrid
  Area of work
  Product Management
  Employment type
  Regular
  Contract type
  Regular

Projected Minimum Salary per year:

186,000.00

Projected Maximum Salary per year:

320,000.00
Position type
Professional
Travel required
Some travel may be required based on business demand
Company
(0147) International Business Machines Corporation
Shift
General (daytime)
Is this role a commissionable/sales incentive based position?
No
Application Info
Be aware: Recruitment Scams
Privacy statement
Learn more about IBM
English
Contact IBM
Privacy
Terms of use
Accessibility