CDE Standardization Lead

Shape the future of global delivery excellence as a transformation leader who turns complexity into clarity, aligns global stakeholders behind a common vision, and drives enterprise-wide change at scale. This high-impact role influences project delivery, operational excellence, digital enablement, and business transformation across one of the world’s leading sustainability consulting firms.

About the role

Lead a critical enterprise programme to create consistent, scalable, and practical ways of working across priority project types and enabling capabilities. Transform strategic objectives into actionable standards, frameworks, tools, and governance models that improve how teams work, collaborate, and deliver value globally. Your leadership will drive consistency, adoption, quality, and continuous improvement while aligning standardisation efforts with digital transformation, AI opportunities, learning pathways, and future business growth.

Responsibilities

• Establish and lead the global roadmap for CDE standardisation, ensuring strategic priorities translate into measurable business outcomes.
• Create sustainable governance frameworks that improve delivery quality, efficiency, and scalability across the organisation.
• Enable global teams with standardised workflows, tools, templates, operating procedures, and best practices.
• Influence senior leaders and key stakeholders to drive alignment, secure resources, and accelerate transformation outcomes.
• Connect standardisation initiatives with digital platforms, automation, AI-enabled solutions, change management, and learning strategies.
• Build a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement in a complex global matrix environment.
• Define and execute the CDE standardisation strategy, roadmap, and implementation plans.
• Lead programme planning, prioritisation, risk management, dependency tracking, and delivery governance across multiple workstreams.
• Manage programme budgets, resource allocation, forecasting, and leadership reporting.
• Oversee programme management teams to ensure disciplined execution across all initiatives.
• Guide the development of workflows, SOPs, work instructions, templates, tools, checklists, and supporting documentation.
• Strengthen governance models, quality controls, approval processes, and continuous improvement mechanisms.
• Partner with executive sponsors, technical leaders, SMEs, finance, digital, and learning teams to drive adoption and organisational alignment.
• Support change management, communications, training readiness, and post-implementation adoption activities.
• Lead, coach, and develop direct reports and matrixed contributors while fostering a high-performance, collaborative culture.

Requirements

• Significant programme or transformation leadership experience within consulting, professional services, or complex enterprise environments.
• Proven ability to lead large-scale, multi-workstream initiatives involving global stakeholders and cross-functional teams.
• Strong expertise in programme governance, risk management, process improvement, stakeholder engagement, budgeting, and operational transformation.
• Experience developing standard operating procedures, business processes, governance frameworks, workflow documentation, and delivery standards.
• Exceptional communication and influencing skills with the ability to navigate ambiguity and drive alignment at senior levels.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Project Management, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading enterprise transformation or standardisation programmes within a consulting organisation.
• Knowledge of workflow mapping, RACI frameworks, quality management, governance structures, and global delivery models.
• Familiarity with digital transformation initiatives, automation, AI-enabled tools, and organisational change management.
• Experience coaching programme managers and leading matrixed teams across multiple regions and functions.
• Proficiency with tools such as PowerPoint, Excel, Miro, Workbench, or similar programme management platforms.

About the company

As the largest global pure-play sustainability consultancy, ERM partners with leading organisations to create innovative solutions for sustainability challenges and unlock commercial opportunities. Our diverse team of world-class experts supports clients across their organisations to operationalise sustainability, addressing environmental, health, safety, risk, and social issues through a comprehensive “boots to boardroom” service model.