Workday Change and Comms Manager (6 month FTC)

Herbert Smith Freehills; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A global law firm in London is seeking a Change Management Lead for a fixed-term contract. The role involves developing a comprehensive change strategy for Workday implementation, engaging stakeholders across HR and senior leadership, and delivering communication and training plans to ensure smooth transitions. Applicants should have expertise in change management and stakeholder engagement in complex organisations. The role fosters a respectful and inclusive culture with a focus on excellence.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience supporting change for Workday implementation in complex organisations.
• Experience as a Change Lead within HR transformation programmes in a merger environment.
• Proven ability to engage and influence stakeholders including senior leaders.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver a comprehensive change strategy.
• Conduct stakeholder analysis and mapping.
• Develop and deliver an engaging communication strategy.

Skills

Change management for Workday implementation

Stakeholder engagement

Excellent communication skills

Project management skills

HR Systems processes

Education

Change management certification (PROSCI or equivalent)

Job description

JOB DESCRIPTION

At Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, our ambition is to help you achieve your goals.

Exceptional client service and the pursuit of excellence are at our core. We invest in and care about our client relationships, which is why many are incredibly longstanding. And we enjoy breaking new ground, as we have for over 100 years.

We are where you need us to be. We are in the world's largest markets, key financial centres and major growth hubs. Our international footprint is extensive and committed.

We are at our best tackling complexity and navigating change. We work alongside you on demanding contentious matters, exacting regulatory work and complex public and private market transactions. We are recognised as leading in these areas.

We are immersed in the sectors and challenges that impact you. We are recognised as standing apart in energy, ESG, infrastructure and resources. And we're focused on areas of growth that affect every business across the world, including technology and digitalisation.

All of this is achieved by supporting the growth of our people, who help us deliver on our ambition - which is to help you achieve yours.

Your goals. Our ambition.

The Opportunity

Primary Responsibilities

• Change strategy

  Develop and deliver a comprehensive change strategy that reflects the scale and the complexity of the change across multiple modules impacting various groups in the firm, in line with the Workday implementation timeline and objectives.

  Translate project milestones, future design into a well-sequenced change plan that integrates communications, training, stakeholder engagement and readiness activities.

  Conduct impact assessments for each Workday module and identify change implications for different business areas, ensuring change is thoroughly understood.

  Develop the change management approach and training approach in collaboration with the project team, including the training stream lead.

  Conduct change readiness, as required.

  Ensure change approach is tailored to the firm's needs, and tone of voice.

  Utilise existing change networks, as relevant, to champion the change in the business.

• Stakeholder engagement

  Conduct stakeholder analysis and mapping across the region and build engagement plan for stakeholder groups, as relevant.

  Build trusted relationships and partner with the Workday project team and key stakeholders across HR, Business Finance, IT and senior leadership, acting as an advisor to the business on the change.

• Communications planning and delivery

  Develop and deliver an engaging communication strategy and campaign working closely with the Workday project team, the Internal Communications team, and key internal stakeholders that supports employees and managers during the Workday implementation journey.

  Develop clear, consistent messaging across multiple channels tailored to different groups: executive update, employee announcements, briefings, and other communication material.

  Ensure communications are tailored to the project's needs and the firm's tone of voice.

• Training & Enablement

  Develop and deliver end-to-end training strategy ensuring that employees and managers receive the right support at the right time.

  Work with project team, workstreams, HR and SMEs to design training materials for different modules and user groups.

  Ensure training outputs are integrated with the change and communication plan.

• Organisational readiness and adoption

  Develop readiness assessment that tracks the firm's readiness for Go Live.

  Identify areas of resistance and develop appropriate change plans and mitigation for those areas.

  Translate change impact into clear actions for employees, managers and other groups.

  Build adoption plan and reinforcement strategies (post-Go Live).

  Measure success of change activities and monitor adoption post Go Live.

• Risk, Issues and Governance

  Maintain change-related risks, issues and dependencies and escalate items as required.

  Provide regular status updates into the project and for senior stakeholders.

  Provide clear, evidence-based insights to support decision-making.

Qualifications, skills and experience

• Demonstrable experience supporting change for Workday implementation in complex organisations.
• Experience as a Change Lead within HR transformation programmes in a merger environment.
• Formal change management certification, ideally PROSCI accredited.
• Strong understanding of the change associated with Workday modules, especially modules such as Absence, Time-Tracking and Payroll.
• Proven ability to engage, influence and manage stakeholders including senior leaders in a matrix organisation.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to write engaging narratives and to translate technical detail into digestible content.
• Strong planning, project management and organisation skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-moving environment.
• Sound understanding of HR Systems processes and functionality.
• Ability to work well within a global and sometimes virtual team.

Competencies

• Personal Leadership

  Positively impacts those around them, makes quality decisions and develops themselves both personally and professionally.

  Demonstrates sound knowledge in their field.

  Anticipates potential problems and identifies a range of possible solutions.

  Adapts their interpersonal style to suit different audiences in a genuine way.

• Builds Authentic Relationships

  Takes time to get to know people beyond their role.

  Treats people with respect and in a fair and consistent way.

  Collaborates with others.

  Works within teams and across boundaries to share knowledge and achieve results.

  Identifies and builds relationships required to achieve the best outcomes for the firm.

  Engages people with the right skills, knowledge and expertise to provide advice.

  Connects other people in the firm who have mutual interests or work objectives.

  Generously shares their time, knowledge, expertise and talent to support others’ success.

• Enhances the Client Experience

  Creates opportunities to enhance the experience of the firm’s clients through their daily tasks.

  Behaves consistently with the firm’s values in their interactions with others.

  Conducts themselves in a way that reflects positively on the firm’s brand, both inside and outside the firm.

• Maintains focus and drive to achieve quality outcomes

  Focuses their time and efforts on issues that will have the greatest impact on agreed objectives.

  Looks for the most effective way to achieve outcomes.

Working Pattern

Full time

Location

London

Contract type

Fixed Term Contract

Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to attracting people from all backgrounds and creating a respectful and inclusive culture where everyone thrives. We see this as essential to our success, including our ability to innovate and achieve sustained high performance. This is a key part of our Values—Human, Bold, and Outstanding.