Executive Director, HR Transformation

Johnson Controls International; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 184,000 - 276,000; Full time

Job summary

Johnson Controls, Inc. is seeking an Executive Director, HR Transformation to lead the end-to-end deployment of a next-generation HR operating model.

You will oversee organization design, processes, products and technology, guiding regional deployment and adoption with a disciplined cadence. You will partner with HR product teams and regional leaders to deliver standardized processes and measurable value, applying Lean and AI-enabled approaches to drive automation and self-service while

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive leadership with enterprise HR transformation in global multi-region companies.
• Proven leadership of large-scale deployments with stage-gate governance, schedule and budget control.
• Track record of technology-enabled change through to adoption and measurable value.
• Hands-on command of Lean and continuous-improvement methods.
• Executive presence to influence senior HR, Finance and business leaders.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end deployment of organization, process, product and technology changes across regions.
• Plan releases, readiness criteria and adoption for HR product/technology deployments.
• Own integrated roadmap, stage gates and operating cadence; drive decisions at leadership forums.
• Manage the transformation budget, schedule, resourcing and benefits realization.
• Lead core transformation teams and build capabilities across HR for sustainment.

Skills

Executive leadership

Large-scale deployments

Lean/kaizen

AI-enabled transformation

Change management

Cross-functional influence

Tools

Workday or equivalent HCM

Job description

Executive Director, HR Transformation

ROLE AT A GLANCE

Reports to

Vice President of HR Operations and Technology

Leads

A Director, HR Transformation Deployment, and core transformation teams

Key partners

Regional HR leaders; Talent and Rewards product leaders; HR Operations & Technology; Workforce Planning & Analytics; the HR Leadership Team; Finance, Global Business Services, IT and Legal

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

Johnson Controls is building one AI-powered, HR capability that leverages our business system to win. As Executive Director, HR Transformation, reporting to the Vice President of HR Operations & Technology, you will own the end-to-end deployment of that change: a new operating model, standardized processes, executed through HR products and technology. You will lead an integrated roadmap, a team of deployment leaders, and a disciplined operating cadence that moves change from design to adoption and measurable value. You will partner closely with regional HR leaders, HR product teams, HR Operations & Technology and Workforce Planning & Analytics, and you will bring Lean and AI-enabled ways of working to every deployment.

ROLE OVERVIEW

The Executive Director, HR Transformation is the single accountable leader for deploying the next evolution of the Johnson Controls HR service delivery model. The role owns the integrated roadmap, sequencing, readiness, change and adoption for every HR system change, from organization and process changes to the release of HR products and technology.

The role delivers through one integrated execution system: one plan, one set of stage gates, one source of truth for value, and a weekly operating cadence. It sequences the work through clear phases: mobilize, lift and shift, simplify, accelerate and amplify. It simplifies the work before automating it. It works with HR product teams and HR Operations & Technology to move products from build to scaled adoption, and with regional HR leaders so that every region adopts change with service protected.

Success is a new HR system that is running, adopted, delivering its value, and sustained by its owners.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

A) End-to-end deployment.

Own the deployment of organization, process, product and technology changes from approved design to stable operation in every region, including cutover, hypercare and confirmation of stability.

B) Product deployment.

With HR product and technology leaders, plan releases, set readiness criteria, run deployment waves and drive adoption to target. Feed adoption and field evidence back into product priorities.

C) Integrated roadmap and governance.

Own the integrated roadmap, critical path, stage gates and operating cadence. Coordinate dependencies and escalation across teams, and bring decisions, not updates, to leadership forums.

D) On time, on budget, value realized.

Own the integrated schedule, the HR transformation budget and the resourcing plan. Track milestones, spend and value through one source of truth, verify benefits net of costs, and recover variances early.

E) Lean, AI-enabled process.

Ensure standard work is designed before automation. Drive continuous improvement on high-volume, high-friction work, and shift routine support to self-service and AI-enabled channels, with human escalation preserved.

F) Change, communication and service protection.

Own the change and communication plan for HR and the people leaders it supports. Set service protections before every move. Partner with Employee & Labor Relations and Legal on consultation and works-council requirements across countries.

G) Leadership alignment and decision speed.

Work with the HR Leadership Team, hold leaders to the commitments their organizations own, surface disagreement early and drive trade-offs to decisions.

H) Build the transformation organization.

Lead core transformation teams. Build deployment, change and continuous-improvement capability across HR, and transition ownership to line leaders as each workstream reaches sustainment.

I) Measurement and reporting.

With Workforce Planning & Analytics, define and report the measures that prove the change works: adoption, service quality, colleague effort, cost, and capacity released.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

Required

• 15+ years of progressive leadership, including accountability for an enterprise-wide HR, shared-services or operating-model transformation in a global, multi-region company.

• Proven leadership of large-scale deployments with stage-gate governance and control of schedule and budget.

• Track record of delivering technology-enabled change (for example Workday or an equivalent HCM platform, or case management) through to adoption and measurable value.

• Hands-on command of Lean (kaizen, value stream mapping, standard work) or equivalent continuous-improvement methods.

• Executive presence to influence and challenge senior HR, Finance and business leaders.

Strongly preferred

• Migration of HR work into global business services or shared services, including vendor and service-level governance.

• Deployment of AI and self-service at scale.

• Experience with works councils, unions and multi-country consultation.

• Top-tier consulting or chief transformation officer experience.

EXPECTATIONS FOR SUCCESS

First 12 months

• Integrated roadmap and weekly operating cadence running from one source of truth; stage gates met on schedule or re-baselined by decision.

• First product and technology releases deployed and adopted against target.

• Initial work transfers completed with service protected through hypercare.

• Transformation milestones delivered on time and on budget.

• Standard work in place for priority services, with continuous-improvement work under way.

24 months

• Transformation delivered on time and on budget, with the target organization in place.

• Products scaled to adoption targets across regions, with measurable capacity released and benefits verified net of costs.

• Routine support resolved through self-service and first-line channels at agreed service levels, with less effort for colleagues.

• Every outcome in the target model has one named owner, and workstreams have transitioned to line leaders.

• Lean, continuous-improvement and AI capability embedded across HR, with the model sustaining itself.

SALARY RANGE

$184,000-276,000 (Salary to be determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data.) This role offers a competitive Bonus plan that will take into account individual, group, and corporate performance. This position includes a competitive benefits package. The posted salary range reflects the target compensation for this role. However, we recognize that exceptional candidates may bring unique skills and experiences that exceed the typical profile. If you believe your background warrants consideration beyond the stated range, we encourage you to apply. To support an efficient and fair hiring process, we may use technology assisted tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), to help identify and evaluate candidates. All hiring decisions are ultimately made by human reviewers. For details, please visit the About Us tab on the Johnson Controls Careers site at https://jobs.johnsoncontrols.com/about-us