Global Head of People Systems

Global Head of People Systems

The Head of Global People Systems will serve as the Product Owner for Workday, leading the strategic direction, management, and optimisation of the company's global HR technology landscape across multiple European locations, including but not limited to the UK, Ireland, Spain, Italy, France, and Poland. This senior-level role will be responsible for driving the overall HR technology strategy, ensuring that Workday is leveraged effectively to meet the evolving needs of the business.
With a deep functional and/or technical understanding of Workday, the successful candidate will oversee the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of Workday modules, ensuring that the system supports the companys global HR processes and business objectives. Acting as the key liaison between HR, IT, and external partners, the Head of Global People Systems will ensure that Workday serves as a robust platform for talent management, payroll, analytics, and other critical HR functions.
We are open to applications with different locations as we are happy to offer flexible working within this role.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Ownership of Workday:

• Serve as the global product owner for Workday, leading the development and execution of the long-term HR technology strategy.
• Align Workdays functionalities with the companys strategic business goals, ensuring that it effectively supports workforce planning, talent management, payroll, employee engagement, and compliance across all regions.
• Evaluate and prioritise enhancements, upgrades, and new Workday functionalities based on business needs, technological advancements, and user feedback.

Workday System Optimisation:

• Lead the design, configuration, and deployment of Workday modules across all company locations, ensuring standardisation while allowing for regional customisation where necessary.
• Continuously monitor and optimise Workday performance to ensure it meets business requirements, driving efficiencies and ensuring a seamless user experience.
• Partner with functional leads and external consultants to ensure effective Workday integration with other business systems (e.g., payroll, finance)

Leadership & Team Management:

• Lead and manage the Workday team, providing strategic direction, coaching, and support.
• Collaborate closely with the HR leadership team to ensure Workday capabilities are fully aligned with HR operational needs and strategic goals.
• Act as the central point of contact for regional HR teams, providing leadership and oversight for local implementations, updates, and troubleshooting.

Stakeholder Management & Collaboration:

• Collaborate with IT, HR, and business leaders across the UK, Ireland, Spain, Italy, France, and Poland to ensure Workday delivers value across the entire organisation.
• Engage with external Workday partners and vendors, including implementation, advisory, and AMS (Application Management Services) partners, to ensure that the system is properly supported, maintained, and optimised.
• Work closely with Workdays development teams and business stakeholders to identify system gaps, propose solutions, and manage the delivery of new features or functionality.

Governance, Risk, and Compliance:

• Ensure that the Workday system complies with global and regional HR regulations, including GDPR and local labour laws.
• Oversee the data governance and security of Workday, ensuring proper access controls, data integrity, and audit capabilities are in place.
• Regularly review and update system documentation, workflows, and training materials to align with regulatory requirements and organisational changes.

Change Management & Training:

• Drive the change management strategy for Workday enhancements and upgrades, ensuring smooth transitions for all users.
• Develop and deliver training programs for HR teams and business users to ensure they are equipped to fully utilise Workday functionalities.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, identifying opportunities to enhance system adoption and user engagement.

Project Leadership:

• Lead the delivery of major Workday initiatives, including module implementations, system upgrades, and process automation projects.
• Oversee the entire project lifecycle, including planning, resourcing, risk management, and post-implementation support, ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget.
• Identify cross-functional dependencies and manage them to minimise disruption to the business.

Qualifications & Experience

Experience:

• 10+ years of experience in HRIS/People Systems leadership roles, with significant experience working as a Workday Product Owner or similar senior role.
• Proven experience leading multi-country Workday implementations, including experience across multiple modules (e.g., HCM, Payroll, Talent, Absence, Prism).
• Hands-on technical or functional knowledge of Workday is essential, with the ability to bridge the gap between strategic and operational needs.
• Strong track record of leading global teams and managing external vendors/partners.
• Experience working within multinational organisations, managing cross-border HRIS strategies.

Skills:

• Leadership & Strategy: Ability to develop and execute a strategic vision for global HR technology.
• Workday Expertise: Deep understanding of Workday functionalities, with the ability to translate business requirements into system solutions.
• Stakeholder Management: Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to collaborate with senior executives, HR teams, IT, and external partners.
• Project Management: Strong project management skills, with a proven ability to deliver large-scale HRIS initiatives on time and within budget.
• Change Management: Experience driving change management programs, ensuring seamless transitions for system users.
• Analytical Thinking: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a focus on continuous system improvement.

Personal Attributes:

• Visionary Leader: Able to think strategically while also being hands-on, when necessary, with a focus on delivering measurable business value through HR technology.
• Proactive and Solution-Oriented: Comfortable in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and able to anticipate and resolve challenges before they escalate.
• Strong Communicator: Able to distil complex technical concepts into clear, actionable recommendations for senior stakeholders.
• Adaptable and Culturally Aware: Ability to work across multiple regions, managing diverse teams and cultural differences in a global organisation.
• Data-Driven: Strong belief in leveraging data and analytics to drive informed decision-making and continuous system optimisation.

Further information

As well as a competitive salary we offer the following benefits

• Competitive holiday allowance with the annual option to buy additional days
• Death in Service benefit of x4 salary
• Company pension scheme
• Very generous maternity and paternity leave packages
• A flexible benefits package which allows you to add additional benefits to your overall package
• Our benefits portal offers discounts on technology & electronics, cinemas, restaurants, days out, mortgage advice, travel and many more
• Referral schemes
• Discounted rates on PIB products
• We offer a first-class employee benefits and welfare package to support our employees with financial management, cycle to work scheme, counselling support,health screening, will writing, menopause support, books, stopping smoking and much more
• If supporting the local community, engaging with charities and having the opportunity to give something back interests you, you have the opportunity to take an extra day to support this with a Volunteering Day.
• We also offer a wide range of discounts including a kids pass giving you discount to over 4500 attractions and activities, discounts at hairdressers and beauticians, climate change projects with lots of other optionsto choose
• PIB has a comprehensive learning & development framework, including professional study options and apprenticeships which are available to all employees, and which will support your career development
• Being a part of our PIB Community Trust, we support fundraising where you can apply for grants from PIB Group towards your chosen charity
• PIB Group are committed to improving their environmental impact in a responsible way. From the individual actions that our colleagues take every day through to installing the right facilities across our premises, there are many measures in place to help reduce PIBs carbon footprint.

We are proud of our success and growth and have been recognised for many industry awards across our business. If you wish to work for a company that truly puts people at the heart of their organisation, then we would love to hear from you. PIB operates a flexible working policy, and our management teams will talk to you about how that would meet both your flexible working needs and those of the business and role you are applying for. We would love to hear from you if you want to hear more about opportunities in PIB.
We are an equal opportunities employer, committed to hiring a diverse and inclusive workforce. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, gender, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected bylaw.

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Location: Manchester, GB

Posted Date: 11/6/2024