Head of Transformation & Project Management Office

Karo Group, Inc.; Düsseldorf; Hybrid; EUR 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

International team

Growth opportunities

Competitive salary package

Job summary

Karo Healthcare is seeking a Head of Transformation & PMO to own the Value Creation Plan and drive cross-functional, cross-geography initiatives. You will build project and change management capabilities and act as the primary liaison for external advisers.

This role offers an international remit, senior leadership exposure, and a path to shape value creation at a PE-backed company. Primary office in Düsseldorf with hybrid work options.

Qualifications

• 10-15 years of experience combining top-tier consulting or transformation work with significant time in an industry role delivering transformation.
• Track record delivering large, cross-functional, multi-country programmes with measurable P&L and cash impact.
• Experience building or leading a PMO or transformation office with people leadership.

Responsibilities

• Deliver the Value Creation Plan end-to-end from planning to measurable financial impact.
• Run governance: priorities, milestones, stage gates, KPIs and value tracking related to budget and forecasts.
• Prepare transparent VCP progress reporting for the CMT, Board and owners.
• Act as the main day-to-day counterpart for external advisers on transformation topics.
• Lead enterprise-wide programmes such as Order-to-Cash, Source-to-Pay and S&OP with accountable leaders.
• Build PMO and project management capability across the organisation and ensure knowledge transfer.
• Drive change management to ensure adoption of new processes and tools.

Skills

Transformation leadership

PMO leadership

Cross-functional leadership

Program management

FMCG experience

English fluent

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

• 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

• 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