Head of Program - People Transformation
Description
Are you a forward-thinking Transformation specialist with a strong background in driving large scale People initiatives? We're seeking a HR Transformation Director who thrives at the intersection of organisation design, change and executive collaboration, to unlock performance, culture, and capability across the enterprise. Collaborating with a diverse stakeholder group, you'll champion cohesion, agility, and continuous improvement, elevating our execution capabilities and aligning with AXA UK's broader change portfolio.
At AXA, people are at the heart of everything we do. This role offers an exciting opportunity to drive transformative change with a people lens, championing cultural and digital innovation across the organisation. As a purpose-driven transformation leader with a HR background, who's passionate about people and ready to make a meaningful impact, we invite you to apply and become part of our story.
At AXA we work smart, empowering our people to balance their time between home and the office in a way that works best for them, their team and our customers. You'll work at least two days a week (40%) away from home, moving to three days a week (60%) in the future. Away from home means either attendance at one of our office locations, visiting clients or attending industry events. We're also happy to consider flexible working arrangements, which you can discuss with Talent Acquisition.
What you'll be doing:
• Lead and manage a cross-functional program, coordinating activities with workstream leaders to drive company-wide transformation.
• Lead cultural change, promoting a collaborative and innovative environment while preparing teams for the future.
• Develop and implement strategies to enhance workforce skills in modern delivery and agile practices.
• Support governance, vendor management, and new technology processes to streamline organisational operations.
• Apply strong planning and consulting skills to ensure alignment with AXA's strategic vision.
• Conduct comprehensive OD assessments (structure, roles, spans and layers, governance, culture, change readiness), define the target organisation design for a distributed, BU-enabled model.
Due to the number of applications we expect to receive for this role, we reserve the right to close this advert earlier than the listed closing date to ensure we're able to effectively manage interest. Therefore, if you're interested in joining us at AXA, please don't hesitate to apply.
We know that some candidates may be discouraged from applying if they don't meet every requirement. If you're excited by this job and the prospect of working at AXA but you're not sure you tick every box, we'd still encourage you to apply.
What you'll bring:
• 12-15+ years in HR transformation, organisation design, OD, or BU enablement, with proven track record delivering large-scale transitions across multiple BU's with COO-level involvement.
• Previous experience within OD is essential, with a focus on role clarity, capability mapping, culture shaping, leadership alignment, and workforce design for distributed/BU-enabled models.
• Degree in a relevant field; professional HR qualification (CIPD Level 7/MCIPD or equivalent).
• Strong L&D and performance design capabilities, learning ecosystems, competency frameworks, performance cycles, and career pathway development integrated with OD.
• Exceptional change management capability with hands-on delivery experience; familiarity with frameworks such as Prosci/ADKAR; practical, measurable outcomes.
• Superior stakeholder management and executive presence; clear, concise communication and storytelling tailored to diverse audiences.
• Hands-on, detail-oriented practitioner who thrives in fast-paced environments and is comfortable doing "hands dirty" work to drive outcomes.
• UK-focused experience with solid knowledge of employment law, GDPR, and HR compliance.
• PMO/delivery discipline and familiarity with HRIS and analytics (Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle HCM, or similar advantageous).
• Employee/customer experience minded; inclusive, collaborative, and outcomes-driven.
• Adaptive, resilient, with the ability to balance strategic design and practical implementation.
• Influential partner capable of galvanising BU leaders and the COO team; strong sponsorship and coalition-building skills.
• Pragmatic, hands-on, and willing to operate across strategic design and operational delivery.
As a precondition of employment for this role, you must be eligible and authorised to work in the United Kingdom.
Please be aware that this position is a Certified Function role under the SM&CR regime, which means the successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced level of background screening requirements.
What we offer:
At AXA UK, we're appreciative of the people who work for us and our rewards package is reviewed regularly to reflect that. You can expect to receive:
• Competitive annual salary
• Annual company & performance-based bonus
• Contributory pension scheme (up to 12% employer contributions)
• Life Assurance (up to 10 x annual salary)
• Private medical cover
• 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Opportunity to buy up to 5 extra days leave or sell up to 5 days leave
• Wellbeing services & resources
• AXA employee discounts
To apply, click on the 'apply for this job' button, you'll then need to log in or create a profile to submit your CV. We're proud to be an Equal Opportunities Employer and don't discriminate against employees or potential employees based on protected characteristics. If you have a long-term condition or disability and require adjustments during the application or interview process, we're proud to offer access to the AXA Accessibility Concierge. For our support, please send an email tosuzie.elliott@axa-uk.co.uk.
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Who we are:
AXA UK Support Functions power AXA's three customer-facing business units, providing the infrastructure, support and expertise to ensure our customers can always count on us. Whether you've got heaps of experience and qualifications behind you, or you're just starting out, we'll give you the support and opportunities to help you grow and develop with confidence.