Head of Transformation & Project Management Office

Karo Healthcare AB; Düsseldorf; On-site; EUR 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Growth opportunities

Flexible schedule

Hybrid work model

Life-work balance

Start-up spirit in enterprise

Job summary

Karo Healthcare AB is seeking a Head of Transformation & PMO to own the delivery of the Value Creation Plan across multiple markets. You will lead end-to-end transformation initiatives, establish governance, and build a durable PMO capability.

The role offers exposure to senior leadership, the Board, and investors, with a focus on delivering measurable P&L impact and cross-functional execution in FMCG/consumer health, including PE-backed experience.

Qualifications

• 10-15 years of experience combining top-tier consulting or transformation work with significant time in an industry role delivering transformation.
• A track record of delivering large, cross-functional, multi-country programmes with measurable P&L and cash impact.
• Experience building or leading a PMO or transformation office, including people leadership.
• Strong financial literacy: comfortable linking initiatives to EBITDA, cash and budget.
• Credibility with executive leadership, boards and investors.
• A structured and pragmatic approach, with the ability to simplify complexity without over-engineering it.
• High ownership, resilience and calm in a fast-moving environment.
• Experience in FMCG or consumer health; private equity-backed experience is a strong plus.
• Fluent English; other European languages are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Deliver end-to-end execution and tracking of VCP initiatives from planning to measurable financial impact.
• Run governance: priorities, milestones, stage gates, KPIs and value tracking, linked to the budget, forecast and financial reporting.
• Prepare transparent VCP progress reporting for the Board and our owners.
• Act as the main day-to-day counterpart for KKR Capstone and external advisers on transformation topics.
• Lead enterprise-wide programmes such as Order-to-Cash, Source-to-Pay and S&OP, with IT alignment.
• Build and lead a PMO and project management capability across the organisation.

Job description

Karo Healthcare, a dynamic and growing personal-care retail company, is all about making smart choices for everyday healthcare. With a wide-ranging portfolio across seven categories including medical products, we own and sell over 80 brands in about 90 countries. Our portfolio includes such brands as E45, Pevaryl, Lamisil, Nutravita, Decubal and many others. Our core belief in empowering people to make intelligent health decisions drives our growth strategy, blending organic expansion and M&A.

Karo is entering the execution phase of its Value Creation Plan (VCP), a multi-year transformation programme. Delivering it requires a capability Karo has historically lacked: disciplined, cross-functional delivery.

As Head of Transformation & PMO, you will own the delivery of the VCP and Karo's strategic cross-functional and cross-geography initiatives. You will also build project and change management as a lasting internal capability.

We are recruiting for this role for one of our offices in either Stockholm, Düsseldorf, Maidenhead, Warsaw or Kaunas.

What's in it for you?

• A rare mandate to build a capability from the ground up and shape how a PE-backed company delivers its value creation
• High visibility, working closely with the Group CFO, the CMT, the Board and our owners
• Direct, measurable impact on Karo's performance
• International scope across markets and functions

What you'll be doing

Deliver the Value Creation Plan

• Own end-to-end execution and tracking of VCP initiatives, from planning to measurable financial impact
• Run governance: priorities, milestones, stage gates, KPIs and value tracking, linked to the budget, forecast and financial reporting
• Prepare transparent VCP progress reporting for the CMT, the Board and our owners
• Act as the main day-to-day counterpart for KKR Capstone and external advisers on transformation topics

Lead enterprise-wide programmes

• Lead or coordinate major cross-functional programmes such as Order-to-Cash, Source-to-Pay and S&OP, in partnership with the accountable functional leaders
• Make sure initiatives involve all relevant functions from the start, and are scalable before rollout, collaborating with IT.
• Spot risks and dependencies early, resolve conflicts and elevate decisions when needed

Build the PMO and project management capability

• Build and lead a team of Senior Project Managers deployed to Karo's most important initiatives
• Define a pragmatic, Karo-wide project management standard: methods, templates, tools and governance that people actually use
• Develop project and change management skills across the organisation and reduce reliance on external consultants
• Ensure proper knowledge transfer from all external partners to internal teams

Drive change

• Bring a change management lens to every initiative so that new processes and tools are adopted, not just implemented
• Build alignment and lead through influence in a matrix organisation

Requirements

• 10-15 years of experience, combining top-tier consulting or transformation work with significant time in an industry role delivering transformation
• A track record of delivering large, cross-functional, multi-country programmes with measurable P&L and cash impact
• Experience building or leading a PMO or transformation office, including people leadership
• Strong financial literacy: comfortable linking initiatives to EBITDA, cash and budget
• Credibility with executive leadership, boards and investors
• A structured and pragmatic approach, with the ability to simplify complexity without over-engineering it
• High ownership, resilience and calm in a fast-moving environment
• Experience in FMCG or consumer health; private equity-backed experience is a strong plus
• Fluent English; other European languages are a plus

Benefits

• Opportunity to create, grow, and encourage
• Apart from a competitive salary pack, there are lots of growth opportunities to meet your personal ambitions
• Flexible schedule, hybrid model with the primary work place in the office, and life-work balance
• Responsibility for exciting and challenging projects that have a direct, visible impact on our customers and the industry
• Very positive work environment in a dynamic, international, and motivated team
• Start-up spirit while being a part of the large international organization with strong values