Cutover Programme Manager
Posted 1 day ago by Lorien
Negotiable
Undetermined
Undetermined
Coventry, England, United Kingdom
Summary: The Cutover Programme Manager will lead the planning and execution of a complex Workday migration programme, ensuring a smooth transition from legacy systems while maintaining business continuity. This role requires collaboration with various teams, including HR, Finance, and IT, to coordinate all phases of cutover. The manager will be responsible for risk management and ensuring readiness for go-live. Strong stakeholder management and communication skills are essential for success in this position.
Key Responsibilities:
- Develop and own the overall cutover strategy and integrated cutover plan across workstreams.
- Lead the cutover planning process, including defining scope, key milestones, Go/No-Go criteria, and critical path.
- Coordinate the sequencing of data migration, configuration, testing, training, and go-live support activities.
- Act as a single point of accountability for cutover execution across business and technical teams.
- Identify, assess, and manage cutover-related risks, dependencies, and issues.
- Chair daily/weekly cutover readiness meetings and Go/No-Go checkpoints.
- Align with business leads and operational owners to ensure business readiness.
- Work closely with Workday partners and internal stakeholders to ensure all systems, interfaces, and processes are ready for transition.
- Define and manage dry run cycles, mock cutovers, and rollback strategies.
- Ensure that post go-live hypercare and early life support plans are robust and resourced appropriately.
- Produce cutover status reports and stakeholder updates at executive and programme level.
Key Skills:
- Proven experience as a Cutover Manager on at least one large-scale Workday implementation or migration, ideally across multiple functional areas (HR, Finance, Payroll).
- Strong background in ERP or SaaS system cutovers, with understanding of back-office systems and integrations.
- Expertise in cutover methodologies, including mock runs, blackout periods, and contingency planning.
- Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, including ability to influence senior executives.
- Experience in coordinating cross-functional teams across business and IT.
- Strong project and programme management skills – planning, execution, governance, and risk control.
- Familiarity with data migration concepts and tools.
- Ability to work under pressure in fast-paced transformation environments.
Salary (Rate): undetermined
City: Coventry
Country: United Kingdom
Working Arrangements: undetermined
IR35 Status: undetermined
Seniority Level: undetermined
Industry: Other
Cutover Programme Manager Initial 12 Month FTC Coventry/Manchester
The Role
We are seeking an experienced Cutover Programme Manager to lead the end-to-end cutover planning and execution for a complex Workday migration programme. This role will oversee the transition from legacy back-office systems (e.g., Oracle, SAP, PeopleSoft, etc.) to Workday, ensuring business continuity, risk mitigation, and minimal disruption during go-live. You will work cross-functionally with Workday implementation partners, business teams (HR, Finance, IT), system integrators, and technical teams to coordinate the readiness, execution, and stabilization phases of cutover.
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Key Responsibilities:
- Develop and own the overall cutover strategy and integrated cutover plan across workstreams.
- Lead the cutover planning process, including defining scope, key milestones, Go/No-Go criteria, and critical path.
- Coordinate the sequencing of data migration, configuration, testing, training, and go-live support activities.
- Act as a single point of accountability for cutover execution across business and technical teams.
- Identify, assess, and manage cutover-related risks, dependencies, and issues.
- Chair daily/weekly cutover readiness meetings and Go/No-Go checkpoints.
- Align with business leads and operational owners to ensure business readiness.
- Work closely with Workday partners and internal stakeholders to ensure all systems, interfaces, and processes are ready for transition.
- Define and manage dry run cycles, mock cutovers, and rollback strategies.
- Ensure that post go-live hypercare and early life support plans are robust and resourced appropriately.
- Produce cutover status reports and stakeholder updates at executive and programme level.
Required Skills and Experience:
- Proven experience as a Cutover Manager on at least one large-scale Workday implementation or migration, ideally across multiple functional areas (HR, Finance, Payroll).
- Strong background in ERP or SaaS system cutovers, with understanding of back-office systems and integrations.
- Expertise in cutover methodologies, including mock runs, blackout periods, and contingency planning.
- Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, including ability to influence senior executives.
- Experience in coordinating cross-functional teams across business and IT.
- Strong project and programme management skills – planning, execution, governance, and risk control.
- Familiarity with data migration concepts and tools.
- Ability to work under pressure in fast-paced transformation environments.
Key Deliverables:
- Cutover Strategy & Plan
- Integrated Cutover Schedule
- Go/No-Go Criteria
- Mock Cutover Execution Reports
- Cutover Risk & Issue Logs
- Hypercare Plan & Handover Documents