People Advisory Services - Global Payroll Operate - Client Solution - Senior Manager

People Advisory Services - Global Payroll Operate - Client Solution - Senior ManagerLocation: Chicago Other locations: Anywhere in Region Salary: CompetitiveAt 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. Will you shape the future or will the future shape you? The opportunity Ernst & Young LLP's National Tax and EY EDGE practices are made up of teams of professionals providing specific tax technical services to US and global clients. EDGE stands for Exceptional Delivery and Growth Engine because this team operates in a technical environment with deep process and service delivery experience that distinguishes the EY organization in the marketplace. Our Global Payroll Operate practice focuses on helping our clients effectively manage their global payroll needs proactively and responsibly in 157+ countries. Our quality service and technical network enable you to help clients reduce inefficiencies, mitigate risk and drive process improvement within their payroll functions. We believe that by managing clients' payroll obligations, we can make a critical difference, and you'll be at the heart of this mission. Our market-leading approach combines extensive local payroll service experience with a standard global payroll compliance and implementation methodology, as well as next gen technology and data analytics functionalities. With engagements involving a few countries or many, you will have the opportunity to provide clients with an integrated, consistent, quality service that unlocks the potential of the payroll function across the entire process.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. 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.Your key responsibilitiesLead 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.Skills and attributes for success8+ 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.To qualify for the role, you must have 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.Ideally, you'll also haveBuilds 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.What we look forWe seek top performers who demonstrate a global mindset, commercial astuteness, and the ability to build trusted client relationships. Successful candidates are agile learners, critical thinkers, and effective communicators who thrive in dynamic environments and are committed to delivering excellence in client service.Are you ready to shape your future with confidence? Apply today.EY accepts applications for this position on an on-going basis. For those living in California, please click here for additional information. EY focuses on high-ethical standards and integrity among its employees and expects all candidates to demonstrate these qualities.