HR Governance and Portfolio Management Lead

About this role

Job Description The HR Governance and Portfolio Management lead role reports to the Head of Global HR Operations and is a member of the HR Operations Leadership Team. This role is based in the United States and is a senior-level individual contributor.

About HR Operations  

HR Operations is the engine room   of   the employee   experience. We own the systems, processes, and service delivery that make employment   work day   to day — payroll, time and attendance, employee data, HR service delivery and case management, global mobility, HR digital platforms, and the governance and controls that sit beneath all of it.  

We are also central to the broader HR transformation. As HR has shifted to more strategic, consultative work with the business, that shift only holds if the operational foundation is simplified, standardized, digitized, and increasingly automated. Our mandate is to   consolidate   fragmented systems and processes into a coherent global platform, and replace manual effort with intelligent automation.  

Role summary    

The HR Governance and Portfolio Management Lead is the connective tissue of that transformation.   This role builds and runs the frameworks that let HR decide what to work on, fund it, track it, and prove it worked — HR portfolio management, the HR budget and   long range   plan,   Workforce Management (WFM) program management,  the HR scorecard and the Agilent Balanced Scorecard, the HR service catalog, compliance oversight, and the vendor and project management frameworks.  

It is a high-level individual contributor role with enterprise-wide visibility. Success depends on influence rather than headcount: the ability to bring rigor and transparency to how HR invests its money and attention, and to hold senior leaders to a shared operating discipline without owning their teams.  

Key responsibilities  

HR portfolio management  

• Establish and run the HR portfolio management framework — intake, prioritization criteria, stage gates, and quarterly HRLT review.  

• Partner with HR leadership to translate approved LRP investments into a prioritized, sequenced portfolio of projects.  

• Maintain the overall portfolio status and the RAID log; surface risks, issues, dependencies, and decisions early and clearly.  

• Work with project teams to keep status honest,   identify   mitigations, and escalate when timelines or benefits are at risk.  

• Own and enable the project management framework, setting consistent standards for how HR projects are planned, run, and closed.    

• Own and manage the Workforce Management (WFM) program working across HR and enabling functions on its smooth execution.

Budget, LRP, and financial governance  

• Establish the framework and process for   setting   the annual HR budget.  

• Maintain and   monitor   the HR budget monthly, tracking   spend   against plan and flagging variances with recommendations.  

• Partner with HRLT and Finance during year-end to develop the   long range   plan and align investment to strategic priorities.  

Scorecards and performance reporting  

• Update the monthly HR Scorecard and present results and insights   to   HRLT.  

• Maintain the quarterly Agilent Balanced Scorecard contribution for HR.  

• Partner with HRLT at year-end to refresh scorecard metrics so they reflect current strategy and remain measurable.  

• Turn portfolio and operational data into a clear narrative on progress, risk, and value delivered.  

Service catalog and compliance  

• Own and govern the HR Service Catalog, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and alignment with HR policies and local requirements.  

• Oversee day-to-day HR compliance activity and continually   monitor   regulatory and policy changes that affect HR operations.  

• Coordinate with Legal, Privacy, Internal Audit, and regional teams to keep controls current and   audit-ready .  

Vendor management framework

• Own and enable the HR vendor management framework — governance cadence, performance standards,   contract   and renewal discipline.  

• Partner with Procurement and process owners on vendor selection, onboarding, and ongoing performance review.

AI, automation, and continuous improvement  

• Apply AI and automation to governance   work itself   — reporting, portfolio and budget tracking, compliance monitoring, and scorecard production — reducing manual assembly and improving timeliness.  

• Ensure AI and automation initiatives across HR are represented in the portfolio with clear business cases, benefit tracking, and responsible-use guardrails.  

• Build the data foundation and reporting standards that make HR performance visible and comparable across functions.  

Qualifications ​ Required qualifications  

• [ 10]+   years in HR, business operations, strategy, transformation, or portfolio and program management, including experience at enterprise scale.  

• Demonstrated ownership of a portfolio, PMO, or governance function — building the framework, not just   operating   within one.  

• Strong financial acumen: budget development and management, long range planning, business case construction, and benefit tracking.  

• Experience designing and reporting performance metrics or scorecards for a senior leadership audience.  

• Proven ability to influence and hold accountable senior stakeholders without formal authority.  

• Excellent executive communication — able to distill a complex portfolio into a clear, honest one-page story.  

• Working knowledge of compliance and control environments and of vendor governance practices.  

• Practical fluency with AI and automation   applied   to reporting and operational work, including sound judgment on where it fits and where it   doesn't .  

Preferred qualifications  

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience     

• Experience within HR or supporting an HR function, including familiarity with HR service delivery models and service catalogs.  

• Experience in a large HR or

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