HR Project Manager (Contract)

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AJG); Rolling Meadows (IL); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision plans

401(k) and Roth options

Tax-advantaged accounts (HSA, FSA)

Educational expense reimbursement

Paid parental leave

Digital mental health services

Flexible work hours

Gallagher Thrive program

Charitable matching gift program

Job summary

Gallagher in Rolling Meadows, IL is seeking an experienced Project Manager to lead HR transformation initiatives across multiple COEs. You will partner with HR leaders, COEs, HRBPs, and cross-functional stakeholders to plan and deliver operating models, processes, governance, and employee experiences.

This temporary hybrid role requires strong change management, superb communications, and the ability to coordinate work across time zones and with external consultants.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of project management delivering cross-functional initiatives; at least 2+ years focused on HR, people, or organizational projects.
• Knowledge of HR operating models, COEs and HRBPs; ability to learn a new model quickly.
• Experience supporting or leading transformation initiatives (process, operating model, tech enablement).
• Hands-on change management experience (e.g., Prosci/ADKAR or similar).
• Strong communications for leaders and employees.
• Experience with distributed and international teams across time zones.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end project delivery for HR initiatives.
• Develop and maintain project plans, milestones, RAID logs, resource plans, and status reporting.
• Facilitate stakeholder alignment across HR sub-teams/COEs.
• Design and execute change management deliverables.
• Create and manage project communications and leader updates.
• Coordinate with external consulting teams and integrate outputs into internal processes.
• Drive governance: agendas, steering committees, action tracking, and follow-through.

Skills

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Project management

HR/organizational projects

Change management

Stakeholder management

Communication

Cross-functional teams

Microsoft Project

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Project

Excel

PowerPoint

Teams

Job description

Introduction

Welcome to Gallagher - a global community of people who bring bold ideas, deep expertise, and a shared commitment to doing what’s right. We help clients navigate complexity with confidence by empowering businesses, communities, and individuals to thrive. At Gallagher, you’ll find more than a job; you’ll find a culture built on trust, driven by collaboration, and sustained by the belief that we’re better together. Whether you join us in a client-facing role or as part of our brokerage division, our benefits and HR consulting division, or our corporate team, you’ll have the opportunity to grow your career, make an impact, and be part of something bigger. Experience a workplace where you’re encouraged to be yourself, supported to succeed, and inspired to keep learning. That’s what it means to live The Gallagher Way.

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Project Manager to support HR organizational projects and transformation initiatives across a complex, multi-center-of-excellence (COE) HR function. This role partners with HR leaders, COE teams, HR Business Partners, and cross-functional stakeholders to plan and deliver work that improves operating models, processes, governance, and employee/manager experience. The Project Manager brings strong change management and communications capabilities, and has a track record of coordinating work across international teams and external consulting partners.

***Please note that this is a temporary position that is anticipated to go through the end of the year. Our ideal candidate is someone who can work a hybrid schedule based out of our office in Rolling Meadows, IL. We may consider remote candidates depending on experience.

How you'll make an impact

• Lead end-to-end project delivery for HR organizational initiatives
• Develop and maintain project plans, milestones, RAID logs (risks, assumptions, issues, dependencies), resource plans, and executive-ready status reporting.
• Facilitate stakeholder alignment across HR sub-teams/COEs (e.g., Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards/Compensation & Benefits, HR Operations/Shared Services, HRIS/People Systems, Learning & Development, Talent Management, Employee Relations, Workforce Planning/Analytics).
• Design and execute change management deliverables
• Create and manage project communications (message maps, announcements, leader talking points, FAQs, and audience-specific updates).
• Partner with external consulting teams: coordinate workplans, manage deliverables, ensure knowledge transfer, and integrate consulting outputs into sustainable internal processes.
• Drive effective governance: set agendas, run working sessions and steering committees, capture decisions, and ensure follow-through on action items.
• Coordinate across time zones and international stakeholders; establish team norms, meeting cadences, and collaboration practices to keep work moving

About You

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of project management experience delivering cross-functional initiatives; at least 2+ years focused on HR, people, or organizational projects.
• Working knowledge of how HR functions are commonly structured, including HRBPs and centers of excellence (COEs); ability to quickly learn an organization’s specific HR operating model.
• Demonstrated experience supporting or leading transformation initiatives (process, operating model, technology enablement, or organizational change).
• Hands‑on change management experience (e.g., Prosci/ADKAR or similar approaches), including change impact assessment, stakeholder engagement, and adoption planning.
• Strong communications experience producing clear, audience‑appropriate materials for leaders and employees.
• Experience working with distributed and international teams across multiple time zones.
• Proficiency with common project tools (e.g., Microsoft Project or similar planning tools, Excel, PowerPoint) and collaboration tools (e.g., Teams).
• Excellent facilitation, organization, and problem‑solving skills; ability to manage ambiguity and drive decisions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Project Management certification (PMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent).
• Change Management certification (Prosci or equivalent).
• Prior experience working with external consulting firms on HR transformation and/or operating model work.
• Experience in matrixed, global organizations with multiple stakeholder groups and complex governance.
• Familiarity with organizational design concepts, role clarity/RACI development, and service delivery models.

Core Competencies

• Stakeholder management: Builds trust with HR leaders, COEs, HRBPs, and partner functions; influences without authority.
• Structured delivery: Brings rigor to planning, tracking, and reporting while staying pragmatic.
• Change leadership: Anticipates adoption barriers and drives clear actions to support lasting change.
• Executive communication: Synthesizes complex information into concise updates, recommendations, and decision points.
• Collaboration across time zones: Establishes ways of working that respect regional needs while maintaining momentum.
• Continuous improvement mindset: Uses data and feedback to refine processes and improve outcomes.

#LI-MS2

Compensation and benefits

We offer a competitive and comprehensive compensation package. The base salary range represents the anticipated low end and high end of the range for this position. The actual compensation will be influenced by a wide range of factors including, but not limited to previous experience, education, pay market/geography, complexity or scope, specialized skill set, lines of business/practice area, supply/demand, and scheduled hours. On top of a competitive salary, great teams and exciting career opportunities, we also offer a wide range of benefits.

Below are the minimum core benefits you’ll get, depending on your job level these benefits may improve:

• Medical/dental/vision plans, which start from day one!
• Life and accident insurance
• 401(K) and Roth options
• Tax‑advantaged accounts (HSA, FSA)
• Educational expense reimbursement
• Paid parental leave

Other benefits include:

• Digital mental health services (Talkspace)
• Flexible work hours (availability varies by office and job function)
• Training programs
• Gallagher Thrive program – elevating your health through challenges, workshops and digital fitness programs for your overall wellbeing
• Charitable matching gift program
• And more...

**The benefits summary above applies to fulltime positions. If you are not applying for a fulltime position, details about benefits will be provided during the selection process.

We value inclusion and diversity

Click Here to review our U.S. Eligibility Requirements

Inclusion and diversity (I&D) is a core part of our business, and it’s embedded into the fabric of our organization. For more than 95 years, Gallagher has led with a commitment to sustainability and to support the communities where we live and work.

Gallagher embraces our employees’ diverse identities, experiences and talents, allowing us to better serve our clients and communities. We see inclusion as a conscious commitment and diversity as a vital strength. By embracing diversity in all its forms, we live out The Gallagher Way to its fullest.

Gallagher believes that all persons are entitled to equal employment opportunity and prohibits any form of discrimination by its managers, employees, vendors or customers based on race, color, religion, creed, gender (including pregnancy status), sexual orientation, gender identity (which includes transgender and other gender non‑conforming individuals), gender expression, hair expression, marital status, parental status, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, genetic information, veteran or military status, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected (herein referred to as “protected characteristics”) by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

Equal employment opportunity will be extended in all aspects of the employer‑employee relationship, including, but not limited to, recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, transfer, demotion, compensation, benefits, layoff, and termination. In addition, Gallagher will make reasonable accommodations to known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified person with a disability, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business.