HR Business Partner

Symrise AG; Barcelona; On-site; EUR 48,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

Symrise AG seeks an experienced HR Business Partner to support ~200 employees across Parets, Cervera, and Barcelona. You will drive local HR strategy, workforce planning, and people analytics, while partnering with regional stakeholders to implement global changes.

You will lead employee relations and works council matters, ensuring legal compliance and a positive social climate. The role requires fluency in Spanish and English, a university degree in HR or related field, and proven

Qualifications

• University degree in HR, business, psychology, or a related field.
• Experience as HR Business Partner in industrial or multinational contexts.
• Strong knowledge of Spanish employment law and its practical application.
• Experience with employee relations, works councils, and unions.
• Proven ability to lead organizational change and transformation.
• Strong HR data analytics experience.
• Ability to build trusted relationships with managers and employees.
• Fluency in Spanish and English; Catalan a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide local HR leadership and partner with HR Operations and CoEs to ensure efficient HR processes.
• Manage HR scope for multiple sites; act as trusted advisor to leadership.
• Collaborate with regional stakeholders to align local plans with global priorities.
• Drive workforce planning, headcount accuracy, and people analytics.
• Support and cascade global and regional organizational changes locally.
• Oversee employee relations, conflicts, grievances, and disciplinary matters.
• Lead union and works council relations and ensure legal compliance.
• Support talent acquisition and participate in salary review and merit cycles.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Analytical mindset

HR data analytics

Change management

Communication

Influencing

Relationship building

Multicultural environments

Spanish language

English language

Education

University degree in HR / Business / Psychology

Job description

Symrise is a global supplier of fragrances and flavors, cosmetic active ingredients, as well as functional ingredients. Its customers include manufacturers of perfumes, cosmetics, food and beverages, the pharmaceutical industry, and producers of nutritional supplements and pet food.

The Group, headquartered in Holzminden, Germany, operates in more than 100 locations across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Asia, the United States, and Latin America.

Together with its customers, Symrise develops new ideas and market-ready concepts for products that are an essential part of everyday life. Economic success and corporate responsibility are inextricably linked.

Your Role

As the local HR reference, this role supports a positive employee experience, healthy social climate, and successful organizational change. Working closely with HR Operations and Centers of Expertise (CoEs), the HRBP ensures consistent, efficient HR processes and acts as a key link between HR strategy and local business needs.

• Scope & Stakeholder Management

HR responsibility for ~200 employees across 4 locations (Parets del Vallès, Cervera, and Barcelona offices).

HR partner for 20-35 managers; trusted advisor to the local leadership team.

Close collaboration with regional (EAME) stakeholders to support business strategy.

• Strategic HR & Workforce Management

Contribute to local HR strategy in alignment with regional and global priorities.

Drive local workforce planning, headcount accuracy, and people analytics.

Support and cascade global and regional organizational changes locally.

• Employee Relations & Social Climate

Manage employee relations topics, including conflicts, grievances, and disciplinary matters.

Lead day-to-day union and works council relations, ensuring legal compliance.

Promote health, wellbeing, and safety initiatives at site level.

• Talent, TA & Rewards

Partner with Talent Acquisition to support effective hiring strategies.

Support annual salary review, merit cycles, and compensation discussions.

About You

• University degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, or a related field.
• Experience as an HR Business Partner supporting industrial or manufacturing functions, or in a comparable HR role within a multinational or matrix organization.
• Strong knowledge of Spanish employment legislation and practical application in a business context.
• Solid experience in employee relations, works councils, and union negotiations.
• Proven ability to support organizations through change and transformation.
• Strong analytical mindset, with experience using HR data and insights to support decision‑
• Ability to build trusted relationships with managers and employees at all levels.
• Strong communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills.
• Business‑oriented and strategic mindset, with the ability to align HR initiatives with business needs.
• Resilient and calm under pressure, able to navigate complex and sensitive situations effectively.
• Comfortable working in diverse, multicultural, and international environments.
• Fluency in Spanish and English; additional languages (Catalan, French, German) are a plus.

Our Offer

At Symrise, you will have the opportunity to grow professionally and enjoy inspiring experiences that contribute to the well‑being of millions of people across more than 160 countries.

People are at the center of everything we do. This approach drives our above‑market growth and makes our company an exceptional place to develop your career.

Committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

At Symrise, we value diversity in all its forms. We believe in equality, respect and inclusion as fundamental pillars of our culture. We welcome individuals of all backgrounds, genders, ages and beliefs, convinced that diversity fuels innovation.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non‑disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.