Director, AI HR Reimagined in Birmingham

At EY, we’re all in to shape your future with confidence. We’ll help you succeed in a globally connected powerhouse of diverse teams and take your career wherever you want it to go. Join EY and help to build a better working world.

What are we looking for? At EY we don’t do ‘cookie‑cutter’ consultants; we encourage diversity in our teams. We want creative and ambitious individuals who share our values of sustainability and making a difference to join EY People Consulting as part of the HR Transformation team. EY People Consulting partners with organisations to put humans at the centre of their transformation agenda, enabling them to build a better working world.

Our clients must become more adaptable to change as they face new workforce challenges arising from globalisation, hybrid working, changing demographics, emerging technology, innovation and regulatory demands. We believe the People agenda is at the heart of successful change and that HR will have a key role in shaping organisations to be fit for the future.

The HR Transformation opportunity: The HR Transformation team is growing. We partner with clients to shape and navigate their people agendas, building functions that are business‑focused, cost‑effective and agile by reimagining how HR can meet the needs of the business. Central to this is the use of AI to go beyond traditional HR operations, simplifying the tech landscape, unlocking insight through data, and delivering more personalised, human‑centred experiences.

Core to this strategy is the incorporation of Global Business Services (GBS) models, people technology, with AI acting as a strategic enabler for HR organisations wanting to transform and evolve. We need to redefine the role HR plays in the age of AI – taking account of the implications on the workforce and therefore the new role, capabilities and operating model for HR as a result. As part of our HR Reimagined team, you’ll work with others to help clients reinvent their HR operating model. We don’t use blanket solutions, but tailor our methods to each client’s business and goals. Using universal strategies, AI and technology, we help HR departments change and improve.

Your knowledge and experience will play a key role in driving this transformation.

• Lead development of a new AI.HR Point of View that is relevant, scalable and drives opportunities with our clients.
• Bring leading insights from the external market and thought‑provoking ideas to our clients as the world of work changes.
• Reimagine HR operating and service delivery models, embedding GBS, automation and AI.
• Shape AI and people technology strategies, simplifying landscapes and enabling human‑centred experiences.
• Drive HR GBS transformation – from strategy and design to implementation – optimising efficiency, scalability and impact.
• Guide clients to become AI‑ready across data, process, governance and people skills.
• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, influencing C‑suite agendas.

We are looking for dynamic individuals who can demonstrate real impact within businesses to help transform some of the world’s most respected private and public sector organisations. You will build on your existing experience across multiple components of HR or employee experience, including but not limited to HR operating and service delivery models, the future of HR, HR capabilities development and HR strategy.

• Experience in leading and shaping an AI.HR Point of View – being able to articulate trends, forces and resultant strategies for HR functions credibly.
• Ability to bring provocation and thinking on the future role of HR in the AI workforce – and translate this into new HR operating models of the future – holding debate and challenge conversations with clients on the topic.
• Experience in business development and sales, including demonstrating meeting or exceeding set financial performance targets.
• Proven track record in pursuing and leading delivery of £1m+ HR transformations – shaping specific solutions, responses and commercials.
• Ability to build a pipeline of work and hold an active book of business.
• Commercial awareness – knowledge of consulting commercials including sales cycles, key metrics (sales, revenue) and how to use pricing levers to shape commercially differentiated offerings.
• Proven ability to lead both sales and delivery concurrently across multiple clients/accounts.
• Ability to think broadly across the business and build connections in your HR work with other areas of People, Business and Technology Consulting to help identify sales opportunities and bring connected ‘all‑in’ solutions to clients.
• Experience in developing multi‑year/million‑£ business cases and investment roadmaps for investing in new HR capabilities and technology.
• Depth of sector‑relevant experience – knowledge of sector trends and the specific challenges and implications for HR strategies within that sector.
• Experience of leading multiple HR transformation workstreams to support organisations in developing future HR operating models, including embedding AI.
• Depth of experience in one or two specific HR capability areas (e.g., future GBS, future of partnering) – acting as the subject‑matter resource for client conversations.
• Leadership of teams to deliver complex and inter‑dependent deliverables – e.g., C‑suite level presentations, workshop documentation and facilitation of localisation and documentation build workshops.
• Experience of leading HR and HR service delivery transformation – focused on changing the way HR and GBS functions operate, increasing and innovating their capabilities.
• GBS experience end to end – through strategy and design to implementation.
• Ability to articulate the impact of AI on the HR operating model and service delivery, applying a structured methodology to assess feasibility, business value and ROI.
• Designing and delivering people technology strategies, particularly involving AI and automation – articulating the new HR technology stack needed to deliver the future AI.HR operating model.
• Working with cross‑functional teams (HR, IT, data, legal & compliance) to develop future‑ready architectures and data models.
• Strong client relationship management, stakeholder engagement and team leadership.

• Be innovative in AI.HR operating model redesign – bringing different and new approaches and ideas.
• Be passionate about using technology to create more human, inclusive experiences.
• Lead a people team, supporting junior team members through client delivery to support their development.
• Be platform‑agnostic, but have functional knowledge of leading platforms such as SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, ServiceNow, Moveworks, Eightfold.
• Be a strong communicator with the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• Be curious, innovative and driven by a desire to help our clients achieve their goals.
• Be professional, quickly establishing personal credibility and demonstrating expertise.
• Be commercially savvy – understanding client buying patterns, preferences and how to shape commercial offerings.
• Take a practical approach to solving issues and gaining client agreement.
• Analyse complex problems and deliver insightful, practical and sustainable solutions.

Why EY will be brilliant for you: We help our people succeed. The networks you build and the experiences you have with us will help define and accelerate the rest of your career. Last year in the UK, nearly 2,000 of our people were promoted or progressed within their grade. Our Total Rewards package includes assistance for flexible working and career development. With FlexEY you can select benefits that suit your needs, covering holidays, health and well‑being, insurance, savings and a wide range of discounts, offers and promotions. EY is dedicated to being an inclusive employer and we are happy to consider flexible working arrangements. We strive to achieve the right balance for our people, enabling us to deliver excellent client service while allowing you to build your career without sacrificing your personal priorities.

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