Senior HR Business Partner, Europe

We are hiring: Senior HR Business Partner, Europe
Location: Worthing, UK
The Senior HR Business Partner, Europe partners Watlow’s enabling functions in Europe – Finance, IT, Marketing & Communications and Legal – and holds regional accountability for employee relations in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Sweden. The role combines strategic partnering on organisational design, talent and capability with hands-on ownership of complex employee relations and employment law across three jurisdictions.
What You’ll Do
Strategic Partnering with Enabling Functions

Act as principal HR partner to the European leaders of Finance, IT, Marketing & Communications and Legal, translating functional strategy into practical people plans.
Use a deep understanding of each function’s operating model and capability needs to shape organisational design, role clarity and ways of working.
Coach managers on leadership, team effectiveness and people decisions, and support workforce planning and resourcing with Talent Acquisition and Total Rewards.

Employee Relations – United Kingdom, Ireland and Sweden

Own the employee relations agenda for all employee groups in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Sweden, irrespective of function.
Lead and resolve complex cases – disciplinary, grievance, performance, absence, wellbeing, conduct and exits – fairly, consistently and on sound evidence.
Advise authoritatively on UK employment law and, with local advisers, on Irish and Swedish requirements; keep leaders informed of legislative change and its practical impact.
Maintain constructive relationships with employee representatives and trade unions, manage consultation obligations, direct external employment counsel, and turn case trends into preventative manager education.

Organisational Change and Transition

Partner with leaders to design and deliver organisational and workforce change within scope, from concept through to embedding.
Assess impact on people, identify risks and build practical mitigation, engagement and communication plans.
Ensure change meets local legal and consultation requirements, and guide managers and employees through transition without loss of engagement or continuity.

Talent, Culture and HR Excellence

Drive the annual people cycle within scope – performance review, calibration, talent review, succession and compensation planning – and close capability gaps in critical roles.
Champion Watlow’s values, using engagement data and employee listening to agree and track focused local actions.
Keep HR policies for the three countries legally current and aligned to the global framework and use HR data and metrics to generate insight and support local compliance.
Act as trusted and collaborative team members within Europe HR as well as Watlow global HR organizations

Success Indicators

Enabling-function leaders treat the role as trusted adviser and involve it early in business and people decisions.
Employee relations matters are resolved promptly, fairly and consistently, with low levels of escalation or claim.
Policy and practice in the three countries are legally current and consistently applied, with managers increasingly confident handling people matters themselves.
Change activity is delivered to plan with engagement maintained, succession plans for critical roles are in place, and retention within scope is stable or improving.

What You’ll Need To Succeed

Degree in Human Resources, Business, Law, Psychology or a related discipline; CIPD Level 7 or equivalent preferred.
Minimum eight years’ progressive HR experience, including several years partnering senior leaders in a multinational, matrixed organisation.
Deep, hands-on UK employment law and employee relations expertise, including the Acas Code of Practice and current awareness of the Employment Rights Act 2025 “ reforms. This is the most important requirement of the role.
Employee relations experience in Ireland and Sweden, or the proven ability to build it quickly with local advisers; familiarity with Irish WRC practice and the Swedish co- determination environment is an advantage.
Experience supporting corporate or enabling functions preferred; industrial or manufacturing sector experience an advantage. Proven track record of guiding leaders and employees through organisational change and transition.
Strong business acumen and confident use of HR data; excellent influencing, coaching and communication skills, with sound judgement, discretion and the credibility to challenge constructively at senior level.
Basic AI skills with willingness to develop as the advanced AI user
Fluent English; additional European languages an advantage.

Why Join Watlow's Team

Join a collaborative European HR community, working closely with colleagues across the UK, Ireland, Sweden and beyond, while staying aligned with Watlow's global HR organization - a role that offers both the variety of multi-country exposure and the support of a regional network.
We offer comprehensive benefits package including private healthcare, life assurance, income protection, a matched pension scheme and dedicated mental health and wellbeing support.
Working Pattern: Monday to Friday, 7.5 hours/day, 4 days from the office, 1 day of home office per week
Contract Type: Permanent, full-time position