Overview
KOSTAL Group is seeking a highly experienced and strategically minded European HR Business Partner to coordinate HR efforts across our European Automotive operations. This is a high-impact regional role designed for a senior HR professional with strong business-partnering experience, deep industrial knowledge, and the capability to operate across diverse cultures and geographies. The position plays a central role in aligning HR activities across nine countries supporting senior leadership with data-driven insights and establishing efficient scalable processes from the ground up. It offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of HR within KOSTAL Automotive and is intended as a successor track for a future HR Director role. You can work from any location within the EU.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic HR Coordination as the central HR coordination point across nine countries (Spain, Ireland, Poland, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, and Morocco).
- Serve as a strategic business partner to local Managing Directors and Group leadership.
- Provide dotted-line guidance to local HR Directors promoting cross-country alignment and collaboration.
Executive Support & Decision Enablement
- Deliver Europe HR insights reporting and workforce analytics to support executive and board-level decision-making.
- Create transparency in regional HR operations by developing dashboards, summaries, and reports for senior stakeholders.
- Support strategic workforce planning, restructuring efforts, and organizational development initiatives.
Process Development & Standardization
- Review, build, and implement Europe-wide HR processes ensuring consistency and scalability across the region.
- Drive efficiency in decentralized HR operations by identifying best practices and process optimization opportunities.
- Establish documentation frameworks and structures in areas lacking formalization.
Talent Development & Organizational Design
- Lead recurring and systematic processes like skills planning, succession management, and leadership development.
- Support HR capability building through knowledge sharing and peer alignment across HR teams in Europe.
- Facilitate regional workshops and internal HR events ensuring content and logistics align with strategic objectives.
Cultural and Regional Engagement
- Foster collaboration across culturally diverse HR teams with emphasis on Central and Eastern Europe.
- Provide support and guidance to senior stakeholders on region-specific HR considerations, labor practices, and union topics.
- Promote shared understanding between headquarters and regional leadership through structured coordination and personal engagement.
Qualifications
- Experience: Minimum 5 years of senior HR experience in international manufacturing or automotive environments.
- Proven background in coordinating multi-country HR functions, preferably in a matrixed organization.
- Experience working at or with production plant sites is required; SSC-only profiles will not be considered.
- Familiarity with dotted-line leadership, stakeholder influence, and transformation/change programs.
- Demonstrated success in Greenfield-HR process design or restructuring initiatives.
Skills & Attributes
- Strategic and structured thinking with a hands-on, solutions-oriented approach.
- High resilience, agility, and confidence operating at board level.
- Excellent interpersonal, influencing, and cross-cultural communication skills.
- Capable of building trust and navigating complexity across multiple stakeholders and geographies.
Language & Travel Requirements
- Fluent English is mandatory.
- Proficiency in German is preferred.
- Additional languages (especially Slavic or CEE languages) are a plus.
- Willingness and availability to travel across Europe up to 60-70% of the time.
Location Requirements
- Candidates must be based in Europe with unrestricted EU work and travel rights.
- Proximity to a major international airport is essential for travel feasibility.
Additional Information
- A strategic visible role supporting the transformation of KOSTAL Automotive’s European HR landscape.
- Direct influence on key decisions at senior leadership and board level.
- Flexibility to operate remotely while being deeply embedded in international operations.
- A values-driven organization committed to innovation, collaboration, and operational excellence.
Remote Work: Yes
Employment Type: Full-time
Key Skills
Category Management, Channel Marketing, ABAP, Administration Support, Accident Investigation, AV
Experience: years
Vacancy: 1