HR Business Partner

POLITICO; Brussel Hoofdstad; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension

Healthcare

Training opportunities

Work from abroad

Job summary

POLITICO Brussels seeks a seasoned Senior HR Business Partner to act as a strategic advisor and hands‑on operator for our fast‑paced newsroom. You will partner with editors and leaders across Europe, shaping organizational design, workforce planning and culture while delivering practical talent solutions.

You’ll lead HR analytics and data initiatives, ensuring compliance with Belgian/European employment law, and operate within an integrated HR model with TA, Total Rewards, and HR Operations.

Qualifications

• 5 to 8+ years of progressive HRBP or senior HR generalist experience in Belgium.
• Fluency in French and English (oral and written).
• Strong knowledge of Belgian and European employment law.
• Deep knowledge of talent management, employee relations, workforce planning and organizational design.
• Demonstrated strength in strategic HR partnership and hands-on execution.
• Proven ability to influence, coach and advise senior leaders in a demanding, deadline-driven environment.
• Hands-on experience with HRIS systems and people analytics.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted HR advisor to senior newsroom and business leaders on organizational design, workforce planning, performance management, employee relations and culture.
• Partner with the VP Human Resources – Europe to align HR priorities with global business strategy.
• Coach leaders and guide them through change, including reorganisations, M&A integrations and workforce transitions.
• Lead the people analytics agenda: use HRIS data and reporting to identify attrition and engagement trends and translate into talent plans.
• Ensure HR policies and decisions are applied consistently and in compliance with local employment legislation and global standards.

Skills

Strategic HR partner

People analytics

HR operations

Employee relations

Employment law

Fluent French & English

HRIS proficiency

Talent management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree

HR certification (CIPD or equivalent)

Tools

HRIS (e.g., Workday/SAP)

Job description

Job Description

POLITICO is seeking a seasoned Senior HR Business Partner to serve as a strategic advisor and hands‑on operator to our high‑performing, fast‑paced newsroom. This is a highly visible, senior‑level role for an HR leader who thrives in dynamic environments and brings equal strength in strategic partnership and hands‑on execution. The ideal candidate is a trusted thought partner to editorial leadership, someone who can anticipate business needs and translate priorities to drive actionable talent solutions. There is a strong requirement for the ability to expertly manage the operational HR fundamentals that enable our newsroom to function at its best.

About the Role

As the HR Business Partner for POLITICO Europe, you will serve as a trusted advisor to newsroom and business leaders in Brussels for our Belgian market, providing strategic and hands‑on HR support across the full employee lifecycle. As a stand‑alone HRBP working within a highly integrated HR model, you will partner closely with Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, HR Operations and the wider Global HR team to deliver practical, scalable people solutions.

In addition to providing strategic HR partnership, you will lead the HR function’s people analytics and data agenda, leveraging workforce insights, reporting and technology to support evidence‑based decision‑making.

Who You Are

• Deeply embedded in the newsroom: You understand how editorial teams operate and tailor practical HR solutions accordingly.
• A problem‑solver with excellent judgment: You are able to navigate complexity, ambiguity and sensitive situations.
• A strong operator: You can seamlessly balance strategic initiatives with day‑to‑day HR execution.
• Agile and adaptive: You navigate change with ease while maintaining focus on outcomes as priorities evolve.
• A credible, calm and pragmatic HR leader: You are resilient in high‑pressure, high‑visibility and deadline‑driven environments.
• Influencing without authority: You are collaborative with the ability to influence senior leaders and partner effectively across HR functions.
• Commercially minded and data‑driven: You use workforce data and business insight to inform decisions and measure impact.
• At home in an international, matrixed organization: You balance local requirements with global priorities across multiple European markets.
• Detail‑oriented and organized: You have a rigorous approach with follow‑through and execution.
• Ownership oriented: You have a strong sense of accountability.

What You’ll Do

Strategic Partnership and Advisory

• Serve as a trusted HR advisor to senior newsroom and business leaders on organizational design, workforce planning, performance management, employee relations and culture.
• Partner with the VP Human Resources – Europe to align HR priorities with global business strategy.
• Provide pragmatic, solutions‑oriented HR guidance focused on speed, clarity and risk awareness.
• Navigate complex, high‑visibility people situations with discretion, judgment and confidence.
• Coach leaders and guide them through change, including reorganisations, M&A integrations and workforce transitions, with clear communication and people‑first execution.

Talent and Workforce Management

• Partner with business leaders, Talent Acquisition and Finance to develop and justify new headcount and backfill requests, ensuring alignment with budget, workforce plans and long‑term talent strategy.
• Lead and support talent management initiatives, including performance cycles, performance management, disciplinary procedures, career pathways, leadership development, succession planning, development planning, engagement and retention strategies.
• Ensure HR policies, practices and decisions are applied consistently, fairly and in compliance with local employment legislation and global company standards.
• Collaborate with Total Rewards on job leveling, compensation planning and pay decisions to ensure competitiveness and internal consistency.
• Leverage talent data, manager insight and editorial priorities to inform proactive workforce decisions and future talent needs, including pipelining and succession, in partnership with Talent Acquisition.

Operational Excellence

• Deliver a high‑touch onboarding and integration experience, supporting engagement, retention and early productivity.
• Ensure people‑related processes are efficient. This includes managing and processing all employee changes related to role changes, reporting lines, promotions, transfers and exits with minimal disruption to operations.
• Manage and document employee relations matters with sound judgment, discretion and a solutions‑oriented approach.
• Oversee the implementation of HR policies, compliance programs and audit readiness.
• Identify gaps, inefficiencies or friction points in people processes, implement practical, scalable solutions and contribute to HR budgeting.
• Ensure smooth cascading of people‑related communications to leaders across the various teams and be the central point of contact to field queries and concerns.
• Lead the people analytics agenda : use HRIS data and reporting to identify attrition and engagement trends, provide timely insights to senior management and translate them into actionable talent plans.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Partner across HR Centers of Excellence, including Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards and HR Operations, as well as the wider Global HR team, to deliver cohesive, high‑quality and timely HR support to the business.
• Collaborate closely with Business Leaders, Chiefs of Staff and Finance to provide best‑in‑class HR partnership that is deeply embedded in the business, aligned to both near‑term priorities and long‑term strategic objectives.
• Work with HR peers across the European markets to ensure alignment of priorities and execution.
• Drive alignment across various stakeholders to anticipate workforce needs, inform decision‑making and proactively address risks, trade‑offs and opportunities.
• Serve as a pragmatic problem‑solver when HR and Legal perspectives diverge, aligning stakeholders on solutions that balance risk, compliance and business needs.

What You’ll Need

• Bachelor’s degree required; HR certification (e.g. CIPD or equivalent) a plus.
• 5 to 8+ years of progressive HR Business Partner or Senior HR Generalist in Belgium, experience supporting complex, fast‑paced, international organizations; media or newsroom experience strongly preferred.
• Fluency in both French and English (Oral and written)
• Strong knowledge of Belgian and European employment law and HR best practice.
• Deep knowledge of talent management, employee relations, workforce planning and organisational design.
• Demonstrated strength across both strategic HR partnership and hands‑on operational execution.
• Proven ability to influence, coach and advise senior leaders in a demanding, deadline‑driven environment.
• Strong analytical, organisational and problem‑solving skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Hands‑on experience with HRIS systems and people analytics.
• Experience working closely with TA, Total Rewards, HR Ops and Finance in a highly integrated HR model.
• Experience working with works councils, trade unions or other employee representative bodies a plus.

We value our people

Our benefits package is built for you, and includes:

• Our teams benefit from country‑specific, competitive compensation and benefits packages—including pension, healthcare, training opportunities and more.
• With a multinational team, strong ties to EU institutions, and flexible work options including working from abroad, we offer our employees an environment that supports both professional and personal development.

About Us

POLITICO illuminates the forces shaping global power. Since 2007, we have delivered intelligence that anticipates tomorrow’s headlines, not reports on yesterday’s news. As politics has increasingly become the defining force of our era, our work has never been more vital. Cabinet secretaries and Ministers start their mornings with our analysis. CEOs shape strategy around our reporting. Advocacy leaders rely on our insights to move policy. We deliver the straightforward facts and clear‑eyed analysis they need to navigate the most complex political landscape of our lifetimes.

Our 1,100+ publishing professionals across the world’s key democratic capitals— Washington, Brussels, London, Paris, Berlin, Sacramento, and New York—form the world’s premier politics and policy newsroom. We tell the story of how power really works by explaining who wields it and how they plan to exercise it, connecting dots others miss and delivering scoops from sources others don’t even know exist.

Innovation has always been a core tenet of our story. At launch, we bet that depth would trump scale, that talent would trump traffic, and that politics would become central to modern life. In 2011, we made another bet and launched POLITICO Pro to help decision‑makers understand the business of government, transforming both how they shape government action and the business of journalism itself.

These bets have made POLITICO the most successful digital news startup of its generation and the indispensable resource for leaders who shape the future. Today, we are a rarity in media: a growing, profitable, and sustainable news organization.

POLITICO is a subsidiary of Axel Springer SE, a family‑owned transatlantic media company headquartered in Berlin and New York. Axel Springer is dedicated to shaping the future of journalism in the free world, believing that a free and informed society is essential to democracy. The company’s guiding principles - first articulated as The Essentialsby founder Axel Springer in the aftermath of World war II - remain a cornerstone of the company’s foundation today. Learn more about Axel Springer.

Posting date:

2026-10-29

Title:

HR Business Partner