EU HR Manager (Maternity Cover)

Purpose of the Position/ Role Summary

This is a hands‑on HR Manager role with responsibility for delivering day‑to‑day HR support across Bimeda’s European operations while leading a small HR team. The role will be deeply involved in operational HR activity, employee relations, and manager support, while ensuring continuity of service during a maternity cover period.

Operating across multiple jurisdictions in a regulated animal health environment, the HR Manager will balance practical HR execution with strong judgement, compliance and stakeholder partnership.

Duration of Post: 12 Months (Maternity Cover)

Key Role Specific Requirements 

HR Leadership & Business Partnering

• Act as the day‑to‑day HR contact for leaders and managers across Ireland, the UK, Nordics and France.
• Personally handle a wide range of HR queries, providing clear, pragmatic advice aligned with Bimeda policies and local legislation.
• Support managers through people decisions including role changes, performance issues, absence management and restructures.
• Be visible and accessible to the business, building trusted relationships across functions and locations.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead and support a team of 1 HR Generalist in Ireland and 1 HR Business Partner in France, ensuring consistent standards, priorities and ways of working.
• Provide guidance, direction and development support to the HR team, ensuring effective workload management and coverage across regions.
• Act as a point of escalation for complex HR matters within the team.

Employee Relations & Employment Law

• Manage and oversee employee relations issues across the EU region, including disciplinary, grievance, absence management, performance improvement, and redundancy processes.
• Ensure compliance with employment legislation and best practice across Ireland, UK, France and Nordic countries, leveraging local expertise where required.
• Partner with Legal and external advisors as appropriate on complex or high‑risk cases.

HR Operations & Governance

• Ensure consistent and compliant application of HR policies, procedures and processes across all covered jurisdictions.
• Oversee contract issuance, policy interpretation and employment documentation, ensuring accuracy and compliance with local requirements.
• Support audits, internal reviews and data requests relating to HR governance and compliance.

Talent, Performance & Development

• Play an active role in annual performance cycles, including calibration discussions, merit and bonus processing.
• Provide hands‑on support to managers during performance conversations and outcomes.
• Support learning, development and capability‑building initiatives aligned with regional needs.
• Support recruitment activity for EU roles, partnering directly with hiring managers.

Change, Engagement & Culture

• Support the delivery of employee engagement initiatives and cultural activities across the EU region.
• Partner with leaders to effectively manage change, providing guidance on communication, consultation and implementation.
• Promote consistency in employee experience while recognising local cultural and regulatory differences.
• Reinforce Bimeda’s purpose and values through consistent HR practice and day‑to‑day interactions.

Stakeholder Management

• Work closely with CEO, Finance, Legal, Payroll and other key stakeholders to ensure smooth delivery of people processes.
• Build strong relationships with senior leaders across the business, acting as a trusted HR advisor.
• Act as the EU HR operational link into wider global HR processes and initiatives.

Employee Relations (Direct Ownership)

• Directly manage employee relations cases across the EU region, including disciplinary processes, grievances, performance improvement plans, long‑term absence and terminations.
• Draft documentation, prepare case notes, attend meetings and coach managers through process steps.
• Ensure ER cases are handled consistently, fairly and in line with local legal requirements, escalating only where appropriate.
• Work closely with the HRBP in France and external advisors on French employee relations and consultation processes.

Please note that this job description is not exhaustive, and the role holder may be required to undertake other relevant duties commensurate with the grading of the post. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities and requirements evolve.

Requirements

Essential

• Proven experience in a HR Manager or Senior HR Business Partner role within a multi-country or EU setting.
• Strong working knowledge of Irish and UK employment law (France and Nordics experience desirable but not essential).
• Demonstrated experience managing and developing HR team members.
• Strong employee relations experience, including handling complex cases.
• Ability to operate confidently in a fast paced environment.
• Strong communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• Pragmatic, solutions focused approach with high attention to detail.

Desirable:

• Experience in a regulated or complex industry environment.
• Prior experience supporting change programmes or organisational transformation.
• Familiarity with HR systems and data‑driven decision‑making.