Strategic Projects Manager

About the role

Cognita’s People & Culture function is looking for a Strategic Projects Manager to turn strategic priorities into successful projects across multiple markets. This individual contributor role has high visibility and will influence the development of forward‑looking people processes.

Key responsibilities

• Own the end‑to‑end delivery of P&C strategic projects, from scoping to handover.
• Translate strategic priorities into clear plans with defined scope, milestones, owners and success measures.
• Run project governance, including status reporting, risk and dependency tracking, prioritisation and escalation.
• Identify risks, interdependencies and resource constraints early and drive timely resolution.
• Track outcomes after delivery to ensure projects realise value and become business‑as‑usual.
• Partner with P&C Heads to align initiatives with the roadmap and sequence them for maximum impact.
• Collaborate with Technology teams to scope, prioritise and deliver HR system enhancements and digitisation of people processes.
• Manage external vendors, consultants and implementation partners, monitoring deliverables, timelines and performance.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or a related field.
• 7–10 years of progressive experience in project or programme management, HR transformation or HR business partnering, preferably in a large, multi‑country organisation.
• Proven record of delivering multiple strategic initiatives on time, ideally within a People & Culture or HR context.
• Experience partnering with senior leaders to align projects with wider strategic priorities.
• Strong stakeholder management, influencing skills and confidence presenting project insights at all levels.
• Excellent communication and change‑management abilities.

Required skills

• HRIS implementation or enhancement experience.
• Working knowledge of HR systems and digital HR tools.