Global Program Manager, HR Time & Payroll Transformation

About the role

Our client is a large international technology company operating globally at the intersection of industrial solutions, energy solutions, and the marine industry. The company has launched a strategically significant global HR Time & Payroll Transformation program, aimed at renewing, harmonizing, and digitalizing time management and payroll processes, as well as the related application and vendor landscape, on a global scale.

This is a multi-year transformation program involving multiple countries, vendors, and internal stakeholders. The program will be rolled out in phases across several countries, approximately 1012 countries at a time. As Global Program Manager, you will own the end-to-end delivery of the program. You will ensure that multiple projects, vendors, regional rollouts, timelines, dependencies, and stakeholders remain aligned as one well-managed program. The role requires strong program management experience, the ability to create clarity in complexity, and a firm yet collaborative approach to decision-making, risk management, dependencies, and driving progress.

This role is particularly well suited for an experienced Program Manager, Senior Project Manager, Transformation Lead, or Delivery Lead with a background in international HR, payroll, time management, HRIS, ERP, or other enterprise platform transformation programs.

The employment relationship will initially be a 69-month fixed-term contract, to be specified during the recruitment process, through Academic Work. During this period, our client company will run their own recruitment process for a permanent Program Manager role, as this transformation program will continue for many years and there will also be long-term work in the team beyond the program. You can apply directly for employment with our client even while working through Academic Work.

🎁We offer

• Salary based on your experience, approximately 5,5007,000 €/month
• A fast employment opportunity in a broad, globally significant role
• The opportunity to demonstrate your expertise while a global company is recruiting a professional for a permanent and versatile role

Work tasks

You will be responsible for the overall steering and delivery of the HR Time & Payroll Transformation program. In practice, you will build and maintain the program delivery model, ensure alignment between vendors and internal teams, and make sure that decisions, risks, schedules, and dependencies remain visible and controlled.

Your key responsibilities include:

• Owning and leading the delivery of the global Time & Payroll transformation as an end-to-end program
• Defining and maintaining the overall program plan, milestones, dependencies, resourcing model, and critical path
• Leading and orchestrating delivery across multiple external vendors, implementation partners, and internal teams
• Acting as a senior counterpart to key HR, IT, Finance, and Business stakeholders
• Preparing and steering program governance forums, such as steering groups and executive updates
• Tracking the overall program budget and costs, ensuring financial discipline across all workstreams
• Ensuring that change, communication, and adoption activities are embedded across all projects
• Building clear, audience-specific program communication in a global organization

We are looking for

We are looking for an experienced program or project leader with proven experience in leading large-scale international transformation and implementation programs. You should have experience in environments involving multiple countries, vendors, internal functions, dependencies, and decision-making levels.

The most important requirement is a strong delivery leadership background: you have personally led projects or programs, not only followed the overall progress from a PMO or support role. You know how to build a plan, make progress visible, challenge ambiguity, drive decisions to completion, and keep the program moving even when information is incomplete, priorities change, or the organization has conflicting views.

You will succeed in this role if you have a polite but highly firm way of working. You need the ability to drive the plan forward with determination, cut through ambiguity, seek clear decisions, and bring people along in a constructive and professional manner.

We expect you to have:

• Strong experience in senior-level program management or project management roles
• Experience in multi-country, multi-vendor, and multi-year transformations
• Proven success in delivering complex implementation or transformation programs on time, within budget, and within agreed scope
• Ability to lead multiple workstreams, vendors, dependencies, and stakeholders simultaneously
• Strong stakeholder management skills at senior and executive level
• Experience in leading governance structures, steering groups, decision-making, and escalations
• Understanding of project and program management methodologies, such as PMP, PRINCE2, SAFe, or equivalent
• Ability to turn a strategic objective into a concrete delivery plan
• Excellent English skills and the ability to tailor communication to different audiences
• Analytical and structured thinking
• Ownership mindset, resilience, and strong delivery discipline

Considered an advantage:

• Experience in HR transformations, HRIS systems, time management solutions, or payroll environments
• Experience with SuccessFactors, payroll platforms, integrations, or other enterprise-level HR technologies
• Experience in global HR, IT, Finance, or business transformation programs
• Finnish and other language skills in an international operating environment

Practical information

Location: Primarily Helsinki, but Turku or Vaasa is also possible Start: As soon as the right person has been found Duration: Initially 69 months as an Academic Work consultant, with the possibility of a longer-term continuation Working hours: Full-time Salary level: Approximately 5,5007,000 €/month depending on experience

Our recruitment process This recruitment process is handled by Academic Work and it is our clients wish that all questions regarding the position is directed to Academic Work.

Our selection process is continuous and the advert may close before the recruitment process is completed if we have moved forward to the next phase. The process includes two tests: one personality t...