Head of People EMEA

As the URUS Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) People Director, you will have a unique opportunity to work with a multi-company team to help in aligning, communicating, and delivering business objectives to our employees in our EMEA companies

You will be based out of one of our offices in our EMEA markets and will support managers and employees in URUS companies, predominantly in our retail markets (Benelux, Germany, Poland, UK, Italy, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and other growing markets in our portfolio). Additional support may be required for employees supporting EMEA wholesale markets.

You will build partnerships, collaborating with company leadership teams, as well as the People teams to help set and execute the organization’s annual strategic people priorities. The People Director is responsible for the People and HR function across the EMEA geography in collaboration with a strong global People team on a global basis. Top areas of responsibility include the following:

Strategic People Consulting

• Collaborates with leadership for the EMEA markets and the URUS People team to set the annual strategic people priorities for the region.
• Creates, implements, and reports on the annual People plan for the region
• Consults with management, providing HR guidance when appropriate.
• Collaborates closely with URUS global People team for centralized expertise and shared services that drive impact for the companies.

EMEA People Team Leadership

• Leads and guides People leaders across all EMEA countries, including finance leaders that are doing HR responsibilities as a portion of their role and others responsible for payroll, benefits, leave of absences, and data analysis
• Leads, coaches, and develops a high performing team and fosters a collaborative and high-performing People team culture
• Fosters a collaborative and high-performing People team culture.
• Ensures alignment with regional and global People objectives.

Talent Management & Development

• Guides annual performance management process for EMEA businesses and ensures accountability to the process through teammates. Partners with the global URUS Learning and Development team to identify training needs for business units and or executive coaching needs.
• Accountable for execution of Talent Review process and career development plans for high potential and senior leadership staff. Provides process improvement feedback to the URUS global Learning & Development team.
• Participates in evaluation and monitoring of training programs to ensure success. Follows up to ensure training objectives are met.

Employee Relationships & Engagement

• Work with team to help manage and resolve complex employee relations issues. Conducts effective, thorough, and objective investigations.
• Works closely with management and employees to improve work relationships, build morale, and increase productivity, accountability, and retention.

Organizational Effectiveness

• Provides guidance and input on business unit restructuring, workforce planning, and succession planning.
• Develops contract terms for new hires, promotions, and transfers.
• Lead change management initiatives, including communication plans, stakeholder engagement, and training programs.
• Role models and promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.

People Policy & Compliance

• Maintains in-depth knowledge of legal requirements related to day-to-day management of employees, reducing legal risks and ensuring regulatory compliance. Partners with the legal resources as needed/required.
• Provides People policy guidance and interpretation.
• Responsible for having an annually updated handbook for each market in the region, working closely with guidance from the URUS global corporate manual and code of conduct.
• Responsible for communicating awareness and reminders to employees to ensure employees comply with URUS Workplace Standards training requirements.

Data Analysis & Reporting

• Responsible for implementing, using, maintaining, and resourcing staff to leverage global and local People function platforms, including but not limited to the global Human Resource Information System (HRIS) and global Learning Management System (LMS)
• Conducts timely reporting for the URUS SVP People and URUS People Manager upon request through reporting tools in programs such as AchieveIt and PowerBI
• Analyzes People metrics, trends, and data to inform decision making, identify areas for improvement, and measure impact
• Prepares and presents insights, recommendations, and reports to senior leadership and stakeholders.

Organizational Alignment:

• This position reports to the URUS SVP People and is based out in Feerwerd, Netherlands
• In this position you collaborate closely with the Regional Commercial President and other regional function and brand leaders.

Requirements:

• Strong written and oral proficiency in English language is a must. Must also be able to communicate with employees in Dutch and preferably additional languages used in our retail markets.
• Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to influence without authority.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, customer service, and relationship building skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong ability to drive and manage change.
• Ability to comprehend, interpret, and apply the appropriate sections of applicable laws, guidelines, regulations, ordinances, and policies.
• Ability to acquire a thorough understanding of the organization’s hierarchy, jobs, qualifications, compensation practices, and the administrative practices related to those factors.
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Proficient with HRIS, payroll systems, LMS systems, Microsoft Office Suite or related software.
• Able to travel to globally for meetings and within EMEA to engage with employees and leaders across URUS markets.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum of 15 years of experience resolving complex employee relations issues.
• Working knowledge of multiple human resource disciplines, including compensation practices, organizational diagnosis, employee relations, diversity, performance management, and federal and state respective employment laws.

Ready to make a lasting impact on a global scale?
At URUS, you’ll step into a pivotal role where strategic influence meets international collaboration. Join us in shaping the People agenda across diverse and growing EMEA markets, while working closely with engaged leaders and a strong global People team. If you're driven to lead, connect, and elevate—then we look forward to hearing from you. Please send your resume to charlotte.evers@robertwalters.com or give me a call on 0622572505 if you have questions.

Robert Walters Netherlands is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.