HR Lead – Nederland

The Opportunity: Implements tactical and operational HR goals, contributing to the local execution of HR strategies and programs. Supports associates and managers within country and establishes and administers policies that govern the associate-employer relationship. Contributes to HR-related projects and processes within the location(s) supported, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and compliance standards. Addresses diverse employee and organizational challenges, requiring analysis of workforce data, HR metrics, labor laws and organizational factors, while deriving solutions based on limited information and past precedents. Collaborates with internal stakeholders and HR partners to advise on HR strategies and initiatives, and may liaise with external vendors to ensure seamless delivery of HR services. Facilitates communication and engagement strategies, supporting leadership and associates in navigating complex HR matters and fostering a positive workplace environment. Builds and strengthens relationships with works councils and other internal stakeholders, and fosters a positive workplace environment. Role Purpose The Senior HR Solutions Partner is the primary HR advisory contact for managers and employees on non-transactional matters within their country or focus area. HRSS handles first-line queries and transactions; this role provides second-line advisory expertise.. This role owns the full spectrum of employee relations, works council participation, local legal compliance, audit readiness, and the local delivery of HR programs — independently, without defaulting to escalation. The Senior HRSP advises pro-actively, owns cases to resolution, and demonstrates independent judgment. They actively co-own the HRSS transition and hold one or more multi-hat assignment contributing to a European program beyond their country scope. Core Responsibilities 1. Employee Relations & Advisory Own ER cases within scope to resolution — disciplinary, grievance, absence, performance, termination. Escalate as appropriate, for example where no precedent exists or complexity is deemed medium to high. Advise managers proactively before issues become formal cases. Identify ER risk in absence trends, engagement data, and manager feedback before it surfaces as a case. Manage absence cases end-to-end: RTW meetings, OH coordination, leave management, statutory compliance tracking. Provide clear, structured HR advice on employment law. Know enough to advise independently and know when to engage legal counsel. 2. Local Compliance, Policy & Reporting to Authorities Maintain and update country HR policies — ensure they are legally current, accessible to managers, and reviewed when legislation changes. Own timely statutory reporting obligations for the country which are not in CoE scope: social declarations, labor inspectorate filings, mandatory gender or pay equity reporting, and equivalents. Ensure employment contracts, addenda, and HR documentation always comply with local law and internal standards. Respond to requests from labor authorities, social security bodies, and equivalent institutions. 3. ISO, Audit & Document Governance Ensure country is always audit-ready on HR elements for ISO, Finance, SOX, and customer audits. Oversee audit folder. Manage or instruct HRSS of mandatory archiving and retention of personnel files and HR documentation per local law and GDPR. Support internal and external audits with complete, organized documentation. Flag gaps pro-actively. Contribute to and validate local knowledge articles and HR templates within the centrally governed knowledge base. Collaborate with HRSS and CoE content owners to ensure content is current and user-friendly. 4. Works Council & Union Engagement Lead WC/union meeting execution in-country — prepared, aligned with Cluster Lead and other key stakeholders, representing one coherent and pre-budgeted HR position. Prepare WC consultation documentation, dossiers, and meeting briefings. Identify and flag WC consultation obligations and timelines to key stakeholders proactively. Ensure global HR and managers understand WC processes and their obligations — train and advise before situations arise. 5. Programme Execution & Data Execute global HR programs locally: PMP, compensation cycles, People Pulse actions, DEIB. Translate global into locally relevant action, whist standardizing as much as possible. Train employees and managers on processes and Workday self-service and hold them accountable. Produce a regular country brief: ER status, absence trend, WC calendar, Workday actions, HRSS transfer status, compliance deadlines. Share within Cluster and HR Solutions team proactively. Use HR data to identify patterns and provide proactive insight. 6. HRBP Strategic Support Support the deployment of strategic HR initiatives in country alongside the global or regional HRBP — translating strategy into local execution. Where assigned, serve as the local HR lead for a specific business function or leader on people matters beyond standard HR Solutions scope. Ensure strategic priorities — talent, OE, workforce planning — land in the country with practical follow-through. 7. Continuous Improvement, Simplification & Knowledge Proactively identify what can be simplified or standardized in country HR delivery. Raise findings with a proposal and implement with the support of the transformation resource where applicable. Act on data-driven insights to prioritize work — absence trends, ER volume, Workday bypass rates, HRSS transfer status all inform what to focus on. Own the country knowledge base: policies, templates, handbooks, knowledge articles, and MyHR local content — current, compliant, user-friendly, and in plain language. Updated as a standing discipline. Actively partner with HRSS to improve the manager and associate experience in Workday and MyHR — identify friction, propose improvements and ensure implementation. 8. Culture & One Avantor in Country Implement and maintain the country cultural framework — one employer approach across the country. Govern local HR policies and the employee handbook — legally current, aligned with global standards, accessible and understandable for managers and associates. Ensure consistent application of HR standards across the country. 9. HRSS Partnership & Additional Responsibilities Document current processes for HRSS knowledge transfer, simplify before where possible. Own handover quality and maintain knowledge articles in ServiceNow. Redirect requests that belong in ServiceNow. Track what is bypassed and flag and address the pattern. Validate payroll input accuracy (transitional). Complex situations — long-term absence, terminations — may remain in scope to liaise with payroll. One or more additional responsibilities may be assigned — global program support, European workstream ownership, HRBP deployment assistance, or other duties as directed. These are part of the role. What Good Looks Like Behaviour What it looks like Country compliance owned Policy library is current. Statutory deadlines tracked. Audit folder complete without being asked. Case ownership Cases owned to resolution. Proactive advisory Managers come before issues become formal. Risk flagged before it surfaces as a case. WC prepared Pre-aligns with Cluster Lead. Briefs management after every meeting. CI contributor Finds one thing to improve each month. Raises it with a proposal. Follows through. Knowledge base owner Policies, templates, and MyHR content are current and usable. HRSS partner Redirects consistently. Documents processes. Partners on experience improvement. Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of employees assigned to this position. Avantor is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Why Avantor? Dare to go further in your career. Join our global team of 14,000+ associates whose passion for discovery and determination to overcome challenges relentlessly advances life-changing science. The work we do changes people's lives for the better. It brings new patient treatments and therapies to market, giving a cancer survivor the chance to walk his daughter down the aisle. It enables medical devices that help a little boy hear his mom's voice for the first time. Outcomes such as these create unlimited opportunities for you to contribute your talents, learn new skills and grow your career at Avantor. We are committed to helping you on this journey through our diverse, equitable and inclusive culture which includes learning experiences to support your career growth and success. At Avantor, dare to go further and see how the impact of your contributions set science in motion to create a better world. Apply today! EEO Statement: We are an Equal Employment/Affirmative Action employer and VEVRAA Federal Contractor. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/province, or local law. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Requests for accommodation will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address. Privacy Policy: We will use the personal information that you have submitted to us in order to consider your application for the relevant role. Your privacy is important to us. 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