Country HR Manager Germany

About the role

At Barry Callebaut, we are on a journey to transform the cocoa and chocolate industry. As the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, our actions truly shape the future of our industry. We are a business-to-business company, serving the entire food sector, from the cocoa bean to the finest chocolate product. We are a company with a purpose, we believe in doing well by doing good and reinvesting in the communities we operate. We have a long-standing commitment to sustainability and our goal is to shape a sustainable cocoa and chocolate future. We are headquartered in Zurich, and have more than 12,000 passionate Employees working in more than 40 countries worldwide. We are very proud of who we are and what we do. And of course, we are always looking for talented people to help us have a positive impact on our industry and beyond!

We are currently looking for the right candidate to join our company as the HR Manager Germany. We employ about 300 employees in Germany, including a cocoa factory in Hamburg and a Sales Office in Cologne. We have very big ambitions to grow in Germany and the German speaking area in the near future.

The HR Manager will be responsible for the implementation and monitoring of the global HR Strategy, own the business processes, and provide advisory services – at the strategic, operational, and administrational levels. Furthermore, the HR Manager will engage with our Global Business Center, which is providing support in administrative tasks. This role will successfully lead the change effort for the way in which the organization as a whole delivers HR services. This role will also provide proactive business advisory and solutions-oriented HR business partner services for the local management team. The HR Manager is part of both leadership teams, i.e. the business and regional North West HR Team.

Key responsibilities include

• Build a strong HR reputation by providing leadership and managing the implementation of best practice HR solutions, processes, and reports that are aligned with Barry Callebaut’s policies and processes, supporting the front-end business managers in their day to day activities
• Responsible for developing and maintaining positive relationships between Barry Callebaut and its Social Partners. He/she handles contract negotiations, grievances and arbitrations, and provides support and advice to managers and employees on labor-related issues. He/she also ensures that HR policies and procedures are in compliance with labor laws in Germany
• Ensure communication and management of Global HR processes, such as performance management and annual compensation review, with a strong focus on compliance and local law and regulations
• Responsible for HR administration and payroll function
• Be a constructive challenger to peers to drive the overall people strategy, by designing and swiftly implementing people-oriented and organizational solutions
• Act as a partner and advisor for both employees and managers to deliver customized and forward-looking solutions, programs, and policies
• Responsible for engaging and coaching managers in applying company policies, ensuring alignment to rules and law aspects
• Act as the performance improvement driver to influence positive changes in the environment
• Act as the lead for HR to identify the operational and administrative services, inclusive of process mapping, organizational design, people
• transition strategy, costs, and other relevant areas
• Support talent management based on the global steering and guidance received, including annual events (performance, talent review, succession planning, compensation, engagement surveys, and more)
• Foster good employee relations and promote employee engagement as a way to retain highly valued talent. Drive action plans for the global function that will deliver an engaging high-performance workplace as a result of employee surveys
• Role model the right leadership behaviors and creating an environment of trust and integrity

About you

• Bachelor/Master’s degree in Business, HR / Economics / Project management or similar
• Minimum 5 years of experience in HR Operations
• Experience in managing social partners is a mandatory requirement
• Fluent in German and English – verbal and written
• Excellent leadership, people management and project management skills
• In-depth knowledge of local employment law and industrial relations in the relevant countries
• Comprehensive skills related to operational excellence & service management & control
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, negotiation and influencing skills with the ability and confidence to operate at senior levels with internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to think strategically, ensuring that HR priorities are aligned with business objectives
• Proficiency in using HR systems and strong analytical skills
• Flexibility and ability to operate and deliver under pressure
• Proactive and decision-making skills
• Budget, cost & performance management
• Strong Ethics, Integrity and Compliance Mindset
• Strong customer-centric and delivery-focused mindset
• Excellent stakeholder management & customer service skills
• Leading by example and with emotional intelligence, able to drive courageous discussions
• Able to build relationships across a wide and diverse customer base, both internally and externally

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