Estée Lauder Companies Technical Director, HR and Corporate Technology Platform Engineering

About Estée Lauder Companies

The Estée Lauder Companies is a global leader in prestige beauty, founded in 1946 by Estée and Joseph Lauder and built on an enduring belief in creativity, high-touch service, and entrepreneurial spirit. As an employer, the Group offers talent the scale of an international house with the energy of distinctive brands across skincare, makeup, fragrance, and hair care. Its culture values innovation, inclusion, learning, and responsible growth, inviting professionals to shape consumer experiences from laboratory to counter, digital platform to boardroom. Employees join a purpose-led organization where heritage, artistry, and scientific excellence meet to define the future of luxury beauty.

Role & Responsibilities

• Own the platform engineering and lifecycle roadmap, modernization initiatives, and long-term evolution of enterprise HR and Corporate Technology platforms, aligned with approved technology strategy, product roadmaps, target-state architecture, and enterprise standards.
• Serve as the senior Platform Engineering authority in HCM platform evaluations, assessing suitability, architecture, scalability, configurability, extensibility, implementation feasibility, integration, security, data requirements, release models, and long-term sustainability.
• Partner with Process Technology Leaders, Product leaders, Capability Design, Enterprise Product Design Engineering, and Enterprise Architecture to translate approved business capabilities, solution designs, and product roadmaps into coordinated engineering and platform realization plans.
• Develop and execute platform lifecycle and modernization plans that balance business priorities, technical sustainability, security, platform health, operational continuity, and future-state technology objectives.
• Maintain ownership of the existing HR technology landscape during modernization, ensuring lifecycle management, stability, reliability, supportability, and investment as capabilities transition to the future-state HCM environment.
• Steward the existing SAP SuccessFactors talent ecosystem and related technologies, including Eightfold, in alignment with the broader enterprise HCM landscape.
• Own the lifecycle of Corporate Technology platforms supporting Global Legal, Global Security & Privacy, and Global Communications & Public Affairs, applying consistent governance, modernization, optimization, and technology stewardship.
• Establish a common platform engineering and lifecycle framework across HR and Corporate Technology, with consistent approaches to modernization, technical debt, resiliency, security, supportability, and sustainability.
• Govern engineering realization of approved business capabilities and solution designs across Enterprise Business Services (EBS), System Integrators (SI), strategic technology partners, and Enterprise Platform Engineering.
• Lead platform engineering through major HCM implementations, providing technical direction, engineering governance, implementation oversight, quality assurance, and platform decision-making within approved business, product, and architecture direction.
• Lead Enterprise Platform Engineering’s engagement with System Integrators and strategic technology partners, ensuring engineering quality, technical outcomes, architecture alignment, delivery accountability, knowledge transfer, operational readiness, and long-term sustainability.
• Lead engineering for migration from legacy HR technologies to the future-state HCM environment, including migration strategy, technical planning, data transition, integration and cutover readiness, production acceptance, and operational transition.
• Establish and mature the future-state HCM engineering operating model, including governance, release and lifecycle management, technical standards, enhancement delivery, platform optimization, and partnership with EBS.
• Maintain accountability for platform health, performance, reliability, scalability, supportability, security, technical sustainability, environment strategy, release readiness, and operational readiness across HR and Corporate Technology platforms.
• Optimize platforms through ongoing evaluation of technology utilization, environment strategy, SaaS capabilities, technical debt, data lifecycle, engineering efficiency, automation, licensing utilization, and sustainability.
• Proactively manage platform risks, technical dependencies, implementation challenges, and lifecycle concerns; escalate issues that could compromise approved designs, architecture standards, security requirements, controls, stability, or sustainability.
• Establish and mature the engineering operating model, governance, decision rights, and escalation mechanisms across Enterprise Platform Engineering, EBS, System Integrators, strategic partners, and supporting technology teams.
• Partner with Process Technology Leaders, Product leaders, Capability Design, Enterprise Product Design Engineering, and Enterprise Architecture to realize approved business capabilities, solution designs, and product roadmaps through engineering and modernization plans.
• Provide senior engineering expertise during HCM evaluation and implementation, assessing feasibility, sustainability, technical risk, implementation complexity, and long-term operating implications.
• Partner with Enterprise Architecture to align engineering solutions with architecture standards, approved technology principles, security requirements, and established engineering patterns.
• Collaborate with Cyber Security, Privacy, Operations & Infrastructure, EBS, and strategic partners to meet security, privacy, controls, resiliency, and operational requirements for sensitive employee information.
• Ensure the HR technology ecosystem operates effectively across talent, identity, payroll, Finance, data and analytics, and other dependent platforms, in partnership with relevant platform and integration organizations.
• Align HR, Corporate Technology, Enterprise Architecture, Engineering, Operations, Security, EBS, System Integrators, and strategic partners to resolve platform dependencies, engineering risks, and implementation challenges.
• Manage cross-platform dependencies, engineering sequencing, capacity, and technical risks across HR, Legal, Security & Privacy, Communications & Public Affairs, and adjacent enterprise capabilities; escalate material trade-offs through governance forums.
• Balance modernization velocity with platform stability, operational continuity, security, employee experience, and successful production transition.
• Provide organizational and engineering leadership across HR and Corporate Technology Platform Engineering, establishing accountability for engineering quality, platform health, modernization delivery, and sustainability.
• Lead EBS, System Integrators, strategic technology partners, and Enterprise Platform Engineering resources through clear governance, technical leadership, delivery accountability, and organizational alignment.
• Champion modern engineering practices, automation, AI-enabled engineering capabilities, reusable engineering assets, and continuous improvement to strengthen productivity, platform quality, and sustainability.
• Establish knowledge-transfer and capability-building practices throughout major HCM implementations so Enterprise Platform Engineering can govern, enhance, and evolve the future-state platform.
• Build and evolve HR and Corporate Technology Platform Engineering capability, defining required skills, leadership structure, succession pipeline, and operating model for current platforms and future modernization.
• Develop engineering talent through mentoring, technical leadership, succession planning, knowledge sharing, and continuous learning, fostering accountability, collaboration, ownership, innovation, and engineering excellence.
• Promote engineering documentation, platform standards, operational readiness, and institutional knowledge throughout the platform lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, Business, Human Resources Technology, or a related field.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in enterprise application engineering, HR technology, HCM platforms, platform engineering, or technology delivery within complex global organizations.
• Demonstrated leadership owning or governing enterprise HR technology platforms supporting complex, global Human Resources capabilities.
• Deep experience with one or more leading enterprise HCM platforms such as SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, Oracle Cloud HCM, or comparable enterprise-grade solutions, with strong understanding of modern cloud HCM architecture, platform lifecycle management, security, extensibility, integration, and implementation considerations.
• Strong understanding of enterprise HR capabilities, including Core HR, talent management, recruiting, onboarding, performance, compensation, succession, learning, workforce management, and related employee lifecycle processes.
• Experience with SAP SuccessFactors or an equivalent enterprise HCM platform, including Core HR and/or Talent capabilities, is highly desirable; SAP SuccessFactors experience is particularly relevant.
• Experience with talent intelligence and workforce platforms such as Eightfold, and their role in a broader enterprise HCM ecosystem, is desirable.
• Experience supporting large, geographically distributed organizations with significant regulatory, privacy, security, data, and integration requirements.
• Demonstrated technology or platform engineering leadership in at least one major end-to-end enterprise HCM implementation, modernization, or transformation, preferably involving SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, Oracle Cloud HCM, or a comparable global cloud HCM platform.
• Experience transitioning from legacy or highly customized HR platforms to modern enterprise SaaS HCM solutions, including migration planning, data transition, integration, testing, deployment, production acceptance, and operational transition.
• Proven experience partnering with major System Integrators during enterprise HCM implementations while maintaining accountability for engineering quality, technical outcomes, architecture alignment, implementation readiness, knowledge transfer, and long-term platform sustainability.
• Experience serving as a senior Platform Engineering authority during HCM platform evaluations, providing technical and engineering input on suitability, architecture, scalability, configurability, extensibility, feasibility, integration, security, data requirements, release models, and sustainability.
• Strong understanding of global HCM implementation considerations, data migration, integration, testing, release management, security, controls, privacy, and operational readiness.
• Demonstrated ability to balance legacy HR platform stability and lifecycle requirements with implementation and transition to a future-state HCM environment.
• Demonstrated experience establishing platform engineering governance, lifecycle and release management, environment strategy, engineering standards, platform health measures, and long-term operating models for enterprise platforms.
• Proven ability to govern engineering realization of approved business capabilities and solution designs across EBS, System Integrators, strategic technology partners, and cross-functional engineering teams.
• Strong understanding of enterprise SaaS architecture, APIs, integration patterns, identity and access management, cloud technologies, security, privacy, SDLC, Agile delivery, DevSecOps, and modern engineering practices.
• Experience governing complex HCM ecosystems and dependencies across payroll, identity, Finance, talent, workforce management, data and analytics, and other enterprise platforms.
• Familiarity with SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), SAP integration and extensibility capabilities, or comparable cloud platform technologies is highly desirable.
• Ability to balance platform modernization, engineering quality, operational stability, security, privacy, technical risk, production readiness, and long-term technology sustainability.
• Demonstrated ability to establish engineering operating models, governance mechanisms, partner accountability, decision rights, and escalation processes across complex federated delivery environments.
• Experience providing platform leadership across enterprise Corporate Technology applications beyond HR is highly desirable; experience supporting Legal, Security & Privacy, Communications & Public Affairs, or other corporate functions is beneficial but not required.
• Proven ability to rapidly develop platform understanding across diverse enterprise SaaS and business application portfolios while applying consistent engineering governance, lifecycle management, platform health, and modernization practices.
• Experience managing dependencies, engineering sequencing, technical risks, and capacity across multiple enterprise platforms or technology domains.
• Experience driving platform optimization through technology rationalization, SaaS utilization management, automation, AI-enabled capabilities, technical-debt reduction, lifecycle management, and continuous improvement.
• Strong understanding of SaaS vendor ecosystems, release models, platform utilization, licensing considerations, technical obsolescence, and technology lifecycle management.
• Proven ability to identify platform risks and modernization opportunities while balancing approved business priorities, technical sustainability, platform stability, and engineering capacity.
• Commitment to engineering excellence, innovation, platform sustainability, operational discipline, and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated success leading complex global platform engineering organizations and providing technology leadership across major enterprise transformation initiatives.
• Proven ability to build trusted partnerships with Process Technology Leaders, Product leaders, Capability Design, Enterprise Product Design Engineering, Enterprise Architecture, Cyber Security, Privacy, Operations & Infrastructure, EBS, System Integrators, and strategic technology partners.
• Strong executive communication, stakeholder management, organizational influence, negotiation, and decision-making skills, with the ability to communicate complex technology considerations to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity and significant technology modernization while maintaining accountability for existing platform health and future-state engineering outcomes.
• Proven ability to govern System Integrator and partner delivery, setting clear expectations and accountability for engineering quality, technical outcomes, knowledge transfer, operational readiness, and long-term platform sustainability.
• Proven ability to build and evolve engineering capabilities, including defining required skills, developing engineering leaders, succession planning, organizational capability development, and sustainable knowledge transfer from implementation partners into Enterprise Platform Engineering.
• Ability to lead across a broad platform portfolio through technical credibility, organizational influence, engineering governance, and clear accountability, while maintaining strong partnerships with business, Product, Process Technology, and architecture leadership.
• Hybrid/global work environment requiring seamless collaboration across virtual, asynchronous channels and multiple international time zones.
• Travel of 5–10%, primarily for strategic portfolio alignment sessions at corporate headquarters and regional EBS technology execution hubs.

Skills

Experience

8+ years of progressive experience in enterprise application engineering, HR technology, HCM platforms, platform engineering, or technology delivery within complex global organizations.

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, Business, Human Resources Technology, or a related field.

Compensation

The base compensation for this position ranges from USD 139,850 to USD 241,550 per annum.

Benefits

Eligible employees may receive medical, dental, and vision insurance; wellness and family support programs; life and disability insurance; retirement savings plans; paid leave programs; education-related programs; paid holidays and vacation time. Many benefits are subsidized or fully paid by the company. The role is also eligible for a competitive bonus program, with potential overachievement based on performance and company results, and participation in the share incentive plan.

Culture

The Estée Lauder Companies fosters a collaborative, inclusive workplace where creativity, entrepreneurial thinking, and a passion for prestige beauty are deeply valued. As a global house of distinctive brands, it offers employees an environment that encourages innovation, professional growth, and a shared commitment to excellence and consumer inspiration.

About Cerulean

Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.