Senior Business Product Owner – Payroll & Timekeeping

Senior Business Product Owner – Payroll & Timekeeping

Function: People & Culture Technology & Enablement
Reports to: Director, Business Solutions
Level: Senior Individual Contributor (10+ years experience)
Primary Platforms: UKG, Oracle Payroll, Third-Party Payroll Interfaces

Role Summary

The Senior Business Product Owner serves as the functional authority and business owner for payroll and timekeeping technology, with a primary focus on UKG. This role bridges People & Culture, Global Services, and IT to ensure platforms are fully leveraged, well-governed, and continuously improved.

The individual owns the functional roadmap and requirements for UKG and related systems, driving optimization in a newly implemented environment with limited documentation.

This is not an IT role—it is a senior business-facing position requiring strong technical fluency, deep payroll expertise, and the ability to collaborate closely with IT while maintaining a business-first mindset.

Key Responsibilities

1. Business Product Ownership

• Own payroll and timekeeping technology with end-to-end functional accountability
• Define and maintain the functional vision and roadmap
• Act as the primary decision-maker for requirements, design, and prioritization
• Ensure solutions support accuracy, compliance, scalability, and employee experience

2. UKG Functional Expertise

• Provide deep expertise in UKG capabilities and best practices
• Identify gaps between current usage and out-of-the-box functionality
• Drive enhancements and optimization opportunities
• Move the organization beyond a lift-and-shift approach

3. Requirements & Solution Design

• Develop clear, detailed, and actionable business requirements
• Translate business needs into functional specifications
• Review designs, integrations, and configurations
• Identify risks, gaps, and unintended impacts proactively

4. IT Partnership & Governance

• Partner with IT while maintaining business ownership
• Provide functional context where documentation is limited
• Ensure solutions are sustainable and aligned with business outcomes
• Reduce dependency on vendor-led decision-making

5. Stabilization, Documentation & Maturity

• Establish and improve system documentation and standards
• Clarify configurations, decisions, and optimization opportunities
• Support audit readiness and operational stability

6. Collaboration & Leadership

• Partner with payroll, timekeeping, shared services, and enablement teams
• Contribute to broader People & Culture technology strategy

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in payroll/timekeeping technology (functional/business side)
• Hands-on experience with UKG (Kronos / Workforce Central / UKG Pro / UKG Dimensions)
• Experience as a Business Product Owner or Functional Lead
• Strong requirement gathering and documentation skills
• Deep understanding of payroll and timekeeping processes
• Ability to work effectively with IT while maintaining a business-first approach
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with global or multi-country payroll environments
• Knowledge of integrations between UKG, HRIS, and finance systems
• Experience in shared services or large enterprise environments

What Success Looks Like

• UKG is well-documented, optimized, and effectively utilized
• Business requirements are clear and actionable
• Reduced defects and rework in payroll/timekeeping
• Strong collaboration between business and IT
• Payroll and timekeeping technology acts as a strategic enabler