How to Build a Future-Proof Global Mobility Function: From Concept to Turn-Key Delivery

Challenge

Global Mobility often grows organically. It starts with one assignment, then another. Local HR teams take ownership. Payroll supports where possible. Tax advisors are involved case by case. As companies grow, this setup reaches its limits.

A leading global intralogistics and industrial engineering company with production sites and project teams across Europe, the Americas and Asia faced a critical situation:

Global Mobility had developed organically across regions, with strong local expertise but no fully centralised global operating model. As international projects, engineering deployments and leadership mobility increased, the organisation aimed to professionalise and scale its Global Mobility capabilities. What had once worked locally was no longer sufficient globally.

Responsibilities were spread across regions. Tax, payroll and immigration topics became increasingly complex. Transparency across entities was limited. Governance was fragmented. There was no unified reporting structure, no clear global ownership, and no defined Target Operating Model.

The organisation was not looking for a slide deck. It needed operational control and a future-proof structure for tomorrow. This is exactly where PMA Consult Interim Management comes in.

The System: From Operational Takeover to Organisational Architecture

PMA Consult delivered a fully integrated Turn-Key Global Mobility System.
Instead of separating strategy from operations, we combined interim management, compliance stabilisation, governance design, vendor selection and long-term talent placement into one structured transformation journey.

The objective was clear: not a concept, but a functioning Global Mobility organisation — designed, stabilised and embedded.

Actors

The project involved a global industrial manufacturing group with more than 70 legal entities worldwide. HR, Payroll, Corporate Tax and business leaders were closely involved.

PMA Consult provided an Interim Global Mobility Lead who assumed operational responsibility while simultaneously designing the future structure. External tax and mobility providers were integrated into a newly coordinated governance framework.

This was not consulting from the outside. It was execution from within.

Goal

To transform Global Mobility from a high-risk operational bottleneck into a compliant, structured and future-proof business function while keeping daily operations running.

The Use Case: How PMA Consult Delivered the Transformation

PMA has developed a structured approach. The project was setup in three execution phases over 18 months.

Phase 1: Compliance Stabilisation

Role: Interim Global Mobility Manager

PMA’s first priority was operational control.

PMA immediately took ownership of open Global Mobility tax and compliance cases. Backlogs were processed. Employees received structured communication. Payroll and tax advisors were aligned. Inboxes and workflows were reorganised. Templates, checklists, and standard communication formats were introduced. A documented tax equalisation process was implemented and digital knowledge management was established.

This phase was about risk removal. The organisation moved from firefighting to controlled operations, increasing transparency and stability.

Phase 2: Building the Global Mobility Function

Role: Transformation Consultant

Once operational stability was secured, the focus shifted from fixing issues to designing the future.

PMA Consult developed a comprehensive Target Operating Model (TOM) for Global Mobility. Governance structures were defined. Ownership between HR, Tax and Global Mobility was clarified through a structured RACI model.

A global policy framework was introduced. Reporting lines and compliance oversight were formalised. After clearly defining internal versus external service splits, the vendor landscape was benchmarked and restructured. A global Global Mobility provider was selected and implemented under professional governance standards.

Global Mobility transitioned from an HR side responsibility to a defined business function with strategic visibility.

Phase 3: Talent Placement & Long-Term Sustainability

Role: Mentor & Connector

Transformation is incomplete without ownership.

In the final phase, PMA Consult sourced and placed a permanent Global Mobility Lead through the PMA Transfermarket community. Knowledge transfer was structured. Mentoring and sparring ensured continuity.

The organisation was no longer dependent on interim support. It had its own leadership, its own structure, and its own documented system.

This closed the loop from crisis → structure → ownership → capability.

How PMA Academy Added Value

Alongside the transformation, the team was supported through PMA Academy — including the Vendor Selection course — ensuring:

• internal stakeholders understood how to manage providers
• GM was not outsourced blindly
• and the organisation kept strategic control.

What Changed non Practice

Before PMA entered	After the 18-month engagement
A key Global Mobility employee had left	A permanent GM Lead was in place
HR Admin had taken over complex GM and tax cases	Policies and responsibilities were defined
Backlogs existed for prior-year taxation	Tax and payroll processes were structured
Employees were waiting for answers	Knowledge stayed in the organisation.
External tax providers worked without coordination	External providers were professionally managed
No central policy or governance existed	Global Mobility had clear governance
The organisation was exposed to compliance risks, employee dissatisfaction, financial and reputational damage.	Compliance risks were stabilised. Global Mobility shifted from operational vulnerability to scalable, future-ready capability.

Global Mobility went from intransparency and risk exposure to controlled, scalable and future-ready.

Why This Works

This approach works because PMA Consult does not separate strategy from execution.

We do not deliver recommendations and step away. We take responsibility → design → operate → stabilise → and we hand over sustainably. Interim Management becomes architectural transformation — not temporary relief.

This is Interim Management for Global Mobility. Check it out here: https://people-mobility.org/interim-management/

Results for our client

After the 18-month PMA Consult engagement, the organisation achieved full compliance stabilisation across multiple jurisdictions.
Operational backlogs were eliminated. Governance ownership was clearly defined. A functioning Target Operating Model was implemented. Vendor management was professionalised.

Most importantly, Global Mobility became a structured, transparent and strategically anchored function — no longer a risk, but an asset.

Why This Matters for Your Organisation

If your company is facing compliance backlogs, unclear ownership, fragmented vendor setups, HR overload or rapid international expansion, the solution is not another concept presentation.
You need operational control and architectural clarity.
You need Turn-Key Global Mobility Delivery.

How PMA Consult Can Help

Through:

• interim Global Mobility Managers
• compliance & operations take-over
• function build-up (TOM & governance)
• vendor selection & implementation
• talent placement via PMA Transfermarket.

We turn Global Mobility from a risk into a strategic asset.

Explore how we can stabilise, rebuild and future-proof your Global Mobility function.