AZ03201 Head of HR (M&A)

This Head of HR (M&S) position can be based anywhere within the locations that we operate, which currently include UK, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia and Romania.

Azets saw the light of day in 2016, as a result of bringing leading edge UK and Nordic business services companies together. For decades, we have provided business-critical support to thousands of clients throughout the UK and the Nordic region. Today, we are an international accounting, tax, advisory and business services company that delivers a personal experience, both digitally and at your door. We are on a mission to help organisations of all shapes and sizes achieve their ambitions, saving them precious time to focus on what they do best.

Azets Group has over 8,000 people and supports some 90,000 clients across its network of 160+ offices in the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia and Romania. Its clients include enterprises, SMEs, large scale businesses, public sector organisations, and private clients, across multiple sectors.

Azets' client experience is based on delivering a highly personalised service, through its local office network and proprietary digital workplace technology Azets CoZone, a unique cloud-based portal. Azets CoZone offers SMEs a market-leading digital solution, with instant access to information about their business that simplifies workflows, increases operational productivity, and supports a more productive client relationship.

About Mergers and Acquisitions at Azets

We buy to grow. Inspired by opportunities to back the ambitions in the businesses we acquire. We invest with purpose and grow highly selective, highly strategic businesses that mean something special - ensuring their entrepreneurial mindset continues to flourish.

Our aim is to be the acquirer of choice; this is underpinned by three clear benefits for the businesses joining Azets:

Offer acquired employees further personal and career development opportunities.

To help business owners achieve their personal wealth ambitions and be part of a growing brand focused on the needs of the local SME market.

Be part of the future of how to deliver business-critical, advisory, outsourcing and compliance services in real time using data driven insights at scale within a reoccurring revenue model.

The role

The Head of HR (M&A) is a new role reporting jointly to the Group Head of Mergers and Acquisitions and the Group Chief People Officer. It is an opportunity to take a leadership role in people and culture matters throughout all aspects of the Azets acquisition and integration lifecycle, contributing to the successful integration of new businesses into Azets. It is a highly collaborative role, working with the wider M&A team, the Group HR team and alongside Business Unit leadership and HR teams. It is a critical role because creating the best place to work for the colleagues who join us from acquisitions, where they can be themselves and reach their full potential, is a key acquisition value creation driver.

The role will line manage the M&A HR Business Partner, who currently supports UK and Ireland acquisition activity.

Azets is open to suggestions for flexible working arrangements. Please talk to our Recruitment Team about what you think could work so that we can bear this in mind during your application process.

Key responsibilities

There are 2 key facets to this role:

1. Creating and embedding a new M&A people framework (aligned to acquisition value creation):

Responsible for a creating and embedding a new M&A people framework that will be used by our BU HR teams to deliver people-related M&A activity brilliantly and help realise acquisition value creation plans.

Creating the framework will include designing and developing new, and continuously improving existing, HR M&A tools (including the M&A playbook, in-house cultural assessment tool, M&A employee listening strategy and due diligence methodology) with the aim of minimising people M&A risk, delivering an amazing employee experience through the acquisition process and creating the best place to work for acquired colleagues, embedding the Azets values and leadership behaviours. The framework needs to be pragmatic, easy to understand and flexible (to allow for different employment legislation and cultural nuances). We want to give our BU HR teams 'freedom within a framework'.

Work with the Head of HR Data and Systems to develop M&A People data reporting capability (and a People M&A dashboard). Identify relevant People M&A related KPIs (aligned to value creation plans) and develop actionable insight from the people data and KPIs.

Working with the business unit to ensure internal messaging, communications and activities carry the right tone and are consistent with aims of the acquisition, the output of the cultural diligence and help drive a smooth landing from a people perspective. At the same time, working with the deal team to plan and help execute any people synergy opportunities.

2. Accountability for ongoing M&A people activity

Work with the BU HR teams to plan and design integration plans for each acquisition, aligned to the Azets M&A people framework and acquisition value creation plans. It will be the responsibility of BU HR teams to lead and deliver people M&A integration within their BU, using the M&A people framework. Note that we want the approach to business partnering to be flexible- some business units might need more hands-on support due to workload and resourcing challenges.

Work with the other group functions and local HR teams to introduce and embed Azets standard HR, people performance processes, systems and support.

Take the lead HR M&A role during acquisitions in new jurisdictions and across multiple business units. Where required, work with Group CPO to create HR target operating model for new jurisdictions and recruit to this model.

Develop an approach and subsequently facilitate 'fact finding' workshops (between teams from the new acquisition and existing Azets) which focus on building relationships, knowledge sharing and future ways of working.

Skills & experience

Background and Experience

A background in HR, Culture or Talent within a multinational organisation- with specific experience working across different countries.

Experience in influencing and building relationships with different HR teams and senior stakeholders to allow meaningful and effective collaboration.

Demonstrable experience of developing and implementing best practice HR processes to attract, develop, engage and retain a diverse workforce.

Experience of change management methodologies to ensure a positive cultural change is achieved following organizational, systems and process changes.

Experience within M&A / TUPE.

Experience in coaching.

Strategic Planning.

Personal Characteristics

Client focused and service minded - strives to deliver high quality services.

Creative and solution-oriented - enjoys taking on challenges.

Thrives in high-paced organisations on a growth journey.

Professional and collaborative - a mindset that focuses on the team effort.

Builds relationships based on confidence and trust - a natural networker.

Good communicator, motivator, and negotiator.

Pays attention to the broader picture as well as smaller details - seamlessly switches between operational and strategic duties.

Who you will be working with

Working as part of the Global M&A team

We are a forward-thinking, agent of change for the business, accelerating the execution of group strategy through well considered, structured and integrated acquisitions. We operate as a single team working across all Azets jurisdictions and some we haven't yet entered! We are a combination of different disciplines, backgrounds and personalities, who lean in collaboratively to co-create and adapt. Our ambition is to be the best and to have as much fun as we can pack in along the way.

Working as part of the Group HR team

We are a small but mighty team, and we work all over the place (London, Glasgow, Oslo, Bristol)! We're supportive of each other and committed to making Azets the best place to work. We're mindful of what it is like to work in one of our Business Units and the operational pressures that can bring. We're not perfect, always striving to be better. We're curious, kind, collaborative and don't take work too seriously!

What's in it for you?

Our benefits include hybrid & flexible working, birthday leave, professional subscription and much more. You can find out more about how we reward our colleagues -Careers Rewards And Benefits Azets UK .