Executive Vice President, Global People Operations Lead

We are in relentless pursuit of an equitable and inspiring workplace that is respectful of all, reflects and represents the world in which we live, and fosters trust, collaboration and belonging. Consistent with this approach, we hire the best qualified candidates for all positions.
Level: EVP (Level 10)
Position Type: Full-Time
Location: NYC or Chicago (Hybrid)
Reporting to Global Chief People Officer
Dotted line to Global Chief Technology & Shared Operations Officer
Position Summary
The EVP, Global People Operations Lead is a member of the Global People Leadership Team and is responsible for leading Edelman's People Operations function. This function is primarily responsible for the executive leadership, performance and development of the Global People Operations team, accountable for delivering a seamless, consistent, and employee-centered experience across key moments in the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, offboarding, and employee changes.
Edelman is undertaking a multi-phase global Workday implementation, with Phase 1 of Workday HCM successfully deployed and significant implementation work remaining across future phases. This role will serve as the senior People business owner for Workday HCM, accountable for leading the People-side strategy, and partnering on the design and delivery of the remaining implementation roadmap. Representing the People Team Centers of Excellence (CoEs) and partnering closely with our Shared Operations PMO and other business owners across Finance, PSA, FP&A, and IT the role will lead the deployment of additional Workday modules and capabilities, including Talent and Advanced Compensation, alongside the continued implementation and integration of core People processes and programs into Workday. The role will also build a People Operations capability that gets the full value from Workday, including the processes, data stewardship and expertise the People Team needs, working in partnership with Global Applications, which leads Workday platform support, governance and the operating model, as the organization moves from implementation through stabilization and optimization
Key Responsibilities
Global People Operations Strategy & Leadership
In line with the wider business strategy, define and continuously evolve the global People Operations strategy, roadmap, organizational design and service delivery models
Lead and develop a high performing global People Operations team building the capabilities, leadership bench, and culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and change needed to support the evolving needs of the organization.
Working with the finance partner, effectively manage the People Operations operating budget in line with agreed targets and established forecasting cadence. This includes our annual budget process and investment planning.
Partner with People CoE’s, HR Talent Partners, IT, and other stakeholders to ensure employee-facing processes, policies, technology, and support experiences are integrated, globally consistent and operate effectively and efficiently.
People Experience & Service Delivery
Deliver operational excellence and measurable continuous improvement across People Operations, leveraging operational data, employee feedback, service metrics, and root cause analysis to simplify processes, improve service delivery, increase efficiency, scalability, and effectiveness.
Working closely with the CoE’s, provide the operational support for agreed activities to support regular program cadence and approved one-off projects.
Oversee the employee and manager support channels including the employee portal for HR-related questions, ensuring intuitive access to timely, accurate information, resources, self-service tools and support.
Continuously improve the employee and manager experience by developing and simplifying processes, reducing friction, expanding effective self-service, and leveraging technology, automation, and AI where appropriate.
Establish globally consistent processes, service standards, SLAs, KPIs, and governance while enabling appropriate regional and local flexibility.
Establish and monitor service delivery and employee experience metrics, including employee satisfaction, portal utilization, resolution effectiveness, self-service adoption, onboarding experience, and process cycle times, using insights to identify and prioritize improvements.
Workday HCM Business, Product, and Technology Ownership
Serve as the senior People Business Owner for the multi-phase Workday HCM implementation and broader People technology ecosystem, accountable for functional strategy, roadmap, design principles, implementation priorities, adoption and business outcomes.
Represent and drive the People Team's priorities in the Workday roadmap, working with Global Applications and fellow Business Owners on the sequencing of future phases and new capabilities through Workday program governance
Drive Workday optimization, automation, process improvements, AI related opportunities and enhancements, including the implementation and deployment of additional modules and capabilities such as Talent and Advanced Compensation, new functionality and system optimization based on business value and organization priorities.
Ensure the People Team is ready for each Workday implementation, enhancement and release, contributing impact assessments, business testing and adoption support.
Effectively represent the People Team in Workday design, implementation and issue resolution, adhering to our standard operating procedures and ensuring appropriate escalation and partnership across People, Technology and external partners.
Develop and drive the adoption of our use of analytics including AI, dashboards, metrics, that improve visibility into workforce trends and operational performance and strengthen data-driven decision-making.
Champion adherence to Workday governance, policies, procedures and the security framework across the People Team, partnering with Global Applications, fellow Business Owners and external partners to uphold appropriate privacy, security and oversight.
Lead the People Data governance strategy, establishing standards for data ownership, stewardship, quality, integrity, access, security, controls and accountability across the enterprise in line with our internal standards and external audit requirements.
Enterprise & Cross-Functional Business Partnership
Serve as a strategic partner to People leadership and senior business leaders, translating business and workforce needs into scalable People Operations, technology, data, and service delivery solutions.
Partner closely with Finance and FP&A to understand and manage the downstream impacts of HCM data on payroll, billing rates, revenue recognition, workforce planning, forecasting, and financial reporting.
Partner closely with Global Applications & Shared Operations PMO, the role's dotted-line partner, aligning People priorities and technology aspirations with the enterprise technology roadmap, collaborating on the successful delivery of enhancements and future phases or Workday and other enterprise systems, and ensuring People Operations is effectively supported by the Shared Operations support model.
Partner with IT, Privacy, Legal, Information Security, and regional stakeholders to ensure People data practices comply with global privacy requirements, local employment laws, and internal governance standards.
Collaborate with Resource Management (RM) and key stakeholders to implement and optimize system capabilities, ensure clear understanding of data flows, integrations, and operational impacts, and resolve time entry and workforce management issues. Partner with IT support teams to establish strong operational governance for issue identification, escalation, root cause analysis, and timely resolution.
Work closely with the Finance and PSA Business Owners, PMO, People Centers of Excellence, HR Business Partners, and other enterprise stakeholders to align priorities, balance competing initiatives, sequence future Workday implementation phases, module deployments, system enhancements, and process improvements.
Qualifications and Experience
Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Information Systems, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
15+ years of progressive leadership experience across People/HR Operations, HR Technology, HCM, Shared Services or related functions, including significant experience leading global teams in a complex, matrixed organization.
Demonstrated experience designing, leading and evolving global People Operations and HCM functions and operating models
Deep expertise in Workday HCM implementation, administration, optimization, governance, enhancements, and business process management, including significant experience leading complex, multi-phase global Workday implementations and module deployments. Proven experience developing and executing People Operations and technology roadmaps and leading large-scale process, technology, and operating model transformation.
Strong understanding of People data governance, data quality, reporting and analytics, global data privacy, security, and HR compliance requirements.
Experience leveraging automat