Role Overview
We’re looking for a people-focused operations leader to shape and scale how we support our teams across the EURA/UK region. In this role, you’ll own the design and delivery of HR operations that are efficient, compliant, and importantly make a real difference in the employee experience. You’ll act as a trusted advisor and escalation point for the People & Culture team and People Leaders, helping to navigate complexity with clarity and care.
While your focus will be regional, you’ll play a key role in ensuring our global HR operations and payroll processes are consistent, accurate, and aligned with local regulations and our internal standards. Leading a dedicated team of HR professionals, you’ll invest in their growth and support them in delivering a seamless, positive experience for employees at every stage of their journey. This role blends high-level strategy—automation, process improvement, vendor partnerships—with hands‑on ownership of compliance, complex employee relations, and risk management. You’ll report directly to the Managing Director EURA, and your primary focus will be strengthening our operations in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France, South Africa, Romania, and the UK.
Department: People & Culture
Location: London
Responsibilities
- Lead employee administration and payroll processes across the region, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and full compliance with local tax and labor laws. Also act as backup for payroll processing where necessary.
- Simplify and standardize People & Culture processes to improve efficiency and align with global best practices, turning gaps into opportunities.
- Work closely with external payroll and benefits partners, acting as bridge between vendors, finance, and P & C teams to resolve issues and raise service delivery standards.
- Partner with Reward, Data, and HRIS Manager to ensure systems work seamlessly together and shape payroll system improvements that save time and reduce manual effort.
- Keep people data accurate, consistent, and reliable for informed decision‑making.
- Own end‑to‑end employee lifecycle for the region, from structured onboarding to compliant offboarding.
- Support compensation and benefits activities, including salary reviews and bonus cycles, ensuring accuracy and alignment with guidelines.
- Maintain and update People & Culture documentation and policies, making them clear, accessible, and legally sound across all entities.
- Serve as expert on complex employment matters—terminations, misconduct, contract disputes—preparing documentation and managing legal risk.
- Track changing labor laws across the region and evolve operations, policies, and practices accordingly.
- Lead internal audits and risk assessments to pre‑empt issues, keeping employee records audit‑ready.
- Ensure compliance around visas, work permits, employee classification, and remote work.
- Oversee leave‑of‑absence management, tracking cases, supporting employees, and ensuring compliance.
- Prepare HR operations for future due diligence or private equity scenarios by maintaining documentation and strong compliance practices.
- Manage internal and external audits, regulatory requests, and contribute to ESG and sustainability reporting (CSRD and EU Taxonomy).
- Improve HR service delivery and employee relations by enhancing the HR ticketing system and overall user experience.
- Provide guidance to People Leaders and P & C colleagues on operational, compliance, and employee relations issues, ensuring fairness, legality, and alignment with values.
- Act as trusted contact for employees with complex questions, offering clear, empathetic, expert support on policies and processes.
- Support performance management across the region, helping employees and managers with goal setting, evaluations, and career development.
- Lead, mentor, and support a team of four HR professionals, fostering collaboration, growth, and excellent service.
- Hold regular one‑on‑ones to coach, engage, and keep the team effective.
- Invest in the team’s growth by identifying skill gaps, arranging training, and building career paths in a multi‑country environment.
Qualifications
- 7–10 years of progressive experience in HR operations, payroll, and compliance, with significant exposure to multi‑country or regional roles (Belgium, France, Netherlands, UK, Germany, Romania).
- Master’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Law, or related field is ideal; bachelor’s degree required.
- Proven experience leading, mentoring, and developing a team of HR professionals.
- In‑depth knowledge of employment laws, payroll legislation, and HR compliance frameworks in key EMEA countries, with advanced skills in impartial investigations, grievance handling, conflict resolution, and sensitive case management.
- Demonstrated experience leading global payroll processes, managing vendors, and driving improvements in HR service delivery and compliance.
- Proficiency in HR systems and tools; experience with system integration, automation, and data reporting platforms is a plus. Meticulous approach to data integrity and process documentation.
- Clear and empathetic communicator able to balance strategic initiatives with daily operational tasks and urgent complex cases, with a hands‑on, roll‑up‑your‑sleeves mentality.
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