Manager, Payroll Projects & 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.
• Track readiness criteria defects decisions data conversion controls go-live dependencies stabilization and transition to operations.

Payroll & HCM Project Partnership and Continuous Improvement (10%)

• Apply payroll knowledge to improve decisions involving compliance timekeeping integrations reporting controls and complex pay rules.
• Support UKG and HCM projects and partner with functional and technical experts to assess options dependencies operational impacts and risks.
• Identify opportunities to simplify processes strengthen controls automate work standardize practices and improve portfolio delivery metrics.
• Maintain reusable templates documentation repositories delivery metrics and governance practices that improve consistency and scalability.

Qualifications

Education Specialized Knowledge and Skills

• Ability to manage concurrent payroll or HCM projects using strong planning scheduling dependency resource risk and change-control practices.
• Strong requirements gathering business analysis process mapping documentation and acceptance-criteria skills.
• Exceptional facilitation negotiation conflict resolution stakeholder management and influence without direct authority.
• Ability to establish governance and communicate complex project information clearly to executives and delivery teams.
• Experience coordinating testing change management readiness cutover stabilization and transition to operations.
• Working knowledge of payroll operations and HCM platforms (especially UKG Pro Workday and Infor WFM).
• Proficiency with Smartsheet Jira Teams SharePoint or comparable project tools.

Required Experience:

• 5 years of project or program management including 3 years managing concurrent payroll HCM enterprise-system or operational projects.
• Demonstrated experience developing plans governance routines RAID logs status reports executive updates and recovery plans.
• Experience gathering business and functional requirements and driving stakeholder decisions approvals and acceptance.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and influencing participants vendors and stakeholders without direct authority.

Preferred:

• 7 years of project or program management experience including payroll or HCM transformation and implementation projects.
• PMP Agile Prosci or comparable project or change management certification.
• Project experience with UKG Pro and/or Workday Infor WFM Dayforce or SAP experience is beneficial.
• Entertainment industry experience and familiarity with union environments collective bargaining agreements and specialized pay practices.
• Experience managing vendors statements of work budgets resources contractual deliverables and portfolio reporting in Smartsheet or comparable tools.

What You Bring

• A structured proactive approach that turns complex or ambiguous work into executable plans.
• The judgment to challenge assumptions remove obstacles escalate appropriately and sustain accountability.
• Strong interpersonal written and presentation skills with a collaborative accountable leadership style.
• A commitment to confidentiality continuous improvement disciplined execution and successful delivery.

Sony Pictures Entertainment is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race color religion sex national origin disability veteran status age sexual orientation gender identity or other protected characteristics.

SPE will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records in accordance with applicable law.

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