HR Business Development Consultant

Introduction

At IBM Human Resources & Talent Transformation, we reimagine the way people work by combining AI, data, and human centred design. Our teams help close skill gaps, modernize HR models, and create engaging employee experiences at scale. Working in HR at IBM means bridging technology and people. Streamlining processes, driving agility, and enabling leaders and employees to thrive. You'll collaborate across the business to shape the future of work. With continuous learning, career growth, and a culture built on empathy and innovation, IBM offers the opportunity to make a real impact on organizations and people worldwide.

Your role and responsibilities

The HR Business Development Consultant will support global business transactions, including acquisitions, divestitures, strategic outsourcing, outbound outsourcing, and joint ventures, as part of the HR Business Development organization.

This role offers the opportunity to develop a deep understanding of how M&A and other strategic transactions contribute to IBM's growth and portfolio strategy, while gaining exposure to the business, financial, people, and execution considerations that shape successful transactions.

Working as a member of cross-functional deal teams and under the guidance of experienced HR Business Development leaders, the consultant will independently manage assigned projects and HR workstreams. The role will combine business and financial acumen, analytics, problem solving, project management, negotiation support, and stakeholder management to address complex business and HR challenges.

The consultant will build an understanding of IBM's businesses, along with the external party's business, financial, and HR objectives, IBM's transaction objectives, and the proposed deal structure. This context will be used to evaluate HR implications, identify risks and opportunities, assess alternative approaches, and develop practical recommendations.

As part of the broader deal team, the consultant will collaborate with IBM business leaders, Corporate Development, Business Development, Finance, Tax, Legal, HR functions, external advisers, and other transaction stakeholders.

Following deal closure, the consultant may support employee communications, HR integration or transition activities, retention programs, and coordination across HR functional areas.

Responsibilities May Include

• Own or support defined HR workstreams for global transactions, coordinating deliverables, timelines, dependencies, decisions, and stakeholder inputs.

• Develop an understanding of IBM's business and growth strategy and the role acquisitions, divestitures, and other strategic transactions play in shaping IBM's portfolio.

• Build financial and business acumen and apply that understanding to workforce considerations, transaction analyses, business cases, and recommendations.

• Develop knowledge of IBM's Software, Consulting, and Sales businesses and consider their different business models, priorities, and workforce needs when supporting transactions.

• Analyze HR, workforce, financial, and transaction information to identify gaps, risks, trends, issues, and opportunities and develop recommendations.

• Partner across Corporate Development, Finance, Tax, Legal, Business Development, and HR to evaluate transaction considerations and support deal planning, negotiations, approvals, and execution.

• Support negotiations through analysis, scenario development, issue identification, preparation of materials, and assessment of potential alternatives.

• Conduct country- and employee-level analysis of compensation, benefits, employment terms and conditions, and other workforce considerations.

• Support compensation and equity analysis, including data validation, modeling, and implementation of approved treatment for acquisitions.

• Collect, validate, and consolidate HR costs, risks, assumptions, and resource requirements for deal business cases and HR integration budgets.

• Conduct retention analyses and support the design, approval, implementation, and administration of transaction-specific retention programs.

• Participate in due diligence by reviewing data, documenting findings, identifying potential HR risks, and coordinating follow-up actions.

• Develop analyses and materials for stakeholder discussions, negotiations, client engagements, and leadership reviews.

• Translate complex workforce, financial, and transaction data into clear insights and executive-ready recommendations.

• Coordinate with compensation, benefits, mobility, employee relations, labor relations, immigration, payroll, learning, and other HR subject-matter experts.

• Apply a global perspective and consider local cultural, labor-relations, regulatory, and employment-practice differences when developing recommendations.

• Develop and manage project plans for assigned HR integration or transition workstreams, including milestones, dependencies, risks, decisions, and actions.

• Support the development and execution of employee transition and communication plans in collaboration with the acquired organization, business HR, and transaction leadership.

• Track approved retention awards, expenditures, payment milestones, employee status, and program outcomes.

• Consolidate updates across HR functional areas for integration reviews and leadership reporting.

• Apply analytics, automation, and AI-enabled tools to improve transaction analysis, scenario modeling, reporting, project execution, and decision support.

• Contribute to the development and adoption of new analytics, automation, and AI-enabled solutions within HR Business Development, helping evolve how the organization manages and derives insights from transactions.

• Identify opportunities to simplify and improve HR Business Development processes, data quality, analytics, and employee experience.

Required technical and professional expertise

• MBA or other relevant master's degree with relevant professional experience.

• Strong business and financial acumen, with the ability to understand business strategy, financial considerations, and their implications for people and organizations.

• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to analyze complex information, identify patterns and risks, evaluate alternatives, and develop recommendations.

• Experience managing projects or independently owning workstreams, deliverables, timelines, and stakeholder coordination.

• Experience working across functions or within a matrixed environment.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex topics into clear, concise materials and recommendations for different audiences.

• Ability to develop effective relationships and collaborate with stakeholders across different businesses, functions, geographies, and levels.

• Working knowledge of HR policies, programs, and processes.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and operate effectively in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

• Strong proficiency with Excel and PowerPoint, with an interest in using analytics, automation, and AI-enabled technologies to solve business problems.

• Intellectual curiosity, continuous-learning mindset, and interest in developing expertise in M&A, corporate strategy, business transactions, and HR Business Development.

• Willingness to travel up to 20%.

Preferred technical and professional experience

• Experience supporting M&A, divestitures, corporate development, transaction advisory, consulting, business transformation, organizational change, or other complex cross-functional initiatives.

• Experience with due diligence, transaction planning, business cases, financial analysis, employee transitions, or post-close integration.

• Understanding of or exposure to corporate finance, financial modeling, business strategy, or transaction economics.

• Experience participating in negotiations or preparing analyses, scenarios, and materials that support negotiations and business decisions.

• Working knowledge of compensation, benefits, equity, retention, or workforce-cost analysis.

• Experience preparing financial models, budgets, cost estimates, dashboards, or executive-level presentations.

• Exposure to global or cross-border projects involving multiple countries and stakeholders.

• Experience with data analytics, visualization, automation, or AI-enabled technologies and an interest in applying emerging technology to business and HR challenges.

• Strong interest in developing expertise at the intersection of HR, business strategy, finance, technology, and M&A.

IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, caste, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, veteran status, or other characteristics. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.