Senior Managing Consultant - SuccessFactors Payroll (m/w/d) IBM Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Role Overview A career in IBM Consulting is rooted in long‑term relationships and close collaboration with clients across the globe. You will work with visionaries across multiple industries to improve the hybrid cloud and AI journey for innovative companies worldwide, accelerating impact and driving meaningful change. Responsibilities Solution Consulting & Design Lead discovery and requirement‑gathering workshops focused on payroll processes, compliance, and operational needs. Translate business and legislative requirements into functional designs for ECP and related modules, including integration of external payroll provider solutions where applicable. Design payroll process flows, calculations, and rules to meet organizational and country‑specific needs. Ensure payroll configuration aligns with SAP best practices and statutory compliance. Define scope and estimate efforts for the implementation of SuccessFactors ECP and related modules based on client requirements. Implementation Leadership Serve as the functional lead for Payroll workstreams in large‑scale SuccessFactors programs. Manage end‑to‑end delivery, including requirements capture, system configuration, testing, payroll parallel runs, training, deployment, and go‑live support. Oversee and guide the work of implementation partners and internal configuration teams. Support change management efforts to ensure smooth adoption of new payroll processes. Compliance & Risk Management Ensure payroll solutions adhere to country‑specific legislation, tax regulations, and reporting requirements. Implement controls, validations, and audit processes within the payroll system. Advise stakeholders on risk mitigation strategies related to payroll operations. Client Engagement & Advisory Act as the trusted advisor for payroll transformation, process improvement, and technology adoption. Present solution options, impact analysis, and recommendations to senior business and HR leaders. Facilitate payroll‑specific training sessions and knowledge transfer workshops. Integration & Data Considerations Define and oversee integration design between ECP and other systems such as Employee Central, Time & Attendance, Finance/ERP, and third‑party benefits or payroll providers. Ensure data accuracy and integrity across payroll and HR systems. Work with middleware tools (e.g., SAP Cloud Platform Integration) to configure secure and reliable data flows. Release & Continuous Improvement Monitor SAP SuccessFactors release updates relevant to payroll and assess applicability. Recommend adoption of enhancements to improve efficiency, compliance, or user experience. Lead post‑implementation optimization initiatives. Knowledge Sharing & Mentoring Mentor junior payroll consultants and configuration specialists. Contribute to internal best‑practice documentation, tools, and templates. Support pre‑sales activities, including proposals, demonstrations, and scoping exercises. Required Technical And Professional Expertise 8–10+ years of payroll experience, with at least 5+ years in SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll. Experience in SAP HCM and H4S4 Payroll and Time Management is beneficial. Proven track record in multi‑country payroll implementations and support. Deep understanding of payroll and time management processes, compliance frameworks, and statutory reporting requirements. Experience with payroll integrations to time management, HR core systems, and finance applications. Experience in multi‑country, large‑scale implementations. Excellent workshop facilitation, communication, and stakeholder management skills. Ability to work across business and technical teams to deliver complex solutions. Language skills: Fluent in written and spoken English and German. Preferred Technical And Professional Experience Strong communication and negotiation skills, as well as mental flexibility. Strong ability to analyse situations and solve problems. Willingness to work on‑site with our customers. Seniority Level Mid‑Senior level Employment Type Full‑time Job Function Consulting, Information Technology, and Sales Industries IT Services and IT Consulting #J-18808-Ljbffr