Senior People Director, DACH (m/f/d)

Position Title: Senior HR Director – DACH

Reports to: VP of HR, EMEA with dotted line to General Managers

Position Based: Darmstadt, Germany

Wella has an opportunity for an HR senior director who will own and be accountable for the Human Resources function for Wella’s DACH region. This leadership role will ensure alignment between Human Resources strategy and initiatives and all business objectives. The role will serve as a trusted advisor to management and employees alike.

To succeed in this role, you should have a strong sense of professional beauty products or similar industry and distribution channels and a track record of solid working relationships with executives, employees, works councils, and other internal stakeholders.

This role supports approximately 1200 employees.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Direct day-to-day Human Resources department, including programs, activities, and events that positively influence employee morale and productivity and support the desired culture and business outcomes
• Serve as a trusted business partner to General Managers and Leadership team to influence achieving commercial objectives and operational effectiveness
• Accountable for management and reporting of all people-cost elements of selling general & administrative (SG&A) management for assigned remit and overall workforce management
• Partner with the Talent Center of Excellence (COEs) to develop talent strategies and activities related to talent acquisition, training & development, succession, and retention
• Manage relationships with the local works council to ensure optimal working conditions for employees
• Manage and provide guidance in all labour relations matters. Ensure that appropriate stakeholders are advised of sensitive matters
• Manage the performance evaluation process, annual salary exercise, annual benefits enrollment, succession planning programs, and inclusion & belonging initiatives
• Serve as a liaison between Legal and compliance to ensure government regulatory requirements are met
• Participate in other special assignments/projects as directed by the HR leadership team
• Lead end-to-end change management for operating model projects
• Overseeing employees and direct reports on all matters regarding company policies and procedures, the hiring process, the safety of employees, legislative issues, and any other human-resources-related topics.
• Lead and manage the HR Business Partner team
• Partner with the People Support Center (PSC) to maintain employee records (attendance, EEO data, etc.), according to policy and legal requirements
• Proactively manage employment and working conditions to ensure legal compliance, manage labour relationships with work council & delegates

QUALIFICATIONS

1. Proven experience leading a regional or multi-market HR function within the DACH region
2. Expert understanding of labour laws and disciplinary procedures
3. High level of proficiency in MS Office; particularly Excel & PowerPoint; knowledge of HR systems, a plus
4. Outstanding organizational and time-management abilities
5. BSc/BA in business administration, social studies, or relevant field; further training, a plus
6. Beauty, haircare, FMCG industry experience highly preferred
7. Multilingual in German and English (written and verbal)
8. Willingness to travel to markets in remit, as needed