The Role
KPMG research shows that 2/3 of deals fail to deliver value, and amongst the top reasons are People and Culture.
HR M&A was set up as part of the Integration & Separation (I&S) team in Deal Advisory, which has been growing year on year. We 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. We have launched a market differentiating digital engagement platform for M&A as well as a campaign focused on ‘the Human Side of Deals’, and we 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 with deal execution teams on large scale, global integrations, separations and JVs. The Director role is critical to the continued growth of the practice.
We advise on all aspects relating to HR and change management on the deals process from HR due diligence through to deal execution. Our focus areas:
1) Employee experience: Shaping the employee experience strategy and executing an engagement program. This often is based on our 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. We 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.
Our wider Integration & Separation (‘I&S’) deals team culture and HR M&A ways of working are highly collaborative, open and high performing. The director will be a part of the HR M&A leadership team.
Roles & Responsibilities
You will be responsible for leading HR M&A related business development, client delivery and practice development for the HR M&A team.
Your responsibilities will include:
Business development:
• To work collaborative with the HR M&A partner and fellow directors, as well as the wider I&S and DA 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.
• To bring compelling and differentiating HR M&A solutions to our clients deal challenges, and to demonstrate the breadth and depth of our experience in advising and supporting our clients to successfully pursue and execute on complex deals.
• To scope, price, resource winning proposals and engagements.
• To build and expand client relationships on large corporates, making us the trusted advisors from one deal to the next.
• To market and create leads for our HR M&A work internally within KPMG as well as externally in the marketplace.
• To identify and pull through relevant KPMG services, e.g. Management Consulting People & Change, People Services etc.
Client delivery:
• Scope, plan and lead the delivery of HR M&A engagements from pre-deal HR due diligence to in deal execution whether separations, integrations or JVs.
• Manage the risks and successful delivery of HR M&A projects, including exceeding client expectations, managing the team and delivering on the commercial commitments.
• Drawing on knowledge and experience of HR in deals to provide high quality and deep insights, advice and challenge to our senior clients.
• Interfacing with senior external and internal stakeholders both at clients and within KPMG.
• Growing and managing relationships with key client C level executives.
• Being accountable for engagement management including quality and risk management for the project.
People and Practice development:
• Be a key driver and contributor to the strategy and growth plans of our HR M&A business
• Coaching, stretching and mentoring team members within HR M&A and wider I&S team
• Leading, advising and challenging our HR M&A team to support our clients throughout the deal lifecycle.
• Be a part of the practice leadership team, e.g. guiding team members to manage the practice commercials, pipeline and resourcing processes.
• Drive digital innovation including the development of compelling HR M&A propositions to provide market growth opportunities.
The Person
Experience and skills
Big four consulting experience in preparing and delivering HR, OD or Strategy programmes in deals including:
• Strong business development track record
• Ability to shape and sell complex HR and change management solutions to large corporate clients
• Track record in collaborating across different areas to shape, sell and deliver complex client engagements
• Ability to build deep senior level client relationships, and be a trusted client advisor
Leading teams to deliver on:
• HR due diligence – writing and reviewing/ensuring quality of reports
• Plan, advise and execute on integrations and separations across people strategy and OD, people transition, culture, employee experience, HR infrastructure, and systems.
• Advise, challenge and support clients through the deal life cycle including deal execution
Experience and technical expertise in several of these 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 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, restructuring and redundancy, union negotiation strategies and CLAs.
• Understanding of the deal lifecycle and the role of HR and change management
• Strong senior stakeholder management skills including building senior client relationships and excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Team development and leadership experience
• Ability to sell, shape and lead large, complex global programmes
• Resilience and driven, with the ability to thrive in a highly pressured deal environment.
• Ability to be flexible, with willingness to travel if required as well as managing virtual teams and client projects in a hybrid working world.
• Min. Bachelor's degree qualification, preferable in HR or business administration