JOB DESCRIPTION
Senior Engagement Manager
Professional Services - SaaS HRMS Implementations
8 -12 years total | 5+ years in SaaS HRMS / HCM implementation
The Senior Engagement Manager (EM) is a primarily client-facing role with complete ownership of multi-stage, multi-module SaaS HRMS implementations - from pre-sales through solutioning, go-live, hypercare, and Customer Success handover. This is not a coordination role: the Senior EM holds full accountability for delivery outcomes, financial health, and the technology-focused implementation journey that clients experience every day.
The Senior EM leads by being present in the room - with clients, with their team, and with the platform. They drive project governance with rigour, manage senior stakeholders with confidence, grow their team with intention, and take complete ownership of the programme without waiting to be asked.
Core identity of this role: Client relationship owner. Financial accountable. Delivery architect. Team builder. The Senior EM does not delegate ownership — they hold it.
1. Client Ownership & Senior Stakeholder Management
This is the defining dimension of the role. The Senior EM is the face of the implementation for the client - from kickoff to project close - and is responsible for the relationship at every level.
- Serve as the primary and sustained client interface across the entire programme lifecycle - not just at escalation points.
- Build and manage trusted relationships with C-level sponsors (CHRO, CPO, CIO), Project Managers (HR and IT), Finance SPOCs, and module-level experts.
- Own and chair SteerCo sessions: present programme health with candour, manage escalations, secure go-live approvals, and facilitate stage gate reviews.
- Design and enforce the governance framework - meeting cadence, escalation paths, RACI, change control, and document sign-off protocols - from Day 1.
- Navigate difficult client conversations on scope, timeline, and quality with directness and professionalism, without compromising delivery integrity.
- Drive client-side readiness: ensure document submissions, UAT participation, change management buy-in, and super-user activation happen on schedule.
- Track and report platform adoption post go-live; trigger re-training interventions where login rates or feature usage fall below agreed thresholds.
2. Delivery Leadership & Project Management
The Senior EM is the delivery architect - responsible for the plan, the methodology, the risks, and the outcomes.
- Own the end-to-end programme plan across all phases: Discovery, BPM, Design, Configuration, SIT, UAT, Training, Go-Live, and Hypercare - for all stages simultaneously.
- Drive a structured, stage-gated methodology with clear phase gates, BPM / SDD sign-offs, change freeze enforcement, and documented milestones at every transition.
- Lead weekly stand-ups, produce MoM within 24 hours, and maintain the RAID log (Risks, Issues, Assumptions, Dependencies) as a live, decision-making tool - not a filing exercise.
- Enforce change control with discipline: assess scope change requests, raise CRs, and protect the delivery baseline - without damaging the client relationship.
- Coordinate go-live cutover planning - war-room setup, cutover sequencing, rollback triggers, and hypercare SLA activation.
- Ensure clean, documented handover to the Customer Success team post go-live for every stage.
3. Financial Health & Commercial Accountability
The Senior EM holds full accountability for the financial health of their engagements - this is not delegated to finance or project administration.
- Own the project P&L: monitor revenue recognition, track effort burn against budget, and flag margin variance to the Project Director and Delivery Head on a fortnightly basis.
- Identify and protect project margin proactively: initiate Change Requests for all out-of-scope work before work begins, not after.
- Co-author SOW / SoF documents during pre-sales with accurate effort estimates, phase-wise timelines, and risk provisions that hold up in delivery.
- Support upsell, expansion, and renewal conversations by demonstrating delivery credibility and documented value realisation outcomes.
- Understand the commercial implications of timeline slippage, scope creep, and CR delays - and act to address them before they become P&L events.
4. Technology-Focused Implementation
The Senior EM is accountable for the technology implementation - not just the project wrapper around it. They do not need to build integrations, but they must understand what is being built, why it matters, and when it is at risk.
- Own the technology delivery narrative with the client: explain what the platform does, how integrations work at a business level, and what decisions the client needs to make.
- Maintain a working understanding of the integration landscape – SSO / Azure AD, ERP (SAP) connections, biometric attendance sync, job board APIs, LMS links - sufficient to ask the right questions, manage the Integration Lead, and escalate intelligently.
- Review and sign off Integration Design Documents (IDDs) and Solution Design Documents (SDDs) for completeness and client alignment - not technical depth.
- Ensure integration delivery milestones are sequenced correctly (ESB before SAP ERP; SSO before everything) and that the client's IT team is engaged and accountable.
- Monitor technical risks (integration blockers, data migration quality, configuration gaps) in RAID and escalate with context - not just status.
5. Team Leadership & People Growth
The Senior EM does not just manage a team - they grow one. People development is an explicit accountability of this role, not a secondary aspiration.
- Lead, mentor, and hold accountable a functional delivery team
- Allocate workstreams clearly, review deliverable quality rigorously, and give feedback in real time - not just in retrospectives.
- Coach junior EMs and Lead Consultants actively: share delivery best practices, pair on difficult client situations, and invest in their career growth.
- Conduct structured project retrospectives at phase gates and project close - and ensure learnings are documented and fed back into methodology.
- Build a team culture of ownership, honesty, and continuous improvement. Be the EM that people want to work with again.
Governance Charter · SteerCo calendar · RACI · Kick-off Deck · financial baseline
Signed by PD and Client Sponsor on Day 1
BPM workshop schedule · As-Is maps · SDD review and sign-off
All S1 SDDs signed before S1 Config; S2 SDDs before S2 Config
IDD review and sign-off (all integrations) · Integration build sequence
All IDDs signed by Wk 3; no build starts without signed IDD
Config milestone reviews · config freeze confirmation · integration sign-offs
Config freeze enforced; staging locked; all sign-offs in writing
SIT report · UAT sign-off · go-live readiness checklist
Client Sponsor UAT sign-off; 100% readiness checklist before go-live
Training plan · TTT schedule · 3 × open end-user sessions
Role-based training and Academy certification complete before go-live
Cutover plan · war-room roster · hypercare SLA dashboard · adoption report
P1 4 hrs, P2 24 hrs; adoption 60% at Hypercare Wk 2
Fortnightly P&L review · CR log · SOW alignment report
Margin within ±5% of budget; all out-of-scope CRs raised before work begins
CS Handover Pack (all modules) · Closure Report · NPS
CS pack accepted; closure signed within 5 business days of go-live
Qualifications & Experience
Essential
- 8 - 12 years in enterprise software delivery with at least 5 years in SaaS HRMS / HCM implementation (Darwinbox, SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, Oracle HCM, Keka, or equivalent).
- Proven track record of complete ownership - not just management - of multi-stage, multi-module HRMS programmes serving clients across growth and enterprise businesses
- Strong working knowledge of core HR processes: hire-to-retire, absence/leave, performance and talent management.
- Experienced and confident running C-level SteerCos, Stage Gate reviews, and executive escalation conversations - independently, without a more senior person in the room.
- Commercially literate: able to read a project P&L, initiate CRs proactively, and manage margin risk without being prompted.
- Proficient in structured delivery methodologies: stage-gated planning, BPM documentation, SDD/IDD sign-offs, change freeze management, SIT/UAT governance, and cutover planning.
- Proven ability to lead, develop, and grow cross-functional delivery teams - not just organise them.
- Basic but solid understanding of system integration concepts: SSO, API-based connections, middleware/ESB, ERP integration - sufficient to manage the Integration Lead and have credible conversations with client IT teams.
- Flexibility to travel with moderate to high intensity to client locations
Preferred
- Certification in PMP, PRINCE2, SAFe, or equivalent project/programme management methodology.
- Hands-on experience with Darwinbox - module configuration, Studio, PayGuard AI, or Academy.
- Experience co-authoring SOWs and SoFs with effort estimates that survive contact with delivery.
- Familiarity with change management frameworks (Prosci ADKAR or equivalent) and adoption measurement methodologies.
- Prior experience managing project margin and contributing to PS business reviews.
Working Style & Culture Fit
- You take complete ownership of the client, the plan, the finances, and the team. You don't wait to be asked.
- You are fundamentally client-facing. You are energised by client relationships, not drained by them.
- You are direct and honest - with clients, with your team, and with your leadership - especially when the conversation is difficult.
- You lead with structure and discipline, but you are pragmatic enough to adapt when the situation demands it.
- You understand enough about the technology to have credible conversations, and you know when to pull in the expert.
- You grow your team deliberately - you coach, you share knowledge, and you give honest feedback as a matter of habit.
- You are financially aware and commercially driven - you know that a great delivery that loses money is not a great delivery.
If you believe the client relationship is the most important thing you own — and you have the delivery rigour, commercial awareness, and people instinct to prove it — we want to hear from you.
