Project Manager, HR Strategic Initiatives

Marriott International, Inc.; Camden Town; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A global hospitality company is seeking an experienced Project Manager for HR Strategic Initiatives in London. The role involves overseeing complex HR programs, managing stakeholder engagement, and ensuring effective project delivery across EMEA. Candidates should have over 4 years of project management experience, strong communication skills, and familiarity with HR processes. This position requires occasional travel and offers the opportunity to work within a dynamic team environment.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of project management experience required.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Proven track record delivering complex, multi-country projects.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Familiarity with HR processes and regulatory frameworks is a plus.
• Experience working in Europe and understanding regional employment regulations strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Partner with leaders to coordinate activities across EMEA.
• Deliver projects on time and within budget.
• Guide cross-functional teams to enhance HR programs.
• Monitor and analyze project risks and provide updates.
• Prepare reports and dashboards to track initiative outcomes.

Skills

Project Management Expertise

Analytical Thinking

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Compliance Awareness

Organizational Agility

Detail Orientation

Interpersonal Effectiveness

Adaptability

Education

Bachelor's degree in Project Management, Business Administration, or related field

Tools

Smartsheet

MS Project

Asana

Jira

Job description

The Project Manager, HR Strategic Initiatives, EMEA is the project lead in cross-functional HR programmes aligned to evolving business strategy, regulatory compliance, and operational priorities. Key initiatives include EU Pay Transparency (with Total Rewards), CSRD, and Payroll Strategy across EMEA. This role facilitates the translation of strategic goals into actionable plans, driving collaboration across teams, managing stakeholder engagement, and ensures delivery against defined success metrics.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with Continent and Discipline leaders to coordinate activities, manage timelines, and ensure effective execution across EMEA.
• Deliver projects on time, within budget, and aligned with Marriott's strategic goals.
• Develop and manage project plans with clear deliverables and success criteria.
• Guide cross-functional teams including EMEA HR, global HR COEs & PMs, legal, HR tech, and other key stakeholders.
• Enhance HR programs by balancing business needs with compliance requirements.
• Maintain a structured decision log linking key decisions to outcomes, ownership, and auditability.
• Monitor and analyse project risks, especially around employee data, compliance, and reporting.
• Provide regular updates to senior HR and business leaders to ensure strategic alignment.
• Collaborate with HR Strategic Initiatives to deploy change management, communications, and operations support.
• Ensure process and organizational changes are accurately documented and updated.
• Lead integration of tools and processes to support seamless operational deployment.

SCOPE

• Location: London Continent Office
• This position will be required to travel in-frequently (<20%)
• Direct Reports: N/A
• This position is part of the EMEA HR Strategic Initiatives Team, Programme Coordination & Execution
• Support the development and execution of detailed program roadmaps and project plans in collaboration with Continent and Global teams.
• Manage day-to-day project activities, including actions, owners and timelines across multiple workstreams, ensuring alignment with broader global strategy, compliance criteria and local regulations.
• Assist in converting successful pilots into scalable deployments with clear success metrics.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and other PMs to ensure alignment and smooth execution.
• Maintain regular communication with stakeholders to provide updates, flag risks, and ensure accountability.

Team Support & Development

• Provide guidance and support to programme team members and partners, fostering collaboration and performance.

Reporting & Measurement

• Monitor project progress and performance using established metrics.
• Manage and highlight risks, and resolve blockers across workstreams.
• Prepare reports and dashboards to track initiative outcomes and inform decision-making.

Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships

• EU Pay Transparency Directive with Total Rewards Transformation - in partnership with VP, Total Rewards, EMEA
• Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive
• EMEA Payroll Strategy

Requirements

• 4+ years of project management experience required (within HR or total rewards is desired).
• Strong organizational and time management skills; able to manage multiple priorities essential.
• Proven track record delivering complex, multi-country projects, especially within People programs.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proficient in project management tools (e.g., Smartsheet, MS Project, Loop, Asana, Jira).
• Familiarity with HR processes, compensation/benefits, and regulatory frameworks (e.g., employment law, tax, data privacy) is a plus.
• Experience working in Europe and understanding of regional employment regulations is strongly preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in Project Management, Business Administration, or related field preferred.

Skills and Competencies

• Project Management Expertise – Ability to lead and support complex projects across functions. Skilled in applying methodologies such as Agile, Prince2, or similar frameworks to deliver results on time and within scope.
• Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving – Adept at analysing data and systems to identify challenges and develop practical, efficient solutions. Focused on improving processes, resolving issues, and ensuring accuracy and reliability.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration and Leadership – Coordinates effectively with multiple Continent and Global teams. Strong communication skills-both verbal and written-with the ability to facilitate discussions, translate technical concepts, and maintain alignment across stakeholders.
• Compliance and Risk Awareness – Understands operational compliance requirements and risk management principles. Plays a key role in maintaining secure, compliant systems and proactively addressing potential risks.
• Organisational Agility – Capable of managing multiple priorities, timelines, and deliverables across concurrent projects. Maintains structure and clarity in fast-paced environments.
• Detail Orientation and Initiative – Demonstrates precision and accountability in execution. Self-motivated and proactive in identifying opportunities and driving progress.
• Interpersonal Effectiveness and Integrity – Builds trust and rapport across teams. Maintains professionalism and ethical standards in all interactions.
• Adaptability and Influence – Comfortable navigating change and ambiguity. Able to influence outcomes and gain stakeholder buy-in without direct authority.