Associate Director - People in M&A / HR M&A

Our client's research shows that two thirds of deals fail to deliver value, and amongst the top reasons are People and Culture.

HR M&A was set up in our global consulting client's Deals function, which has been growing year on year. They have worked on some of the largest and most high-profile client engagements in the deals space, including multi-billion spins, integration of global mega mergers, disposals of non-core assets for large multinationals. They have launched a market differentiating digital engagement platform for M&A as well as a campaign focused on ‘the Human Side of Deals’, and they continue to drive digital innovation.

This is an opportunity to be part of a fast growing, dynamic and diverse team, made up of HR deals professionals working alongside deal execution teams on large scale, global integrations, separations and JVs. The Associate Director role is critical to the continued growth of the practice.

Our client advises on all aspects relating to HR and change management on the deals process from HR due diligence through to deal execution. Their focus areas include:

1) Employee experience: Shaping the employee experience strategy and executing an engagement program. This often is based on their unique digital engagement platform, to ensure that the workforce is engaged and key talent is retained in order to protect deal value.

2) Organisational Design: OD, people strategy, operating model, driving synergies and value enhancements for integrations, carve-outs or JVs. Managing the talent risks and retention strategies, putting in place the strategy and execution programme to stand up ComCos.

3) Labour relations and compliance: Ensuring that labour and HR risks and obligations are understood and managed globally in order to deliver on the deal timelines and planned changes. They have one of the strongest experiences in workforce transition in the market.

4) HR operations: HR Operations focuses on the integration of the HR function itself, from strategy, operating model, integration or separation of systems and processes including standing up/securing payroll on deals.

Their wider Integration & Separation deals team culture and HR M&A ways of working are highly collaborative, open and high performing.

Responsibilities:

The Associate Director role is a key role to the team, developing their practice and proposition areas, leading, and delivering global projects, and working alongside the C-suite of global organisations. As one of the most successful teams in the firm, they believe heavily in the development of our people. Associate Directors will work alongside Partners and Directors, providing one to one coaching as well significant internal and external courses, and performance management, to help develop them and rapidly build their careers.

• Demonstrate credibility and experience to advise and deliver on complex I&S deals (involving teams from I&S, Deal Advisory and the wider firm).
• Prepare, plan, and deliver HR M&A programmes and HR due diligence.
• Leading and supporting our clients through strategy development, organisational design, people transitions, employee experience and synergy/cost analysis programmes arising from acquisitions, divestitures, carve outs and other transactions.
• Delivering and/or reviewing high quality, transaction reports and other M&A documentation including HR due diligence and Transitional Service Agreements.
• Leading client meetings and interviews and act as primary point of contact for the client across overall engagement.
• Managing relationships with key C level executives at clients.
• To work collaborative with the HR M&A partner and directors, as well as the wider I&S and Deal Advisory partners and directors to pursue and land deal opportunities. Our team truly believes in the success of ‘hunting in packs’. We land more deals and bigger deals by working together across Deal Advisory and across borders.
• Supporting and contributing to the growth plans of our HR M&A business.
• Oversee and drive development of staff, including being mentor and coach to junior team members.
• Drive digital innovation including the development of compelling HR M&A propositions to provide market growth opportunities.
• To identify new opportunities, shaping proposals, and pitching.
• To identify and pull through relevant firm services, e.g. Management Consulting People & Change, People Services etc.

Experience and skills:

Significant experience in a consulting firm or industry of preparing and delivering HR, Organisation Design or Strategy programmes in a M&A environment including:

• HR due diligence (buyside and sell side) – writing and reviewing.
• Vendor assist.
• Planning and execution of integrations and separations across strategy and OD, people transition, culture, employee experience, infrastructure, and systems.
• HR Operations, including people, process, governance, service management, technology and contracts.
• Design, negotiation, and operation of HR related transitional services.
• Advise, challenge and support clients through the deal life cycle including deal execution.

Deep technical expertise in at least one of the following areas:

• Operating model, organisation design and execution.
• Talent retention strategy, talent pooling and assessment & selection.
• Cultural assimilation, shaping employee experience strategy and execution.
• Headcount and HR related synergies, e.g. workforce optimisation, managing RIF (Reduce in Force) programmes and large-scale workforce transitions.
• HR operating models, including organisation, systems, and processes – integrating, carving out or setting up from scratch.
• Labour relations e.g. TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings), restructuring and redundancy, union negotiation strategies and Collective Labour Agreements.

Additional experience:

• Understanding of the deal lifecycle and the role of HR and change management.
• Understanding of the deal lifecycle and the role of HR and strategy within it – starting from due diligence through to concluding transitional service agreements.
• Leading and facilitation of client meetings and interviews.
• Team management experience, including experience in development and growth plans.
• Programme management experience and track record of successful delivery of projects.
• Comfort with ambiguity, fluid situations and a highly pressured environment.
• Fluency in a European language beneficial.
• Ability to be flexible, with willingness to travel if required as well as managing virtual teams and client projects in a hybrid working world.

Successful applicants will be contacted within 24 hours to discuss further.

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