Change / enterprise HR systems
Citizens Bank — HR Technology
Citizens Bank · Head of HR Technology, VP (2015–2022)
One-line result
Moved core HR platforms toward the cloud, rationalized the stack for ~$1.5MM/year in operating savings, stood up a data lake and analytics on enterprise systems data for decision-grade insights, and kept payroll, learning, and facilities systems trusted through acquisitions — while being named a Credo Champion.
Context / seat
For seven years I led HR technology for a major regional bank: roadmap, platforms, risk, and the enterprise applications colleagues touch every day — including ServiceNow and asset/facilities systems in the broader portfolio.
Problem
Banks inherit complexity: on-prem HR stacks, acquisitions that never fully land, and “projects” that end at go-live while production still has to run every pay cycle. Cost, risk, and colleague experience all sit on the same operating system.
What I did
- Among the first leaders in the organization to move major pieces of the HR stack to the cloud.
- Replaced PeopleSoft Payroll and Time & Labor with Ultimate (UltiPro) SaaS in under a year; supported PeopleSoft HCM migration governance toward Oracle Fusion.
- Extended coverage into asset and facilities platforms alongside core HCM — implement and operate, not hand off and walk away.
- Implemented Saba learning with materially higher adoption vs the prior platform and clearer digital colleague experience.
- Folded five acquired institutions into HR technology platforms while sustaining quarterly release discipline.
- Built a data lake and analytics capability on enterprise systems data to drive insights and inform key decisions.
- Built Agile delivery capability (Towns / Neighborhoods / Pods) by recruiting and developing top performers through continuous change.
Results
- ~$1.5MM annual operating savings through platform and infrastructure rationalization.
- Payroll/T&L cutover to SaaS in under one year.
- Learning platform: ~+35% user adoption vs prior; ~$250K annual savings (resume-backed).
- Five acquisitions incorporated into HR platforms without losing core system integrity.
- Named Citizens Credo Champion — one of the bank’s highest colleague honors.
What a board or COO should take from this
This is what “implement and operate” looks like in a regulated enterprise: cloud and SaaS moves that hold up in day-to-day payroll operations, acquisitions that actually land, and savings you can point to — plus a culture honor that only peers and business leaders can give you.