People Manager in M&A (London)

Job description

About the role KPMG Advisory helps organisations address complex business challenges by combining sector knowledge with specialist expertise. Within Advisory, the Strategy Transactions / Deal Execution practice supports clients across the deal lifecycle, from assessing a transaction or carve-out through to integration, separation and value delivery. The People in M&A team focuses on the workforce and organisational factors that determine whether a deal succeeds in practice. As a Manager, you will lead small to medium-sized engagements and significant workstreams on larger transactions. You will work across employee experience, people strategy, organisation design, labour relations and compliance, and human resources operations, helping clients manage risk, support employee transitions and protect or create deal value. Roles and responsibilities Lead small to medium-sized People in M&A engagements and major workstreams on larger transactions, delivering agreed outcomes to scope, quality, budget and timetable. Lead or support people due diligence, assessing workforce costs, organisation structures, employee relations, human resources systems and employment contracts to identify risks and opportunities. Turn complex workforce data and stakeholder insight into clear reports, practical recommendations and commercially relevant decisions for senior clients. Advise on people strategy, organisation design and human resources delivery for integrations, separations and optimisation programmes , including target operating models, synergy assessments, transitional service requirements and implementation plans. Coordinate human resources and organisation design workstreams across wider transaction programmes , managing dependencies and escalating delivery, commercial or risk issues appropriately. Build trusted client relationships by leading workshops, interviews and meetings, maintaining clear communication and progressing agreed actions. Manage engagement quality and commercial performance, including independence and risk requirements, budgets, profitability, invoicing and work in progress. Help grow team and practice capability by coaching junior colleagues, reviewing work, supporting proposals and market activity, and identifying responsible uses of technology and artificial intelligence to improve delivery quality and efficiency. Experience and skills needed Demonstrable experience applying human resources, organisation design or strategic people knowledge to complex business change , ideally within mergers and acquisitions or transactions. Experience leading small to medium-sized teams, engagements or substantial workstreams, with clear evidence of managing scope, quality, budgets and deadlines. Strong analytical experience, with the ability to interpret complex workforce information and produce clear, practical and commercially relevant recommendations. Credible client-facing experience, including leading workshops or interviews and influencing senior stakeholders through clear advice. Strong written and verbal communication skills, demonstrated through the production and review of high-quality, client-ready reports and presentations. Experience contributing to business development through proposals, pitches, propositions, thought leadership or other market-facing materials. Qualifications required A bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.