Human Resources Manager

Location

• North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
• About the Client and Role

Our client, a leading global automotive manufacturing business, is searching for an HR Plant Manager to lead and manage all HR activities at one of their key manufacturing plants in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

This is a critical site leadership role, responsible for ensuring the HR function is closely aligned with plant operations and business objectives.

The successful candidate will work as a key partner to the Plant Manager and leadership team, supporting all people-related topics across the site.

The role requires a hands‑on HR leader with strong experience in manufacturing environments, ideally within automotive or industrial manufacturing.

The successful candidate must have a strong understanding of plant operations, shop floor dynamics, employee relations, workforce planning, and organisational change.

Responsibilities

• Lead all HR activities across the plant, ensuring alignment with the site’s operational and business objectives.
• Partner closely with the Plant Manager and leadership team on all people‑related matters.
• Support restructuring, downsizing, organisational change, and workforce planning initiatives where required.
• Act as a trusted advisor to the plant leadership team on employee relations, performance management, talent planning, succession planning, and leadership development.
• Maintain a strong HR presence on the shop floor, building relationships with employees, managers, works councils, and employee representatives.
• Support the development of a positive, performance‑driven culture across the plant.
• Lead recruitment, onboarding, retention, and talent development activities for the site.
• Manage complex employee relations topics and ensure fair, consistent, and compliant HR processes.
• Work closely with works councils, unions, and employee representative bodies where applicable.
• Ensure full compliance with German employment law, company policies, and HR best practices.
• Support improvements in communication, employee engagement, and organisational effectiveness across the plant.
• Manage HR reporting, KPIs, headcount planning, absence management, and labour cost tracking.
• Lead, support, and develop the local HR team where applicable.
• Work closely with divisional and group HR teams to ensure consistency across the wider business.

Skills and Qualifications

• Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, Law, or a related field.
• Strong HR leadership experience within a manufacturing, automotive, or industrial environment.
• Proven experience operating in a plant‑based HR role.
• Experience supporting restructuring, downsizing, organisational change, or transformation projects is highly desirable.
• Strong understanding of plant operations and shop floor environments.
• Experience working with works councils, unions, or employee representative bodies.
• Strong knowledge of German employment law and HR compliance requirements.
• Excellent communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to operate both strategically and hands‑on within a fast‑paced manufacturing environment.
• Strong problem‑solving skills with the ability to manage complex and sensitive employee relations topics.
• Commercially minded, operationally focused, and comfortable working closely with plant leadership.
• Fluent in German and English.
• Ideal Candidate Profile
• The ideal candidate will be a hands‑on HR leader with a strong background in manufacturing and plant‑based environments.

They will understand the realities of the shop floor and be able to build strong relationships with both senior leadership and employees across the site.

• This person should have experience supporting organisational change, restructuring, or downsizing projects, while also being able to drive engagement, improve people processes, and support the plant in achieving its operational goals.
• They should be confident, visible, commercially aware, and able to act as a true business partner to the Plant Manager and wider leadership team.
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