Belgian HR Generalist & People Relations Lead

Freudenberg Group; Henegouwen; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Freudenberg Group in Belgium seeks an experienced HR Generalist to support both blue- and white-collar staff across the employee lifecycle, ensuring compliance with Belgian labour law and collective agreements. You will coach managers, liaise with unions, and drive the talent management cycle with regional HR colleagues.

You will coordinate payroll-related activities, support change initiatives, and manage HR tools like Workday, with a focus on data accuracy and efficiency.

Qualifications

• Broad HR generalist experience, ideally in a production or industrial environment.
• Strong knowledge of Belgian labour law and practical experience working with unions, works councils and other employee representative bodies.
• Experience advising managers and handling employee relations independently.
• Good knowledge of local personnel administration, including social security regulations, time and attendance, paysheets and end-to-end payroll processes.
• An autonomous, hands-on approach, with the ability to prioritise and manage a broad range of local HR topics.
• Clear, approachable communication, with the confidence to handle sensitive conversations, challenge constructively and build trust.
• Fluent French and English; Dutch is a plus.
• Good proficiency in Microsoft 365 tools, including Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Word, Outlook and Power BI.

Responsibilities

• Be the local point of contact for employees, providing HR guidance and support to both blue-collar and white-collar colleagues throughout the employee lifecycle, from recruitment and onboarding to development and offboarding.
• Advise and coach managers on employee relations and day-to-day HR matters, ensuring compliance with Belgian labour law, applicable collective agreements and company policies.
• Build constructive relationships with unions and employee representatives, preparing and supporting information and consultation processes.
• Coordinate the local annual talent management cycle, including performance and talent reviews, goal setting and related incentive schemes, and support succession planning.
• Work closely with the local payroll and administration colleague to coordinate HR activities and improve administrative processes.
• Support organisational change and regional HR projects, implementing guidelines from the HR Business Partner and Regional HR Management Team while considering local requirements and business needs.
• Implement local compensation and benefits policies in line with legal requirements and company guidelines.
• Build a network across the European HR cluster and manage Workday, reporting platforms and other HR tools, ensuring data accuracy and operational efficiency.

Job description

Freudenberg Group in Belgium seeks an experienced HR Generalist to support both blue- and white-collar staff across the employee lifecycle, ensuring compliance with Belgian labour law and collective agreements. You will coach managers, liaise with unions, and drive the talent management cycle with regional HR colleagues.

You will coordinate payroll-related activities, support change initiatives, and manage HR tools like Workday, with a focus on data accuracy and efficiency.