By Janet Ramey
The market for Global Business Services talent is heating up, despite opinions to the contrary. But the roles that are most in demand – Global process owners (GPOs).
Why GPOs now
It all starts and stops with global process owners (GPO). These increasingly endangered creatures are in demand for three reasons:
- And the beat goes on… Even during the pandemic, there are a surprising number of new GBS builds and reboots. Leaders know that excellence in process design and operations is the key to identifying, quantifying and delivering GBS outcomes. Many leaders are refocusing their organizations on that elusive goal—truly delivering end-to-end processes.
- Cash is king. Efficiency gains from earlier rounds of consolidation, outsourcing, offshoring and ERP consolidation have been largely gathered. Leaders are now challenged to look more broadly across the enterprise to streamline, harmonize and automate core business processes, and deliver another quantum of savings.
- Back to basics. GBS and shared services leaders have now realized that there is no silver bullet when it comes to automation. With budgets cut, many have come to the stark realization that they have some work to do when it comes to process improvement. COVID’s back to basics imperative gives leaders the impetus to improve while corporate strategies are in formation.
Where to find this elusive talent?
The first step in talent acquisition is defining what the organization actually needs. With a focus on order to cash or procure to pay, you’d think you’d be able to tap into a wide pool of candidates. But there are a range of personas in the world of GPOs. Take procure to pay—talent indexes on design versus operations, and sourcing and procurement versus accounts payable. In the world of order to cash, talent may have deep expertise on Invoice to Cash, but limited experience liaising with sales, influencing deal frameworks and understanding how booking methods impact cash application.
Once you’ve determined the spec, it’s easier to target the market. Want O2C with a heavy sales focus? Target media or tech. Prefer an emphasis on accounts payable rather than procurement? The better hunting ground is the transactional delivery side of the organization, often in CPG, pharma, tech. Want a structured focus on continuous improvement? Search in manufacturing and supply chain-focused organizations.
What’s our best advice?
Move fast, be flexible in compensation structure, paint a picture of an upward career path, and sell leadership. It’s a seller’s market for well-qualified GPOs with a strong track record of delivering results in global enterprises. GPOs at the right point in their careers – who know their craft but want to take on more scale and scope – are often in several other processes despite the market. And don’t scrimp on base compensation; candidates know that volatile markets may undermine the value of those RSUs. More than ever, good talent wants to see strong career pathways in the business, with strong mentorship from GBS or shared services leaders.