Senior Change Manager

Senior Change Manager – Shared Services Transformation Location Johannesburg, South Africa Hybrid model – primarily remote, with office presence (Tuesday–Thursday) required every second week.

Contract Duration: August 2026 - March 2027 Contract / B2B engagement

Overview

We are supporting a leading global FMCG / Consumer Products organisation undergoing a large-scale Global Business Services transformation. The programme spans Finance, Supply Chain and other functional areas and operates within an established global governance framework. We are seeking an experienced Senior Change Manager to lead change activities for the South African market and orchestrate change management across multiple projects and workstreams. This role requires someone who can translate global initiatives into a coherent local change approach and drive stakeholder engagement and business adoption.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead change management activities for the South Africa scope of a global shared services transformation programme.
• Conduct change impact assessments across multiple functions and initiatives.
• Develop and execute integrated change plans aligned with the overall programme roadmap.
• Orchestrate change activities across multiple projects into a single market change plan.
• Develop and manage programme communications and stakeholder engagement strategies.
• Support transition readiness and business adoption activities.
• Identify change risks and define mitigation actions.
• Work closely with Finance, Supply Chain and functional teams to ensure successful implementation.
• Align local activities with global programme governance and standards.
• Influence stakeholders at different levels and support successful adoption of new ways of working.

Candidate Profile Required Experience

• Significant experience within Shared Services (SSC) or Global Business Services (GBS) transformations.
• Proven experience leading change management activities within large-scale transition programmes.
• Strong expertise in:
• Change impact assessments
• Change planning
• Programme communications
• Stakeholder engagement
• Adoption and readiness activities
• Ability to coordinate change activities across multiple projects and consolidate them into a single market change plan.
• Experience supporting Finance-related transformations and transitions.
• Experience gained within Consumer Products, FMCG or similarly complex global organisations.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Fluent English.
• Existing right to work in South Africa.

Preferred

• Prosci or equivalent Change Management certification.
• Experience across multiple business functions (Finance, Supply Chain, Commercial, HR).
• Experience operating within global matrix organisations.
• Previous consulting background (Big4 or equivalent) is advantageous.

Ideal Background

• Senior Change Manager
• Organisational Change Management Lead
• GBS Change Lead
• Shared Services Change Manager
• Transformation Change Lead
• Programme Change Lead

Key Success Factors

• Strong change practitioner mindset rather than PMO administration.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and manage resistance to change.
• Experience in complex, multi-functional environments.
• Ability to integrate multiple initiatives into one coherent market change plan.
• Comfortable operating within an established global programme framework.