Executive Director, PMI, Leadership&Culture (m / f / d)

HARMAN International; Hemel Hempstead; On-site; GBP 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology firm in Hemel Hempstead is seeking an experienced Executive Director to drive leadership, culture, and community engagement. This pivotal role involves managing post merger integration and fostering a unified workforce. The ideal candidate will possess strong project management and communication skills, with about 20 years of relevant experience, including large-scale PMI projects. This position requires a strategic thinker who can align HR initiatives with business objectives, ensuring a smooth transition and employee engagement throughout.

Benefits

Equal Opportunity employer

Qualifications

• 20 years of experience in Talent Management, Organizational Development.
• Proven track record of large-scale PMI projects.
• Experience in multicultural environments or international companies.

Responsibilities

• Lead the PMI strategy and culture alignment.
• Manage change initiatives and employee engagement programs.
• Track and report on PMI progress and employee sentiment.

Skills

Project management skills

Problem-solving abilities

Strong communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Strategic thinking

Ability to work collaboratively

Education

Master's degree in Business Administration, Management, Law or Psychology

Job description

A Career at HARMAN

As a technology leader that is rapidly on the move, HARMAN is filled with people who are focused on making life better. Innovation, inclusivity and teamwork are a part of our DNA. When you add that to the challenges we take on and solve together, you’ll discover that at HARMAN you can grow, make a difference and be proud of the work you do every day.

About the Role

As HARMAN Automotive continues its expansion, our HR team is in search of a dynamic, experienced and passionate Executive Director of Leadership, Culture, Integration and Community Engagement to lead our transformative journey in these areas. This critical role is dedicated to enriching Automotive’s distinctive culture and enhancing the overall experience of our team members. The Executive Director will focus on fostering culture, leadership development, and post merger integration. Additionally, at HARMAN Automotive we want to make a positive impact in the communities where we work, and this role offers the unique opportunity to oversee all aspects of our community and social impact strategy. You’ll manage our partnerships and volunteering initiatives to connect our biggest assets – our people – to maximize engagement. This is the chance to leave a legacy by building something remarkable that creates a positive impact and brings to life our company purpose of Customer Experiences. Automotive Grade. With the upcoming merger of large scale companies, we are seeking an experienced and strategic HR Executive to lead and shape our Post Merger Integration (PMI) efforts. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in driving organizational success through people, culture, and talent alignment.

In this role, you will be the driving force in ensuring a smooth transition, fostering collaboration, and shaping the future of our unified workforce. You will act as a bridge between two distinct cultures, aligning strategic HR initiatives to ensure business continuity, optimize talent, and inspire employees across all levels of the organization.

What You Will Do

Integration

• Integration Strategy : Collaborate with senior leadership to design and execute the overall PMI strategy, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, culture, and business objectives.
• Culture Alignment : Lead efforts to blend two distinct company cultures, fostering a unified environment where employees feel engaged, valued, and aligned with the company’s mission and values.
• Change Management : Develop and implement change management initiatives to guide employees through transitions, minimize disruption, and maximize adoption of new processes, structures, and leadership.
• Talent Assessment & Deployment : Assess existing talent pools from both organizations and develop a strategy to deploy and retain key talent, ensuring the right people are in the right roles.
• Communication : Serve as the primary HR liaison for all internal communications related to the merger, ensuring clarity, transparency, and consistency across the organization.
• Policy Harmonization : Review and harmonize policies, benefits, and compensation structures to create a cohesive and competitive offering for employees in the new entity.
• Employee Engagement & Retention : Design programs that keep employees motivated, engaged, and productive through the integration period and beyond. Develop retention strategies for high‑potential employees.
• Training & Development : Implement targeted training initiatives to upskill employees, promote collaboration, and build leadership capabilities that support the new merged organization.
• Measurement & Reporting : Track and report on PMI progress, employee sentiment, and integration success, ensuring continuous feedback loops for ongoing improvements.

Culture & Leadership

• Guide the strategy, design, and delivery of programs that enhance our culture, individual growth and leadership development at HARMAN Automotive.
• Partner with executive and senior level management to define short and long‑term programs, interventions, growth needs and targets.
• Establish and maintain the long‑term global culture, succession and learning roadmap for all HARMAN Automotive.
• Participate in leadership meetings to diagnose and solve talent challenges.
• Provide support and guidance to managers on implementation of core culture and growth programs.
• Identify and manage partnerships with renowned institutions around Leadership Development and Culture.
• Create and implement content delivery strategies that are compelling to the learners, build business knowledge and leadership competencies in a cost‑effective manner using varied formal and informal modalities.
• Oversee governance of learning roadmap development and implementation; define global targets and ensure alignment for HARMAN Automotive in partnership with HARMAN University.
• Work closely with other Talent functions to align initiatives with Automotive strategic goals.
• Establish clear metrics for assessing the effectiveness of the function. Use data‑driven insights to refine approaches and demonstrate the impact of these initiatives on organizational success.

What You Need

• Exceptional project management skills
• Strong problem‑solving abilities with a curiosity mindset
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
• Proven competency to effectively interact at all levels across the organization, working to build and maintain successful relationships across all departments
• Communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust and credibility at all levels of the organization
• A strategic thinker with the ability to balance long‑term vision with short‑term execution
• Ability to work collaboratively with cross‑functional teams, including leadership, finance, legal, and IT
• In‑depth knowledge of HR best practices, talent management, and organizational and cultural development
• About 20 years of experience in Talent Management, Organizational Development, Cultural Development in large organizations
• Proven track record as a project lead in multiple PMI projects (large‑scale M&A)
• Experience working in multicultural environments or international companies
• Experience in leading change management initiatives, demonstrating the ability to manage resistance and effectively communicate changes to support business transformation
• Experience leading large teams with multidisciplinary expertise
• You thrive in a fast‑paced environment and enjoy thinking outside the box
• You are skilled at thinking about how decisions will impact various stakeholders
• Ability to work both on a team and independently to deliver results
• Be hands‑on AND use your head. Serious brainpower required to work in this environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters degree in Business Administration, Management, Law or Psychology
• Project management experience
• Ability to effectively lead others and influence leaders in a global matrixed environment
• Adept at handling multiple competing priorities and duties in a fast‑paced, result‑driven, time‑critical, rapidly changing environment with minimal daily oversight. Passion for getting stuff done.
• Not afraid to roll sleeves up and get involved in all aspects of the role

What Makes You Eligible

• Willingness to work in an office

HARMAN is proud to be an Equal Opportunity / Aff… All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard torace, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.