Global PMO Lead - People Technology

Why we're hiring:

WPP is delivering a significant People Technology transformation, modernising the platforms, processes and data that underpin how we manage and support our people globally.

We’re looking for an experienced PMO Lead to sit at the centre of this transformation, bringing the structure, discipline and visibility needed to successfully deliver a complex, global programme. This is more than a reporting PMO role. You’ll create the governance, integrated planning and delivery controls that enable leaders to make informed decisions and teams to deliver effectively. You’ll connect multiple workstreams, make risks and dependencies visible, ensure actions translate into delivery, and provide a clear view of whether the programme is achieving its objectives and intended benefits.

Working across the intersection of People, Technology, HR processes, data and organisational change, you’ll partner closely with programme leadership, Workstream Leads and cross-functional teams to turn strategy into an executable plan and create the rhythm and discipline needed to deliver transformation at scale.

What you'll be doing:

• Own and maintain the integrated programme plan, ensuring milestones, dependencies, deliverables and critical paths are clearly understood and actively managed.
• Establish and maintain effective programme governance, providing appropriate control over scope, cost, timelines, risks and delivery.
• Lead programme reporting, providing clear and insightful updates on progress, risks, issues, dependencies, decisions and areas requiring intervention.
• Own the programme RAID process, proactively identifying risks and issues and ensuring clear mitigation, escalation and resolution plans are in place.
• Coordinate dependencies across workstreams, ensuring actions have clear owners, deadlines and accountability through to closure.
• Support and facilitate programme governance forums, ensuring decisions are captured and translated into clear actions and outcomes.
• Establish and maintain the frameworks, processes, templates and programme documentation required to drive consistency and effective ways of working.
• Ensure programme benefits are clearly defined, baselined and tracked, with appropriate business ownership and measurable outcomes.
• Develop meaningful metrics and reporting to monitor programme performance and benefits realisation.
• Partner with Workstream Leads and delivery teams to identify roadblocks, resolve delivery challenges and maintain momentum.
• Provide leadership and guidance to project and workstream teams, championing strong programme management disciplines and collaborative ways of working.
• Work across the wider organisation to identify interdependencies with other transformation initiatives and ensure these are reflected in programme planning.
• Identify opportunities to simplify processes, improve operational effectiveness and strengthen programme delivery.
• Champion effective ways of working across globally dispersed and cross-functional teams.
• Act as Project Manager for selected strategic initiatives or workstreams where additional delivery leadership is required

What you'll need:

• Significant experience working as a PMO Lead, Senior PMO, Programme Manager or in a similar role within a large-scale transformation environment.
• Strong programme management capability, with hands-on experience of integrated planning, governance, RAID management, dependency management and executive-level reporting.
• Experience supporting complex programmes involving multiple workstreams, geographies and cross-functional teams.
• Experience delivering People Technology, HR transformation or enterprise technology programmes would be highly valuable.
• Experience working with HRIS/HCM platforms, with an understanding of the processes, data, integrations and business change surrounding enterprise HR technology, is strongly preferred.
• Workday experience would be advantageous but is not essential. We’re equally interested in candidates with experience of other major enterprise HRIS/HCM platforms who can demonstrate strong technology-enabled transformation experience.
• Strong understanding of Agile and traditional programme delivery approaches, with the ability to apply an appropriate level of governance depending on the programme environment.
• Experience developing programme governance, reporting frameworks, delivery standards and ways of working.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to turn complex programme information into clear insights and recommendations for senior stakeholders.
• Experience establishing and tracking programme benefits, KPIs and delivery metrics.
• Strong facilitation and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to bring diverse teams together around shared priorities.
• A practical, action-oriented approach, with strong attention to detail and the ability to maintain control across multiple moving parts.
• Confidence operating in ambiguity, quickly identifying problems and creating the structure needed to move towards resolution.
• Experience working with globally dispersed teams through significant organisational or technology transformation.
• Experience of process improvement approaches such as Lean, Six Sigma or Design Thinking would be advantageous.

Who you are:

You're open: We are inclusive and collaborative; we encourage the free exchange of ideas; we respect and celebrate diverse views. We are open-minded: to new ideas, new partnerships, new ways of working.

You're optimistic: We believe in the power of creativity, technology and talent to create brighter futures or our people, our clients and our communities. We approach all that we do with conviction: to try the new and to seek the unexpected.

You're extraordinary: we are stronger together: through collaboration we achieve the amazing. We are creative leaders and pioneers of our industry; we provide extraordinary every day.

What we'll give you:

Passionate, inspired people – We aim to create a culture in which people can do extraordinary work.

Scale and opportunity – We offer the opportunity to create, influence and complete projects at a scale that is unparalleled in the industry.

Challenging and stimulating work – Unique work and the opportunity to join a group of creative problem solvers. Are you up for the challenge?

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