This is the first Director of Employee Relations & Compliance for EMEA: a senior, hands-on role owning ER casework, employment law compliance and jurisdictional risk across Germany, the UK, Sweden, Italy, Spain and France. Based in London, the role will be the standing authority on ER practice in the region, owning complex casework end to end, building dedicated ER capability where none exists today, and extending the strength already in place in Stockholm. Reports to the EMEA People Director, with a path to running an independent function reporting to the CHRO as it scales.
Responsibilities
Own complex casework end to end across every market: investigations, grievances, disciplinaries, PIPs and terminations for cause, to a consistently high, legally sound standard; Be the escalation point when a matter turns complex, contested or legally weighted, for Local People Advisory and the wider People org; Hold the bar on case handling: written scoping, contemporaneous documentation, balance-of-probabilities findings, and independent second review of any outcome that could end employment; Own employment and ER compliance across all six markets: statutory notice and consultation, works council and union engagement, mandatory filings and register-keeping, and local implementation of the EU Whistleblowing Directive; Maintain the EMEA jurisdiction playbook and horizon-scan for legal changes, flagging implications to leadership early; Engage Employment Counsel at the right moment with a clear written scope, not as a late rescue; Build dedicated ER capability across EMEA, prioritised by risk and case volume, on the foundation of the Stockholm team; Certify and calibrate anyone running a formal ER process, keeping casework consistent as the team grows; Act as the quality check for Local People Advisory across EMEA, signing off local ER and compliance work without managing those roles day to day; Partner with People Partners, People Operations, People Tech and Rewards so policy and tooling reflect what EMEA markets need; Turn case patterns into a regular, actionable view for People leadership; Work with NORAM and APAC counterparts on one shared case taxonomy, system and calibration forum
Requirements
Significant experience leading ER, HR compliance or similar at a fast-scaling company, ideally across multiple EMEA jurisdictions; Deep, practical knowledge of employment law and ER practice across several of these markets, and comfort working outside your home jurisdiction; A track record of investigations, disciplinaries and terminations that hold up to scrutiny: calm, neutral and thorough under pressure; Experience building an ER or compliance function from the ground up: process, hiring, and getting a distributed team to one standard; Confidence as a senior, independent voice, comfortable escalating to and influencing leadership; Based in or willing to relocate to London, able to travel across EMEA
Wielka Brytania · London
