Senior Lead - People M&A (Service Owner)

About Us

Organisation Design and Implementation are trusted advisors and delivery partners to T&C and the business, through a strategy led, data informed, and people enabled approach to delivering workforce transformation projects end-to-end.

About the Role

As Senior Lead - People M&A (Service Owner), you will lead the delivery of complex People M&A and other transactional projects across the transaction lifecycle, including mergers, acquisitions, due diligence, integrations, divestments, outsourcing and other complex workforce transitions. You may lead a complete People workstream or a major stream within a broader enterprise transaction, from mobilisation and due diligence through Day 1 readiness, cutover, integration, separation and transition to business as usual.

Delivery is a significant part of this role. You will build and drive integrated delivery plans, coordinate specialist Talent & Culture and enterprise contributors, manage critical milestones and dependencies, resolve issues, and provide clear visibility of people risks and decisions. You will work closely with business leaders, T&C Business Partners, Group M&A and program teams, Legal, Employee Relations, Reward, Payroll, Technology, Finance, Risk, Communications and external parties to deliver transaction outcomes at pace and with appropriate care and control. While your primary focus will be People M&A, you may also have the opportunity to work across the broader suite of workforce transformation projects, including Operating Model, Organisation Design and Restructuring.

Alongside project delivery, you will own and evolve the People M&A service. You will set the methodology, standards, playbooks, tools and governance that enable consistent, scalable and high-quality delivery across transactions, and provide expert advice, quality assurance and problem solving on complex matters. You will also be responsible for the investing in building the capability in People M&A within other individuals in the team.

Role Type: Permanent
Role Location: Melbourne, Brisbane or Sydney 
Work Hours: 40 Hours (Full-time)

What will your day look like?

• Leading end-to-end delivery of complex People M&A and transactional projects, including mergers, acquisitions, due diligence, integrations, divestments, outsourcing, separations and workforce transitions.
• Mobilising the People workstream, confirming scope, outcomes, governance, resourcing, ways of working and interfaces with the broader transaction program.
• Creating and managing integrated people delivery plans, critical paths, milestones, RAID logs, decision logs, resource requirements, budgets and status reporting.
• Leading people due diligence, coordinating specialist inputs and translating findings into clear risks, cost implications, deal considerations and practical recommendations.
• Driving Day 1 readiness, cutover and integration or separation activity across workforce transition, employee data, organisation structures, payroll, HR systems, employee relations, reward, retention, communications, change and T&C operating model requirements.
• Acting as the integrator across business, T&C, Group M&A, program teams, enabling functions, external advisers and buyer or seller representatives to align delivery and resolve interdependencies.
• Providing clear, timely advice and escalation to senior stakeholders, bringing structure to ambiguity and enabling decisions that protect transaction value, employee experience and risk outcomes.
• Leading cross-functional project teams and specialist contributors, establishing clear accountabilities and maintaining pace, discipline and quality through each transaction phase.
• Defining and continuously improving the People M&A service offering, including methodologies, standards, playbooks, templates, governance, controls and quality assurance.
• Building People M&A capability across OD&I and partner teams through coaching, practitioner guidance, lessons learned and reusable transaction knowledge.
• Representing OD&I on People M&A matters and helping shape the service in response to ANZ priorities, transaction demand and emerging practice.

What will you bring?

• Demonstrated experience leading complex and large-scale transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, people due diligence, integrations and outsourcing. Experience across divestments, separations or other workforce transactions will also be highly regarded.
• Proven ability to lead end-to-end delivery across multiple transaction phases, from mobilisation and due diligence through negotiation support, Day 1 readiness, cutover, integration or separation, and transition to business as usual.
• Deep knowledge of the people considerations and delivery requirements associated with transactions, including workforce perimeter and transition, employee data, employment obligations, reward and benefits, retention, organisation structures, payroll, HR systems, communications, change and T&C operating models.
• Extensive project and program delivery experience in complex, large-scale environments, including governance, critical path management, integrated planning, dependency management, issue and risk management, stakeholder management, and budget, resource and scope management.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary and cross-functional teams, with the ability to establish clear accountability, coordinate specialist inputs and maintain delivery momentum through ambiguity and compressed timeframes.
• Strong commercial and risk judgement, with the ability to assess due diligence findings, identify material people risks and costs, develop mitigation strategies and translate complex information into clear recommendations and decisions.
• Confidence engaging, influencing and constructively challenging senior leaders, T&C Business Partners, transaction executives, legal advisers, external parties and specialist delivery teams.
• Strong consulting, facilitation, problem-solving and communication skills, including the ability to prepare high-quality executive papers, governance updates, decision materials and stakeholder communications.
• Demonstrated experience as a service owner or in developing and improving enterprise methodologies, standards, playbooks, tools, governance and practitioner capability.
• Experience supporting the professional development and capability uplift of teams.

Good to have

• Experience delivering transactions in banking, financial services or another complex and regulated environment.
• Generalist HR or T&C experience, supported by depth in People M&A, transaction delivery or workforce transformation.
• Relevant project, program, change, process improvement or transaction qualifications.
• Tertiary qualifications in human resources, business, law, finance, project management or a related discipline.

So why join us?

From the moment you join ANZ, you'll be doing meaningful work that will shape a world where people and communities thrive.

But it's not just our customers who'll feel your impact. You'll feel it too. Because at ANZ, you'll have the resources, opportunities, and support you need to take the next big step in your career.

We're a diverse bunch at ANZ in different roles, different locations, doing different things. That's why we have a range of flexible working arrangements, so our people can 'make work, work for them'. We also provide a range of benefits including access to health and wellbeing services and discounts on selected products and services from ANZ and more.

At ANZ, you'll be part of an organisation where the different backgrounds, perspectives and life experiences of our people are celebrated. That's because we're committed to building a workplace that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and encourage you to talk to us about any adjustments you may require to our recruitment process or the role itself. If you're a candidate with a disability or access requirement, and have an enquiry about the support provided, please let us know on your application or visit ANZ Accessibility and Inclusion Programs for alternate contact methods.

To find out more about working at ANZ, visit https://www.anz.com.au/careers. You can apply for this role by visiting ANZ Careers and searching for reference number 123920 .
 

Job Posting End Date

12/10/2026, 11.59pm, (Melbourne Australia)