Global HR Transformation Leader

Location: Flexible within Europe – Vienna preferred
Reports to: Chief People Officer, Mondi Group
Team: 3 Workstream Leaders 
Scope: 30+ countries | ~24,000 employees

Overall Role Summary:

Mondi is embarking on a major global transformation to modernize, harmonize, and digitize our People Operations landscape. The Global HR Transformation Leader will be responsible for designing and driving the end‑to‑end roadmap for our payroll service delivery model, standardizing our core employee life‑cycle processes, and ensuring Mondi’s HR technology, operating model, and ways of working are efficient, scalable, and future‑proof. This role is pivotal in shaping Mondi’s global HR operating platform and will lead a multi‑year transformation touching all regions, functions, and business units.

Key Responsibilities

1. Lead the Global Transformation Roadmap

• Define and steer the global roadmap for our payroll service delivery model across 30+ countries, including vendor selection/optimization, operating model design, implementation planning, and risk mitigation.
• Design the standardized global People Operations process architecture (hire‑to‑retire), ensuring consistency, scalability, and compliance while respecting Mondi’s decentralized business reality.
• Build and maintain the integrated program plan, critical path, and key milestones across all workstreams success metrics, including service quality, cost efficiency, compliance, scalability, and employee/manager experience

2. Program Leadership & Governance

• Lead three core workstreams — Payroll, People Operations, HRIS — ensuring alignment, interdependencies, and execution discipline.
• Establish and run program governance: steering committees, decision frameworks, action plans, documentation standards, and progress reporting.
• Create a strong operating rhythm with senior stakeholders across HR, IT, Finance, and business units.

3. Change Management & Stakeholder Alignment

• Drive the change management strategy, including communication, leadership alignment, workforce impact assessment, and local adoption support.
• Act as a trusted partner to the business/functions and the HR community to ensure buy‑in, clarity, and smooth transition.
• Work closely with internal communications to articulate the vision, progress, and expectations to executive audiences and employees.

4. External Vendor & Partner Management

• Lead the engagement with global payroll outsourcing partners, HR technology providers, and external consultants.
• Ensure vendors meet quality, timeline, data privacy, and service delivery expectations.
• Negotiate, manage, and monitor SLAs, KPIs, and governance structures.

5. HRIS & Process Digitalization

• Oversee HR technology enablement in collaboration with HRIS and IT counterparts.
• Drive automation, workflow design, data quality improvements, and system enhancements to support efficient People Operations.
• Ensure process design and system configuration are tightly aligned and user‑centric.

6. Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop the three workstream leaders to ensure strong execution capability.
• Build a high‑performance transformation culture with strong accountability, clarity, and follow‑through.
• Role‑model structured thinking, disciplined program management, and effective stakeholder management.

Qualifications & Experience

Must‑have

• 10+ years in large‑scale HR transformation roles within global organizations.
• Proven experience leading multi‑country payroll outsourcing programs and/or global People Operations transformations.
• Deep understanding of HR processes, HR technology, and shared services/outsourcing models.
• Strong program management capabilities, including governance, reporting, risk management, and interdependency coordination.
• Exceptional ability to structure complexity, create clarity, and drive disciplined follow‑through.
• Strong communication skills — able to brief executive teams, influence senior stakeholders, and simplify complex topics.
• Demonstrated success in change management across diverse businesses and cultures.
• Ability to work effectively in decentralized or matrixed environments.

Preferred

• Experience with large multinational workforce footprints.
• Prior leadership of cross‑functional global teams.
• Expertise in HR systems (e.g., SAP SuccessFactors) or global payroll solutions.
• Vendor management and outsourcing negotiation experience.

Personal Attributes

• Clear, structured thinker who brings order, logic, and discipline to complex transformations.
• Pragmatic and solution‑oriented, able to balance strategic thinking with hands‑on execution.
• Exceptional stakeholder manager who builds trust and credibility quickly.
• Resilient, composed, and able to navigate ambiguity and competing priorities.
• Strong follow‑through, ownership, and accountability mindset.
• Collaborative leader who creates alignment across diverse business units and cultures.

What Mondi Offers

• A pivotal leadership role in a major global HR transformation impacting 24,000 employees.
• Opportunity to shape the future global People Operations and Payroll landscape across 30+ countries.
• Meaningful autonomy and influence at executive level, reporting directly to the Chief People Officer.
• A highly international environment with flexible European location.

Benefits: Learning & Development 

Get in touch:

Awards: