Senior Business Partner & Head of HR Benelux

Job description

Ready to help build a better future for generations to come? In an ever-changing world, we owe it to ourselves and future generations to live life responsibly. At ROCKWOOL, we work relentlessly to enrich modern living through our innovative stone wool solutions. We are seeking an experienced Senior HR Business Partner for our Benelux Operating Company (OPCO) to join the HR leadership team for Central Europe as well as being an integrated part of the Benelux OPCO Leadership Team . About the Role This is a unique and influential position that combines strategic business partnering to a geographically anchored OPCO with oversight of HR across Belgium and the Netherlands. You will serve as the trusted advisor to the Benelux OPCO Managing Director and leadership team on matters relating to business and people strategy, leadership, strategic workforce planning and performance. Additionally, it is critical leadership role with responsibility for leading and delivering the HR services across both countries. You will ensure high-quality HR support to leaders and employees, translating enterprise HR priorities to practical and compliant local execution. Working closely with the Head of HR, Central Europe, you will play an important part in shaping a consistent and effective people experience across the geography. Your HR team members are located on-site, supporting our 1,200 colleagues in Roermond, Netherlands and 200 colleagues in Wijnegem, Belgium, spanning across production as well as commercial and functional roles. We have several individual businesses and functions represented here, including two production sites, where Roermond is particularly critical to the ROCKWOOL Group, producing to all our global brands and products. Many employees also report to managers outside Benelux, making your ability to coordinate across borders a critical success factor, to ensure alignment in our employee practices according to our overall governance. You will be joining the Global HR organisation as we embark on an exciting transformation journey, optimizing and digitizing our services and ways of working, delivering impactful solutions to our organisation. If you are passionate about translating global HR ambitions into practical impact and in shaping how we support our people and drive HR excellence across our businesses and geographies, this could be the role for you. Reports to: Head of HR, Central Europe, ROCKWOOL Group Location: Roermond, Netherlands Your Core Responsibilities Strategic Business Partnership: Serve as the primary HR sparring partner to the Benelux OPCO Managing Director and the leadership team members on business strategy, organization, leadership effectiveness, workforce planning, and overall people priorities to drive overall business performance. Country HR delivery: Own the complete HR agenda for the Benelux geography, translating global HR strategy and enterprise standards into locally relevant, compliant, and impactful policies and practices. Ensure firm HR governance and consistent practices across both countries. Leadership: Lead the Country HR teams Netherlands & Belgium and develop team members' capabilities. Establish clear roles, accountability, and engagement to ensure the HR function delivers measurable business value - such as improved employee retention, compliance, and operational efficiency. Talent, Succession & Organisational Effectiveness: Drive succession planning and development for the OPCO leadership team in close collaboration with the Managing Director. Build critical talent retention strategies aligned to business needs. Strengthen organisational effectiveness and workforce planning to support overall business performance. HR Governance, Compliance & Decision Support: Provide robust HR governance, compliance oversight, and risk mitigation across both countries, balancing business needs, legal requirements, and enterprise standards. Ensure employment law compliance for both Belgium and the Netherlands, including EU employment regulations. Enterprise Integration: Represent Benelux perspectives and priorities into enterprise HR discussions. Escalate and integrate topics with the Head of HR, Central Europe and Global Centres of Expertise as needed. Provide feedback to strengthen overall HR impact and relevance. What You Bring You are someone who understands that HR is ultimately about enabling leaders and businesses - building systems and policies that enable employees and leaders to thrive while protecting the organisation through strong governance and compliance. You combine analytical rigor with genuine people skills and strategic acumen. You are comfortable working at the intersection of global strategy, country operations, employee relations, and legal compliance. Experience & Expertise Proven senior HR leadership experience in a large international organization, with responsibility for multi-country or regional HR operations. You have led HR teams through complex organizational structures, coordinating across different reporting lines and business functions. Strong strategic business partnering capability with credibility and influence to work effectively with executive leadership teams and business acumen to connect people strategy with commercial and operational priorities. Deep understanding of employment law within both Belgium and the Netherlands, relevant labour regulations, and the practical reality of compliant practices within an EU context. Experience with union negotiations and building constructive working relations with employee representatives is essential. Experience leading HR teams and developing high-performing HR functions, striving for continuous improvement, efficiency and alignment in the global context. Experience working effectively across multiple organisational levels: leaders at all ranks, employees from diverse backgrounds, employee representatives, and global HR partners. Personal Qualities & Mindset Integrity and ethical judgment; stepping forward to take the initiative and look for solutions. Openness to continuous learning, recognizing that HR is evolving, and transformation requires flexibility, curiosity, and the courage to speak up when things are not working as they should. Leadership approach that motivates and supports your team's development and delivers measurable business value, balancing resources and impact. Commitment to creating and facilitating a working environment where different perspectives are valued and where we always strive to improve and deliver high performance. Academic Background You potentially have a relevant academic degree. However, we value the depth and breadth of your experiences, learning agility, curiosity, your engaging leadership and the ability to influence across a culturally diverse organisation, higher than a specific academic background. We look for the right mindset and behaviour, not a specific degree. What We Offer High visibility and influence within the Benelux OPCO and Central Europe leadership structure, shaping the people agenda at a strategic level. Meaningful impact, driving the HR transformation locally and regionally while supporting leaders and employees through change. Professional development through learning and growth opportunities within a global organisation undergoing modernisation of its HR function. A dynamic, international setting where collaboration is encouraged and valued, and where you will partner with colleagues across regions and business functions. Membership in the regional HR leadership community, working alongside peers in similar roles across other European regions. Interested? If you recognize yourself in this profile and challenge, we kindly invite you to apply with CV written in English via the application button. Who We Are At ROCKWOOL Group, we are committed to enriching the lives of everyone who experiences our products and services. We help our customers and communities tackle many of today's biggest sustainability and development challenges, from energy consumption and noise pollution to fire resilience, water scarcity, and flooding. Our product range reflects the diversity of the world's needs, while supporting our stakeholders in reducing their own carbon footprint. Stone wool is a fully recyclable, versatile material that forms the basis of all our businesses. With more than 13,000 dedicated colleagues in around 40 countries and sales in more than 120, we are the world leader in stone wool products, from building insulation to acoustic ceilings, external cladding systems to horticultural solutions, engineered fibres for industrial use to insulation for the process industry, and marine & offshore. Sustainability is central to our business strategy. ROCKWOOL was one of the first companies to commit to actively contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals framework and we are actively committed to 11 SDGs, including SDG 14, Life Below Water. Diverse and Inclusive Culture We want all our people to feel valued, respected, included and heard. We are committed to providing equal opportunities to all employees, promoting diversity, and working against all forms of discrimination. At ROCKWOOL, you will experience a friendly team environment. Our culture is very important to us. In fact, we refer to our culture as 'The ROCKWOOL Way'. This is the foundation in which we operate and is based upon our values of ambition, responsibility, integrity and efficiency.