Head of People Operations, Europe Continental

Are you passionate about creating efficient people processes and delivering exceptional employee experiences? Would you like to lead a regional HR Operations function supporting employees and managers across multiple countries while driving continuous improvement and operational excellence? At Hempel, we work together to shape our future and support each other's growth every step of the way. We are looking for a Head of People Operations who will lead our People Operations team across the region, ensuring high-quality HR services, payroll governance, compliance, and seamless support throughout the employee lifecycle. If you're an experienced people leader who thrives in an international environment and enjoys driving positive change, we'd love to hear from you.

Are You Ready to Achieve Your Full Potential?

As Head of People Operations at Hempel, you will lead a team responsible for delivering HR operational services across 20 countries. You will oversee payroll governance, employee lifecycle administration, HR processes, and service delivery while partnering with stakeholders across the business to ensure an outstanding employee experience and operational excellence.

In this role, you will:

• Lead and develop the regional People Operations team supporting employees and managers across multiple countries.
• Oversee HR operations and payroll governance, ensuring compliance with local regulations and company policies.
• Drive process standardization, continuous improvement, and operational excellence across the People Operations function.
• Lead the transition towards a unified payroll vendor model across the region.
• Ensure accurate and efficient employee lifecycle administration, including joiner, mover, and leaver processes.
• Oversee data quality and governance within Workday and other HR systems.
• Partner closely with People Partners, Finance, and Centers of Excellence to support business needs and people initiatives.
• Manage relationships with external vendors and ensure high-quality service delivery.
• Support the development and implementation of HR policies, procedures, and knowledge resources.
• Drive initiatives that enhance efficiency, reduce operational risk, and improve the employee experience.

Do You Want to Be Part of a Global Team Where Collaboration Drives Success?

We believe great results come from strong partnerships, open communication, and a willingness to support one another. To thrive in this role, you should be a collaborative leader who enjoys working across cultures and functions while balancing strategic priorities with operational execution. We are looking for someone who is passionate about building strong teams, improving processes, and delivering high-quality services that make a difference.

To succeed in this role, you will ideally bring:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Extensive experience in HR Operations, Shared Services, Payroll, or a related HR function within a multinational environment.
• Proven people leadership experience, including coaching and developing teams.
• Strong knowledge of HR processes, payroll administration, compliance, and employee lifecycle management.
• Experience working with Workday and HR information systems.
• Experience driving process improvement, transformation, or service delivery initiatives.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• A continuous improvement mindset and a strong customer-focused approach.
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken.

Why Join Hempel?

This is more than a traditional HR Operations role. You will have the opportunity to shape and strengthen People Operations across a large international region, influence key processes, and contribute to strategic initiatives that improve both employee experience and operational efficiency. Working closely with leaders and People & Culture colleagues across Hempel, you will play an important role in supporting our growth and transformation journey.

What we offer

• A leadership role with broad international exposure across 20 countries.
• The opportunity to drive operational excellence and transformation initiatives.
• A collaborative and supportive culture based on trust, teamwork, and continuous learning.
• International working environment with diverse stakeholders and cross-functional collaboration.
• Learning and development opportunities through our internal learning platform.
• Hybrid work model with up to 2 days of home office per week.
• Annual bonus.
• Private healthcare package fully funded by the company.
• Group life insurance.
• Benefits cafeteria, including a co-funded Multisport card.
• Additional paid long holidays.

Ready for Your Next Career Move?

If you're looking for a leadership opportunity where you can shape People Operations, empower teams, and make a meaningful impact in a global organization, we'd love to hear from you. Submit your CV in English via the application link and join us on our growth journey.

Application due

Seniority Level

Job Functions

Industry

Chemicals

At Hempel, you’re welcomed to a global community of +7000 colleagues around the world. A workplace built on shared trust, mutual respect and support for each other.

We’re on a mission to double our impact. To succeed, we need bright minds and team players. Which is why, from day one, your input, ideas and initiative are not only welcomed, but expected. In return, you will enjoy great opportunities for development in a growing global company – and be part of the solution by contributing to our global impact.

At Hempel, we are committed to everyone feeling safe, valued and treated equally, in an environment where each employee can bring their authentic selves to work.  We believe that inclusion is key to innovation and by bringing together the most diverse perspectives and talents, we can achieve great things, together.

About Us

Hempel is a world-leading supplier of trusted coating solutions working with customers within the decorative, marine, infrastructure and energy industries. Our purpose is to shape a brighter future with sustainable coating solutions, and being owned by the Hempel Foundation gives us the stability, means and purpose to deliver lasting, positive change in the world.

The Hempel Group is the owner and parent company of Crown Paints, Wattyl and the Neogard brand.