The Country HR Director - Belgium acts as the senior HR leader for strategic HR leadership in Belgium. The role ensures that Belgium’s legal, social, labour and organisational specificities are strongly reflected in Group People Strategy, while translating Group directions into compliant, relevant, and impactful local People Plans.
The role acts as the senior HR contributor in the country/region, driving local people agenda, workforce planning, talent, social relations, and the consistent delivery of HR excellence across all divisions.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Local Adaptation
1. Shape the Belgium People Strategy by integrating legal, labour market, cultural and organisational insights into Group HR design.
2. Adapt, co‑create and deploy Group HR solutions with Enterprise People Partners and Centres of Excellence (COEs), ensuring strong buy‑in in a multi‑stakeholder environment.
3. Act as a guardian of Belgian social, legal and cultural specificities in global HR discussions.
Business Partnership & Leadership Support
4. Serve as a strategic advisor and support all senior leaders across all Belgian business lines.
5. Strengthen local HR leadership and ensure smooth collaboration between all HR teams.
People Operations & Governance
6. Ensure consistent, fair, and compliant HR practices across all business lines operating in Belgium.
7. Oversee and partner in supporting workforce planning, organisational design, mobility, and talent management aligned with Belgian context and Group ambitions.
8. Lead and continuously improve the core HR cycles (performance, compensation, talent, succession), ensuring discipline and operational excellence.
Social Relations & Risk Management (Belgium Focus)
9. Maintain and foster strong, trust-based relationships with Belgian employee representatives and unions.
10. Act as the senior lead in social dialogue, including negotiations, works council interactions, and collective matters, in close collaboration with HR Legal
11. Provide expert guidance during re-organisations, legal restructurings, and transformation projects.
12. Anticipate people risks and ensure early mitigation.
Board & Senior Governance Engagement
13. Provide clear insights, reporting, and recommendations on people matters to the local Board.
Profile
Essential Experience
14. Extensive HR leadership experience in Belgium, ideally within an international or highly matrixed organisation.
15. Proven track record working with social partners, leading works councils/union negotiations, and engaging in constructive social dialogue.
16. Experience managing re-organisations or major transformation programmes in the Belgian labour context.
17. Demonstrated ability to operate with influence across multiple reporting lines and diverse stakeholders.
Capabilities
18. Strong knowledge of Belgian employment law, labour market trends, and socioeconomic context.
19. Skilled influencer, capable of driving alignment in a complex matrix with many senior stakeholders.
20. Strategic thinker with operational discipline and strong resilience under ambiguity.
21. Excellent communication, relationship building, and senior leadership engagement skills (including Board level).
Skills & Competencies
Strategic HR Leadership
22. Anticipates future workforce needs in Belgium; adapts global strategy to local reality.
Organisational & Cultural Leadership
23. Influences senior leaders, drives cultural evolution, and makes sound decisions on sensitive people matters.
Social Relations & Governance
24. Manages union interactions, conducts complex negotiations, ensures compliance, and upholds governance standards.
Stakeholder Influence (Matrix Mastery)
25. Navigates complex structures, aligns multiple senior leaders, and builds trust across Group and local teams.
Business & Workforce Acumen
26. Understands business strategy, identifies organisational design risks, and anticipates talent challenges.
Change Leadership
27. Leads re-organisations and transformation with clarity, empathy, and resilience.
Execution Excellence
28. Drives operational discipline, sets high HR standards, and monitors performance metrics.
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