Director, Human Resources - IMEA

Role Summary

The Director, Human Resources – IMEA is a senior enterprise HR leadership role responsible for translating global people's strategy into regional impact while representing IMEA priorities within a highly matrixed global HR operating model.

Reporting to the CHRO, this role acts as a strategic advisor to regional and functional C‑suite leaders, partnering across a network of Global HR Centers of Excellence (Talent, Leadership & Culture, Total Rewards, Talent Acquisition, HR Services, and People Analytics). The role balances regional business ownership with enterprise standardization, ensuring global HR frameworks are effectively localized in complex, multi‑country environments.

The Director, HR – IMEA is accountable for shaping talent, leadership, rewards, succession, and organizational capability, while influencing outcomes through collaboration and governance rather than direct control. As a member of the HR Leadership Team, the role contributes region‑specific insights to enterprise decisions and drives adoption of global priorities across IMEA. The role also provides regional leadership oversight for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Business & Executive Partnership

• Serve as the primary HR advisor to the IMEA Regional Leaders, executive team, and functional leaders.
• Shape business and operating strategy through insight‑driven people and leadership recommendations.
• Influence outcomes in a matrixed environment through credibility, governance, and collaboration.

Matrixed Operating Model & Global COE Partnership

• Act as the regional integrator of global HR COE strategies, ensuring enterprise frameworks are executed effectively within IMEA’s regulatory and cultural context.
• Partner closely with Global COEs to co‑own:
  • Talent and succession strategy
  • Leadership development and executive capability
  • Total rewards and executive compensation governance
  • Workforce analytics and insights
• Provide proactive regional input into global program design, policy development, and prioritization.
• Resolve tensions between global standardization and local flexibility through structured governance and escalation.

Talent Management, Succession & Executive Recruitment

• Own the regional talent and succession management agenda, aligned to enterprise expectations and future leadership needs.
• Lead senior executive recruitment across IMEA in partnership with Global TA COEs and executive search firms.
• Facilitate executive talent reviews, succession forums, and readiness discussions.
• Coach senior leaders on executive selection, performance differentiation, succession risk, and leadership transitions.

Leadership Capability & Culture

• Deploy global leadership models and capability frameworks in partnership with COEs, ensuring relevance and adoption within IMEA.
• Build leadership depth and bench strength through targeted development, coaching, and experiential learning.
• Shape an inclusive, high‑performance leadership culture aligned with enterprise values and growth objectives.
• Sponsor regional leadership and culture initiatives while ensuring enterprise consistency.

Total Rewards & Executive Compensation Strategy

• Act as the regional steward and influencer of total rewards strategy within global governance frameworks.
• Partner with Global Total Rewards COE on:
  • Executive compensation design and decisions
  • Market competitiveness and pay equity analysis
  • Annual compensation and incentive planning cycles
• Advise senior leaders on reward trade‑offs, governance requirements, and market positioning.

Organization Design, Workforce Planning & Transformation

• Lead regional workforce and capability planning in partnership with business leaders and global COEs.
• Drive organization design, restructuring, and transformation initiatives across a matrixed enterprise.
• Lead change management, leadership alignment, and communication for global and regional initiatives.

Employee & Labor Relations Leadership

• In alignment with the Global LR COE, set a proactive, regionally consistent employee and labor relations strategy.
• Manage complex employee relations matters and high‑risk escalations.
• Partner with Global and Regional Labor Relations experts to engage unions
• Lead and sign complex, long‑term wage settlements; demonstrated hands‑on experience is essential.

Governance, Risk, Compliance & CSR

• Ensure compliance with employment law, labor regulations, data privacy, and HR governance standards across IMEA.
• Identify and mitigate people‑related risk in collaboration with Legal, Compliance, and Global HR partners.
• Provide executive oversight for CSR strategy, compliance, and statutory obligations across the region.

Workforce Analytics & Insight

• Leverage global people's analytics frameworks to generate regional insight.
• Partner with COEs to translate data into action on engagement, retention, leadership effectiveness, productivity, and risk.

HR Team Leadership & Enterprise Contribution

• Lead and develop a high‑impact regional HR leadership team within a matrixed structure.
• Build succession pipelines for critical HR roles.
• Contribute actively to the HR Leadership Team, shaping enterprise HR priorities and transformations.
• Champion alignment, integration, and disciplined execution across regions and functions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business Administration, or related field
   (Advanced degree and/or professional certification preferred)
• 22+ years of progressive HR leadership experience in multinational, matrixed organizations.
• Proven experience partnering with:
  • Global HR COEs
  • Regional and functional C‑suite leaders
• Demonstrated depth in:
  • Executive recruitment
  • Leadership and succession planning
  • Total rewards and executive compensation
  • Labor relations in complex environments
• Strong multi‑country employment law knowledge.
• Fluent in English; additional regional languages preferred.

Leadership Capabilities & Core Competencies

• Enterprise mindset with the ability to operate effectively in a matrixed global organization
• Influence without authority; strong governance and stakeholder management skills
• Executive presence with comfort engaging C‑suite and executive stakeholders
• Strategic depth across talent, leadership, and rewards
• Strong labor relations and negotiation capability, including wage settlements
• Data‑driven decision maker with systems thinking
• Values‑based, inclusive leadership with strong ethical standards

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in human resources, Business Administration, or related field (advanced degree or relevant certification preferred).
• Minimum 15 years of progressive HR experience within multinational/international organizations, including significant leadership experience in a regional or multi-country role.
• Demonstrated experience partnering with senior leaders to establish HR strategy, programs, tools, policies, and processes; recognized as a strategic advisor and effective change agent.
• Strong working knowledge of employment/labor law and compliance considerations across multiple countries; experience navigating complex employee/labor relations matters.
• Proficiency in English required; additional languages relevant to the region are a plus.

Skills & Core Competencies

• Strategic business partnership and consulting mindset; ability to understand business strategy, competitive landscape, and translate into actionable people plans.
• Strong leadership capability develops teams, builds bench strength, and models of collaboration across cultures and geographies.
• Change management, organizational design, and strategic workforce planning expertise.
• Employee and labor relations leadership, including strong judgment, investigation skills, and the ability to manage sensitive matters with discretion. Signing complex long term wage settlement is an important competency, and experience in this domain is a must.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills; executive presence to represent HR in internal and external forums.
• Analytical and data-driven problem solving; comfortable using metrics to identify trends, diagnose root causes, and measure outcomes.
• Strong project/program management skills; able to operate effectively in fast-paced, ambiguous environments and manage competing priorities.
• High standards for confidentiality, ethics, and professionalism.

Key Working Relationships

• IMEA regional business leadership team and functional leaders
• HR Leadership Team (HRLT), CHRO, and peer Regional HR Directors
• HR Centers of Excellence (Talent & Culture, Total Rewards, Talent Acquisition, HR Services/Leveraged Services, HRIS/People Analytics as applicable)
• Site/Country HR leaders and HR Business Partners supporting IMEA businesses and functions
• Legal, Compliance, Finance, HSES, and other cross-functional partners
• External stakeholders as needed (e.g., labor unions/works councils, consultants, government agencies).