Director, Labor & Employee Relations

Corporate; Düsseldorf; On-site; EUR 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Danaher in Düsseldorf is seeking a Director, Labor & Employee Relations to lead a team across Europe, delivering compliant, high-quality employee relations support and strategic direction aligned with policies and employment law.

You will partner with HRBPs and business leaders to mitigate risk, drive governance, manage investigations, and oversee case reporting, with up to 25% travel. JD or advanced HR degree is a plus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business Admin, Employment Relations, Law, or related field.
• 15+ years of experience in employee/labor relations or related HR disciplines.
• 3+ years of people leadership experience.
• Experience supporting a global or multi-country workforce.
• Experience managing complex and sensitive investigations.
• Working knowledge of employment law across Europe.
• Experience with employee representation bodies or works councils.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of Employee Relations professionals across Europe.
• Serve as escalation point for high-risk or sensitive employee relations matters.
• Partner with HRBPs and business leaders to provide proactive ER support and risk mitigation.
• Develop and enhance ER policies, procedures, toolkits, and governance.
• Oversee ER case reporting, trends, and root-cause analysis.
• Ensure compliance with employment laws and audit requirements.
• Support complex restructuring initiatives and deployment of HR policies.

Skills

People leadership

Employee relations

HR policy & employment law

Cross-functional collaboration

Risk management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business Admin, Employment Relations, Law

Juris Doctor (JD) or related advanced degree

Tools

HRIS

Case management systems

Reporting tools

Job description

At Danaher, our work saves lives. And each of us plays a part.Fueledby our culture of continuous improvement, we turn ideas into impact – innovating at the speed of life.

Our 63,000+ associates work across the globe at more than 15 unique businesses within life sciences, diagnostics, and biotechnology.

Are you ready to accelerate your potential and make a real difference? At Danaher, you can build an incredible career at a leading science and technology company, where we’re committed to hiring and developing from within. You’ll thrive in a culture of belonging where you and your unique viewpoint matter.

Learn about theDanaher Business Systemwhich makes everything possible.

TheDirector,Labor & Employee RelationsLS(M3) leads a team of Employee Relations professionalsacrossEuropethe Life SciencesPlatformand is responsible for delivering consistent, compliant, and high-quality employee relations support across the enterprise. This role provides both strategic direction and operational oversight of employee relations case management, ensuring alignment with company policies, employment law requirements, and organizational objectives. The Manager partners closely with HR and business leaders to mitigate risk, strengthen leadership capability, and drive consistent employee relations practices across the organization.

What you'll do:

• Lead, develop, and manage a team of Employee Relations professionals, ensuring consistent case management standards, service quality, and technical capability.
• Serve as the escalation point for complex, high-riskor sensitiveemployeerelations matters and provide guidance on appropriate resolution strategies.
• Partner with business leaders, HR Business Partners, and other stakeholders to deliver proactive employee relations support and risk mitigation.The role will offer creative and effective recommendations and solutions to challenging workplace issues and drive consistency and collaboration in the management and execution of employee relations using tools and technology for case management, standard work and continuous improvement.
• Lead the development, standardization, and ongoing enhancement of employee relations policies, procedures, toolkits, and governance practices.
• Oversee employee relations case reporting, trend analysis, and root-cause identification to drive data-informed improvements and reduce organizational risk.
• Ensure compliance with employment laws, company policies, documentation standards, and audit requirements across applicable geographies.
• Supporting project management and execution ofcomplex reduction in force initiatives in the supported Operating Businesses andcore employee relations programs and practices in an effective and consistent manner including deployment ofCorporatepolicy and processes, ensuring an effective feedback and escalation process to Project Owners to enable on-time deployment.

The essential requirements of the job include:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Employment Relations, Law, or related field.
• 15+ years of experience in employee relations, labor relations, HR Business Partnering, employment law, or arelated Human Resources discipline.
• 3+ years of people leadership experience managing Human Resources or EmployeeRelations professionals.
• Experience supporting a global or multi-country workforce.
• Demonstrated experience managing complexand sensitiveemployee relationsinvestigations, escalations, and risk-sensitive employment matters.
• Working knowledge of employment law and employee relations practices across one or more jurisdictionsinEurope.
• Experience supporting employee representative bodies, works councils, labor unions, or similar employee representation frameworks.

It would be a plus if you also possess:

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) or advanced degree in Human Resources, Employment Relations, or a relatedfield.
• Experience leading employee relations transformation, standardization, or shared-services initiatives.
• Experience utilizing Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS), case management systems, and reporting tools.
• Experience in footprint, workforce planning, M&A projects
• Willingness to travel up to 25% of the time.

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Join our winning team today. Together, we’ll accelerate the real-life impact of tomorrow’s science and technology. We partner with customers across the globe to help them solve their most complex challenges, architecting solutions that bring the power of science to life.

For more information, visit www.danaher.com.