HR Tech & Product Manager

Entity: Technology Job Family Group: HR Group Job Description: About the Role: As Castrol transitions to become a standalone company, we are building independent people, processes and technology capabilities to support our future growth. The HR Tech and Product Manager will lead the end-to-end HRIS technology landscape for Castrol globally, covering the full employee lifecycle from hire to retire. Working with the Head of Services & Solutions, this Level G role will be the single point of accountability for HRIS strategy, product ownership, configuration, release management, integration architecture, vendor performance, service stability, data integrity and operational compliance. The role will work closely with People & Culture, Digital, Finance, Procurement, Digital Security, Data Privacy, external vendors and implementation partners to deliver a modern, scalable, secure and AI-enabled employee experience across Castrol. Key Accountabilities Lead the end-to-end HRIS strategy, product roadmap and lifecycle for Castrol, ensuring the HRIS landscape is scalable, secure, standardised and aligned to Castrol's business strategy and Services & Solutions operating model. Be responsible for the HRIS architecture, data model, configuration standards and integration landscape across the full employee lifecycle, including core HR, recruitment, onboarding, time and absence, payroll, reward, benefits, learning, talent, performance, case management and offboarding. Lead HR technology activities supporting Castrol's separation, including transition from legacy systems and TSA-supported services to standalone solutions, with clear ownership of data migration governance, testing, cutover readiness and post-transition stabilisation. Own release, configuration and environment management for Workday and connected HR technologies, including bi-annual releases, patches, regression testing, UAT, deployment governance, tenant refreshes, security roles and access controls. Set direction with People & Culture, Digital and business partners to find opportunities to simplify processes, improve employee experience, increase automation and adopt AI-enabled HR services. Define and maintain the HRIS service catalogue, clarifying what is in and out of scope for the team, and act as the senior customer concern point for HRIS incidents, service issues, problem management and root cause resolution. Own vendor and partner performance across the HRIS stack, including delivery governance, service levels, capacity, commercial value, operational risks and continuous improvement. Ensure data integrity, security, privacy and compliance across HR systems, including GDPR, SoX, cyber-security requirements, separation of duties, audit controls and statutory reporting obligations. Develop reporting, dashboards and people analytics capabilities that deliver accurate, timely and secure workforce insights for decision-making and compliance. Lead organisational change, communications, training and adoption activities to embed new HR technologies and ways of working across Castrol. Own business continuity and disaster recovery arrangements for critical HRIS services, working with vendors and internal risk owners to ensure resilience. Lead, mentor and develop a high-performing HRIS team and handle third-party resources, creating clear priorities, strong governance, inclusive team culture, succession plans and performance expectations. Experience & Qualifications Degree or equivalent experience qualified in Human Resources, Business, Information Technology, Computer Science or a related field; relevant professional HR, technology or programme delivery qualifications are advantageous. Confirmed experience in HR technology, HRIS leadership, product ownership, digital HR transformation or global HR systems delivery. Deep knowledge of Workday HCM and broad understanding of the connected HRIS lifecycle, including time and absence, payroll, benefits, reward, talent acquisition, learning, performance, case management and people analytics. Confirmed experience owning or leading a global HRIS landscape, including architecture, configuration governance, integrations, release management, testing and operational service ownership. Experience delivering HR systems implementations, upgrades, separations, carve-outs, migrations or large-scale transformation programmes in complex, multi-country environments. Good understanding of integration technologies, data flows, security, controls, GDPR, SoX, audit requirements and risk management in a people-technology context. Strong senior partner management and influencing skills, with the ability to translate complex technical issues into clear business recommendations and decisions. Experience handling external vendors, technology partners, commercial performance, service levels and governance forums. Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication and leadership skills, with the ability to lead teams through ambiguity, pace and c