Job Description
We’re Sonesta International Hotels. The 8th largest hotel company in the U.S.—and growing fast. An epic blend of full-service and focused hotels in major cities, Sonesta’s uniquely diverse portfolio of owned, managed, and franchised properties makes us everywhere you want to be. Driven by the human side of hospitality, we deliver service with passion, loyalty with purpose, and experiences that truly connect. Together We Thrive —bringing quality, value, and amazing hospitality to every guest, every stay, across 1000+ properties in eight countries and counting. Job Description Summary The Director, Enterprise Transformation (ERP & HCM Strategy) will lead Sonesta’s evaluation and strategic direction for its core enterprise platforms, including ERP and Human Capital Management (HCM) systems. This role is responsible for guiding the organization through discovery, assessment, and decision-making regarding the future state of these platforms—whether that involves transformation, consolidation, modernization, or stabilization. This is a strategic, program-oriented role focused on defining the future roadmap and enabling executive decision-making. The role will work in close partnership with Enterprise Applications, HR, Finance, and Transformation leadership to ensure alignment between business priorities and technology direction. This position reports to the VP, Head of Information Technology. Job Description Key Responsibilities Enterprise Platform Strategy & Assessment Lead a comprehensive assessment of current ERP and HCM platforms, including capabilities, gaps, cost structures, and operational effectiveness Evaluate business needs across Finance, HR, Payroll, and adjacent functions to define future-state requirements Develop clear recommendations on whether to optimize existing platforms or pursue replacement Evaluate and lead assessments of technology solutions and operational effectiveness in other business domains as needed Discovery & Decision Support Design and lead structured discovery efforts, including stakeholder interviews, workshops, and current-state documentation Partner with business and IT leaders to define success criteria, guiding principles, decision frameworks and KPI’s to measure success Build executive-ready materials to support key decisions (e.g., business cases, ROI models, risk assessments) Market Evaluation & Vendor Engagement Lead evaluation of ERP and HCM vendors, including RFP/RFI processes where applicable Engage with vendors to understand capabilities, implementation approaches, and total cost of ownership Facilitate objective comparisons and recommendations aligned to Sonesta’s strategy and scale Continue vendor engagement post implementation to ensure optimal adoption, new features and capabilities are evaluated Maintain ongoing vendor partner relationships with key business and IT stakeholders Roadmap & Program Definition Define a multi-year roadmap for ERP/HCM evolution, including sequencing, dependencies, and resourcing needs Establish high-level program structure, governance, and delivery approach for future transformation initiatives Partner with PMO/Portfolio teams to ensure readiness for execution Partner with the PMO/Portfolio teams to ensure project timelines and deliverables align with other strategic initiatives and resources Measure ROI of implementations and evaluate further opportunities or ongoing enhancements to meet operational goals Cross-Functional Alignment Serve as a bridge between business stakeholders (Finance, HR, Operations) and IT Align with the Transformation Office to ensure consistency with broader enterprise priorities Build consensus across stakeholders with differing perspectives and priorities Manage cross-functional project resources as necessary Partnership with Enterprise Applications Work in close collaboration with the Sr. Director of Enterprise Applications and their team Ensure continuity of current system operations while future-state strategy is being defined Leverage Enterprise Applications team expertise in current-state systems, integrations, and support realities Collaborate with Enterprise Applications on ‘quick wins’ or short-term enhancements realized as part of discovery Qualifications Experience 8–12+ years of experience in enterprise systems, consulting, or transformation roles Proven experience leading ERP and/o