HR Director, Manufacturing Europe and Africa

As HR Director Manufacturing Europe & Africa, you will lead the People agenda across BIC’s manufacturing operations in Europe and Africa, encompassing 10 manufacturing sites located across France, Greece, Spain, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and potential other manufacturing locations in the region. You will partner closely with regional and site leadership teams to ensure that talent, organization, culture, and workforce strategies support business performance, operational excellence, manufacturing excellence, and long-term growth. 

A key aspect of the role will be to elevate all manufacturing sites to BIC’s highest standards in leadership, culture, people practices, workforce capability, and organizational effectiveness. Through a combination of talent strategy, capability building, and organizational transformation, you will help build a world-class manufacturing organization and support the continuous development of manufacturing excellence across the network. 

The role will also contribute to the evolution of BIC’s manufacturing footprint through productivity, optimization, acquisition, integration, expansion, consolidation, or restructuring initiatives, ensuring that people and business considerations are at the center of strategic decision-making. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Lead the HR strategy and execution across manufacturing facilities in Europe and Africa, ensuring alignment with business priorities and operational objectives. 

• Act as a trusted advisor to regional and site leadership teams on organizational effectiveness, workforce planning, talent, culture, engagement, and change management. 

• Drive the regional people development agenda, including talent reviews, succession planning, leadership development, and high-potential programs. 

• Lead capability-building initiatives from assessment through deployment, ensuring the organization develops the skills required to support future manufacturing and business needs. 

• Partner with Manufacturing leaders to build a culture of manufacturing excellence by strengthening leadership capabilities, workforce effectiveness, operational discipline, and people practices across all sites. 

• Drive the harmonization and continuous improvement of HR practices across the region, ensuring all factories progressively operate at BIC standards in talent management, employee engagement, labor relations, safety culture, leadership effectiveness, and organizational performance. 

• Support strategic workforce planning and organization design initiatives to ensure the manufacturing network is equipped with the capabilities required to deliver future business objectives. 

• Lead the people strategy and execution for manufacturing footprint evolution initiatives, including network optimization, site start-ups, expansions, transfers of production, acquisitions, integrations, restructuring programs, and factory transformations. Ensure organizational readiness, workforce capability, effective change management, and sustainable employee engagement throughout the journey. 

• Lead the annual people cycle across the region, including goal setting, performance management, talent reviews, succession planning, and compensation processes. 

• Support manufacturing teams in delivering productivity, efficiency, and flexibility programs while ensuring sustainable people practices. 

• Oversee employee and labor relations across all sites, coaching local HR leaders and supporting constructive relationships with unions, employee representatives, and works councils. 

• Partner with local HR teams and Centers of Excellence to attract, develop, engage, and retain top talent. 

• Champion a strong culture of health, safety, well-being, inclusion, and accountability across all manufacturing operations. 

• Ensure the effective implementation of global HR programs, processes, and policies throughout the region while balancing local business and regulatory requirements. 

• Build strong relationships with senior leaders across functions, divisions, and geographies, providing strategic counsel on complex people and organizational challenges. 

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of HR professionals while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. 

• Identify, develop, coach, and mentor high-potential talent across the manufacturing organization. 

• Continually assess and improve HR programs, policies, and practices to ensure competitiveness, operational effectiveness, and alignment with business needs. 

• Ensure compliance with applicable labor laws, regulations, and company policies across all countries within the scope, minimizing legal and operational risks. 

• Partner with internal and external legal counsel on complex employment matters, strategic workforce initiatives, and organizational transformations. 

Qualifications 

• Ability to establish positive interpersonal relationships and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization. 

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive HR leadership experience supporting large-scale manufacturing organizations with a multinational footprint, preferably within FMCG companies. 

• Demonstrated experience leading HR across multiple countries and cultures within a complex industrial environment. Experience in the African region is a big plus.

• Advanced degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, Social Sciences, or a related field preferred. 

• Strong track record in labor relations, organizational transformation, change management, and talent development. 

• Experience supporting both mature and emerging markets and managing diverse workforce populations. 

• Strong business acumen and ability to connect people strategies with operational and financial outcomes. 

• Proven ability to navigate complexity, balance competing priorities, and deliver results in a dynamic environment. 

• Strong emotional intelligence, resilience, analytical thinking, and problem-solving skills. 

• Strong bias for action and ability to quickly assimilate multiple inputs while driving thoughtful recommendations and execution. 

• Ability to influence, negotiate, and manage stakeholders with competing priorities and timelines. 

• Deep expertise in HR disciplines, including talent management, labor relations, organizational design, employee engagement, leadership development, and workforce planning. 

• Strong understanding of modern HR practices and technologies, combined with a continuous improvement mindset. 

• Demonstrated organizational development experience, aligning structure, people, processes, and reward systems with business strategy. 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to inspire, engage, and motivate multicultural teams. 

• Fluency in English and French. 

• Availability for regular international travel across Europe and Africa.