Director - Global People Technology & Process Excellence

Beam Suntory’s Global People, Culture & Communications team works across a matrixed business organization to develop and deliver talent strategies that enable the company’s ambitious growth strategies.

The Director People Technology & Process Excellence (“PTPE”) role provides overall global strategic leadership for the company’s short and long-term HR technology vision. This role will lead a global team of 5-6 who are responsible for delivering HR digital transformation and process automation to drive effectiveness, efficiency and compliance for all people data and processes. The Director role will also provide leadership in maturing project management practices and ensuring all people data in the organization is secured and meet the company’s data security standards.

We are seeking a leader who understands emerging technologies and how they can transform HR, who can collaboratively develop a strategy for our HR function and has proven ability to deliver solutions that enable and advance our strategic HR priorities. You must be able to engage our HR leadership team as a champion for digital transformation and tell the story of how technology and process transformation will accelerate delivery of HR strategies. You must be a collaborative leader and have sufficient depth of technical expertise to support the team in addressing complex situations.

Technology

Monitor the technology landscape for emerging HR solutions that could positively impact business outcomes / user experience and engage key stakeholders to understand potential opportunities.

Provide architecture analysis, and in partnership with IT and Legal, develop recommendations for solutions that address HR needs, meet Legal requirements and align with IT strategy.

In partnership with the HR functional leaders, IT and Legal, develop the technology strategy (including platform recommendations, integrations, automation and AI) and roadmap that accelerates execution of HR talent strategies.

Lead the definition of guiding principles that identify the responsibilities of the functional process owner vs People Technology for each platform (e.g., permissions) and create a roadmap to align responsibilities and resources for existing platforms with the appropriate team.

Manage the new technology request process and prioritize work to support HR Centers of Excellence and business stakeholder needs.

Provide guidance to the team in support of employee lifecycle processes from a technology and process standpoint (e.g., Performance Management, Goal Management, Development Planning, Compensation Planning, Talent Management, etc.) by ensuring their partnership with key stakeholders to understand needs, propose and implement solutions, and provide timely support during critical phases of a cycle.

Working with Digital/IT, Legal and HR platform owners, ensure utmost protection and security of all people data through appropriate controls and permissions management.

Team Leadership

Build a strong working relationship with the People Technology & Process Excellence team members by demonstrating integrity, transparency, credibility, compassion, and technical competency.

Lead, coach, and develop team members to deliver projects, enhance processes and provide expert system administration.

Work collaboratively with the team to define and develop diverse competencies across the team that minimize technology support risks for each module and platform.

Engage in career conversations with the PTPE team to foster team member development, support their career goals, deliver retention and succession strategies.

Serve as an advocate to help the HR community understand how to collaborate effectively with PTPE and work inclusively as one team.

Process Excellence

Provide leadership for the relatively new Process Excellence function to embed process improvement knowledge and practices in the organization.

Provide leadership for the introduction of process automation solutions for HR processes to eliminate manual work.

Provide guidance on the management of the process improvement roadmap.

Project Management

Develop and manage the annual project roadmap that optimizes use of people’s time and operates within budget constraints.

Manage the annual budgeting process for HR technology and provide guidance on the development of business cases for new projects.

Provide leadership for technology contract negotiations with the support of the Procurement organization.

Introduce best practices to mature our project management practices and tools to improve efficiency in project delivery.

Provide guidance and leadership to the Senior Manager, Global HR Project Management on technology projects including setting objectives, defining the project team structure and governance, providing clarity on roles & responsibilities, project planning, design, testing, training, and change management.

Develop and manage an annual HR-wide project roadmap and resource plan to ensure cross functional projects are staffed for success.

• Strong passion to solve business problems leveraging technology and process improvement.
• Preference for working in a fast-paced environment and a role that includes both “coaching” and “playing” responsibilities.
• Ability to quickly build trust within the PTPE team and model collaborative engagement with other teams.
• Demonstrated ability to develop strategy, gain stakeholder consensus and execute in a global, multi-division $5.5B company.
• 5+ years in progressively broader leadership roles managing technical team members.
• Excellent consultative skills, with the ability to understand client needs and translate those needs into strategies and actionable plans.
• Ability to embed best practices in the organization by utilizing basic change management principles.
• Demonstrated ability to drive successful completion of complex projects requiring cross-functional expertise and participation.

• 7+ years working in an IT or HRIS capacity in increasing levels of scope and responsibility.
• 3+ years of experience working with a cloud-based HR system, preferably SuccessFactors.
• Bachelor's degree in a technical field related to HRIS, or formal non-degree training in HRIS related disciplines.
• Formal Project Management training
• Formal Six Sigma, Business Analysis, or other process improvement training
• Strong technical acumen in HR systems
• Deep understanding of HR data and HR processes
• Experience working in a global organization and managing the nuances of specific local cultures