Vice President, Finance & People Systems and Strategy

Vice President, Finance & People Systems and Strategy

Cushman & Wakefield is seeking an accomplished technology executive to serve as Vice President, Finance & People Systems and Strategy a global leadership role with enterprise-wide responsibility for the strategy, systems operations, data, and innovation agenda spanning both the Finance and People (HR) technology landscapes. Reporting to the SVP & CIO, Enterprise Technology, this leader will act as the primary technology partner to both the CFO and CHRO organizations, unifying what have historically been two adjacent domains into a single, cohesive technology and data strategy. This mandate requires a commercially minded, transformation-oriented leader who can operate with credibility in senior Finance, HR, and C-suite forums while translating enterprise priorities into scalable, resilient technology solutions across two of the company's most complex application portfolios (a combined ~95+ applications). The successful candidate will bring the strategic range to define a multi-year, cross-functional roadmap, the delivery discipline to execute complex programs in parallel across both domains, and the executive presence to influence across a highly matrixed global organization. Critical to this role is a sustained focus on four pillars: Systems Operations (reliability, governance, and service excellence across the Finance and People technology estates), Data (a unified, trusted data foundation feeding both functions and the enterprise Data Lake), Strategy (a coherent, multi-year roadmap connecting Finance and People technology to enterprise architecture and business outcomes), and Innovation (responsible, high-impact AI and automation adoption). The VP will partner closely with the Senior Director, Enterprise AI to define and deliver the AI roadmap for the Finance and People team, ensuring AI investment is coordinated, governed, and jointly owned across both functions rather than developed in silos.

Key Responsibilities

Finance & People Technology Vision & Planning

• Develop and maintain multi-year Finance & People Systems roadmaps that aligns to Cushman's enterprise architecture, ERP and HCM modernization programs, and corporate AI strategy
• Lead investment prioritization across the combined ~95+ application Finance and People portfolio balancing innovation, risk reduction, compliance, employee experience, and operational continuity in a globally complex environment
• Partner with Enterprise Data, Governance & Risk functions to ensure Finance and People technology decisions align to Cushman's broader platform strategy, data governance standards, and privacy requirements
• Drive rationalization and consolidation of the Finance and People systems portfolios with a bias toward capability, scalability, and cost efficiency including particular focus on the multi-payroll landscape (30+ payroll systems globally)
• Ensure data model alignment and seamless, well-governed integration between Workday Financials and Workday HCM, eliminating the historical seams between Finance and People technology decision-making

Systems Operations, Data & Delivery Governance

• Own end-to-end systems operations across the combined Finance and People technology estates, ensuring system reliability, data integrity, and operational continuity for a global user base of approximately 50,000 employees across 60+ countries
• Establish a unified data foundation spanning Finance and People overseeing the Finance and People Data Lake buildout on Databricks in partnership with our Internal Data Team, ensuring structured, trusted data readiness for analytics and AI use cases
• Maintain SOX compliance and Finance security model integrity, and ensure data privacy, security, and compliance across People systems (including GDPR and regional data residency requirements); serve as Technology's primary liaison to Internal Audit on financial controls and access governance
• Oversee program delivery across all Finance and People technology initiatives from ERP and HCM enhancements to payroll technology programs and AI use case launches ensuring governance, risk management, and milestone discipline
• Define and achieve Service Level Agreements and Key Performance Indicators across all Finance and People technology platforms; drive continuous service improvement proactively
• Manage Finance and People technology vendor relationships for key vendors like Workday, OneStream, GEM, Alteryx, plus the broader combined vendor portfolio (+30) -negotiating value, driving accountability, and ensuring contractual performance

Strategy & Innovation AI Leadership

• Serve as a thought partner to Finance and HR leadership on how AI reshapes their respective operating models advancing how each function operates, not merely adding tools
• Partner closely with the Senior Director, Enterprise AI to jointly define and deliver the AI roadmap for the Finance and People team, ensuring a coordinated intake process, shared governance standards, and a single view of AI investment across both functions
• Lead identification, validation, and delivery of AI and intelligent automation use cases across Finance (FP&A forecasting agents, variance analysis automation, close management intelligence, spend analytics) and People (workforce analytics, talent acquisition intelligence, attrition modeling, skills mapping, HR service delivery automation, manager insights)
• Drive embedded AI capability within core Finance platforms (Workday Financials, OneStream EPM) and People platforms (Workday HCM, ServiceNow HR), governed through appropriate intake and risk frameworks in partnership with the Senior Director, Enterprise AI
• Champion responsible, governance-aligned AI adoption in partnership with the Enterprise AI Governance Council and Cushman's AI ethics and compliance framework
• Maintain ongoing partnerships with Finance and HR leaders to drive continuous improvement across the entire combined ecosystem

C-Suite & Senior Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as the primary technology relationship owner for the CFO, CHRO, Divisional CFOs, Global Controller, Global FP&A leadership, HR Leadership Team, and regional HR Operations operating as a trusted advisor and peer, not a service provider
• Present a unified Finance technology strategy, investment cases, and program status in clear, business-framed narratives that reflect cross-functional dependencies and wholistic enterprise outcomes for CFO and other C-suite forums
• Present a unified People technology strategy, investment cases, and program status in clear, business-framed narratives that reflect cross-functional dependencies and wholistic enterprise outcomes for CPO and other C-suite forums
• Drive consensus across competing Finance and HR functional priorities with directness and transparency, ensuring technology resources are allocated to highest-impact work across both domains
• Represent Enterprise Technology in Finance- and HR-led governance forums, steering committees, and the Finance and People AI Council meetings
• Build stakeholder trust through consistent delivery credibility, proactive communication, and genuine understanding of both Finance and HR business objectives

Team Leadership & Organizational Development

• Lead, develop, and scale a high-performing global team spanning business analysis, platform management, delivery, Workday configuration (Financials and HCM), payroll technology, and AI strategy across both Finance and People domains
• Operate within a bimodal organizational model maintaining and developing delivery capability while simultaneously building strategic and innovation capacity within the team
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous learning setting high performance expectations while investing in team growth and AI literacy across both functions
• Build and maintain a talent pipeline for critical Finance and People technology roles; invest in succession planning and upskilling across Workday, payroll technology, and AI domains

Financial Management

• Own the combined Finance & People Systems technology budget opex and capex ensuring disciplined financial governance and maximum return on investment
• Develop annual budget plans and multi-year financial forecasts in partnership with the CIO, CFO, and CHRO, clearly articulating investment cases and expected outcomes across both portfolios
• Drive cost optimization through vendor consolidation, license and payroll platform rationalization, and operating model efficiency across the combined technology portfolio

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Computer Science, Business, or a related field; Master's degree or MBA preferred
• 15+ years of progressive technology leadership experience with a minimum of 5 years in senior Finance and/or HR technology leadership roles at global enterprise scale; experience spanning both domains strongly preferred
• Demonstrated experience owning Finance technology platforms (Workday Financials, JDE, OneStream, Hyperion, Essbase, or equivalent) and People technology platforms (Workday HCM Core HR, Recruiting, Talent, Payroll, Absence, Learning) across multiple geographies
• Proven track record delivering complex, multi-stakeholder technology transformation programs on time and within budget across a global, geographically distributed organization
• Demonstrated ability to manage and influence CFO-level, CPO-level, and broader C-suite stakeholders with credibility, gravitas, and commercial acumen
• Experience driving AI adoption within Finance and/or HR functions including familiarity with AI use case development, governance frameworks, and responsible AI practices; experience partnering with a dedicated Enterprise AI function is a plus