Director, HR Functional Excellence

Location: Lodz, Poland / Gurgaon, India     

 

The Director, HR Functional Excellence is a strategic and execution-focused leader responsible for elevating the efficiency and effectiveness of the HR function, with focus on process, analytics, AI strategy, portfolio, project, and vendor management. This role will increase functional excellence and operational discipline across HR by standardizing processes, shaping and driving analytics and AI strategy, and managing HR's portfolio of projects. The leader within this role will have the ability to translate functional needs and partner with enterprise Transformation, Digital, HR Technology, and Global Business Solution leaders to enable and deliver HR Functional Excellence.

 

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:

HR Portfolio, Process, and Project Management

• Lead the prioritization of an integrated HR project portfolio (transformation, technology, business-aligned projects and processes) and provide functional project management support for prioritized strategic projects and processes; implement project tracking and reporting mechanisms to provide visibility on initiative progress and outcomes.
• Partner with HR leaders to allocate resources effectively across competing demands, ensuring financial discipline and alignment with budget.
• Monitor delivery health, risk, and value realization of all HR projects and programs and conduct post-implementation reviews and benefit realization tracking to ensure ROI achievement.
• Lead the prioritization, design and continuous improvement of scalable, efficient, and employee-experience focused HR processes.
• Partner with HR Technology and GBS to align on priorities and ensure delivery, enabling and elevating the utilization of GBS and T&T services for the Function.

 

Analytics Strategy

• Develop and shape the analytics & insight strategy and execution for the HR function, in partnership with the central enterprise data and analytics team. 
• Generate actionable people insights that inform people strategy and decision-making to result in a competitive advantage for McCormick.  Transform from retrospective reporting to predictive analytics.
• Partner directly with H2R Data Management Team Director to shape and align on HR data standards and governance to ensure integrity and accuracy of all people data.

 

AI

• Develop the AI strategy and roadmap for the HR function in partnership with HR Technology and Global Business Solutions Transformation team.
• Facilitate AI initiative resourcing, project planning and enablement.
• Create a project portfolio that helps advance the HR digitalization journey through more predictive analytics and use of AI to improve HR’s performance
• Active participation as member of enterprise AI governance boards and steering committees.

 

Vendor Management

• Develop vendor management framework for the function (approach, governance, performance scorecards and KPI’s, alignment, efficiency, business review cadence), in partnership and aligned with Procurement
• Identify opportunities to rationalize, consolidate, or renegotiate vendor contracts in partnership with Procurement.
• Drive strategic vendor partnerships that enhance HR capabilities and innovation.
• Manage vendor-related risk assessment and mitigation strategies.

 

 

CANDIDATE PROFILE

• Bachelor's degree preferred in business, human resources, or related field.  
• Significant progressive experience in HR operations, business transformation, analytics, project and process management and excellence.
• Proven ability to manage complex program portfolios across HR domains (HRBP, Shared Services, HR Operations, Total Rewards, Talent Management, Employee Experience).
• Experience with project management frameworks (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, Hybrid approaches).
• Experience in leadership positions managing enterprise-wide initiatives.
• Experience in implementing AI frameworks (Generative, Agentic, etc.) to improve performance
• Strong business acumen with ability to connect HR operations to business outcomes.
• Understanding o