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ABOUT GDT
Unilever Operations (GDT) is the global technology and operations engine of Unilever, delivering enterprise technology, business services and digital transformation across the organization. HR Technology is at the center of this transformation, enabling the future of work through modern platforms, AI and product-led delivery.
PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
The HR Technology Product Lead owns the end-to-end success of the Workday Core HCM product, ensuring it continuously delivers business value, operational excellence and an outstanding employee experience.
The role combines product leadership, operational excellence and strategic vendor management. It is accountable for defining the product roadmap, governing service performance, prioritizing business demand, challenging solution design, and ensuring Workday evolves in line with Unilever's HR strategy, AI roadmap and future operating model.
Working across HR, HR Operations, Enterprise Architecture, HRIT and external partners, the Product Lead acts as the single point of accountability for the product lifecycle—from strategy through delivery to stable operations.
WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE
Product Strategy & Roadmap
- Own the product vision, roadmap and backlog for Workday Core HCM and Core Compensation.
- Partner with HR stakeholders to translate business priorities into scalable product capabilities.
- Drive adoption of standard Workday functionality while minimizing unnecessary customization.
- Identify opportunities to leverage AI and emerging platform capabilities to improve employee and manager experience.
Product Operations & Service Excellence
- Own the operational health of the product, ensuring stable, secure and reliable services.
- Monitor service performance, incident trends, operational risks and user feedback.
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- Drive problem management and continuous improvement, reducing recurring issues and technical debt.
- Ensure successful release management, service introduction and operational readiness for all product changes.
- Balance innovation with operational stability.
Vendor & Delivery Leadership
- Lead strategic relationships with implementation partners and managed service providers.
- Challenge solution proposals, delivery estimates and technical recommendations to ensure business value and architectural alignment.
- Hold partners accountable for service quality, automation, continuous improvement and measurable outcomes.
- Ensure external partners complement internal capability rather than replace product ownership.
Business Partnership
- Build trusted relationships with HR, HR Operations and Product stakeholders.
- Prioritize demand based on business value and strategic objectives.
- Communicate product priorities, roadmap decisions and service performance to senior stakeholders.
- Ensure alignment between product strategy, HR priorities and enterprise technology direction.
Capability & Innovation
- Continuously develop expertise across Workday capabilities, HR technology trends and AI-enabled product innovation.
- Evaluate new platform capabilities and recommend adoption where they create measurable business value.
- Build sufficient technical understanding to confidently challenge vendors and influence solution decisions without necessarily performing system configuration.
- Promote a product mindset focused on long-term value, user experience and operational excellence.
EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS
Necessary Experience & Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Human Resources, Business Administration or related discipline.
- 10+ years of experience leading enterprise HR technology products, HR platforms or digital HR solutions.
- Strong understanding of end-to-end HR processes, particularly Core HR and Compensation.
- Experience working with enterprise HR platforms such as Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle HCM or similar solutions.
- Experience leading global vendors and managed service providers.
- Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence senior business and technology leaders.
- Demonstrated ability to balance operational excellence with long-term product strategy.
Preferred Experience & Qualifications
- Experience with Workday Core HCM and Core Compensation.
- Exposure to product management or product ownership methodologies.
- Experience supporting global HR transformations.
- Familiarity with Agile delivery models.
- Understanding of AI-enabled enterprise platforms and digital employee experiences.
- Exposure to enterprise architecture, integrations and data governance concepts.
KEY COMPETENCIES
- Product Leadership
- Operational Excellence
- Vendor & Commercial Management
- Strategic Thinking
- Business Partnership
- Customer Centricity
- Continuous Improvement
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- Learning Agility
- AI & Digital Technology Awareness
- Influencing & Stakeholder Management
SUCCESS IN ROLE
Success in this role will be demonstrated through:
- A clear product strategy aligned with HR priorities.
- Stable and high-performing Workday operations.
- Improved employee and manager experience.
- Reduced operational risk and technical debt.
- Strong vendor accountability and measurable value realization.
- Increased adoption of standard platform capabilities.
- Successful introduction of AI-enabled product improvements.
- High stakeholder confidence and engagement.
- A modern, scalable HR product that continuously evolves with business needs.
Our commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
Unilever embraces diversity and encourages applicants from all walks of life! This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity.
Note: "All official offers from Unilever are issued only via our Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Offers from individuals or unofficial sources may be fraudulent—please verify before proceeding."
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