HR Leadership

Smurfit Westrock plc; Anderson (SC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Smurfit Westrock plc seeks an HR and H&S Director for the Bag-in-Box Division to lead people strategies, safety and organizational design across the Americas and Europe. The role blends strategic leadership with hands-on operations, traveling regularly to manufacturing sites.

You will partner with the Divisional CEO and site leadership to shape HR governance, performance culture, talent pipelines, and compliance across multiple countries, while staying close to manufacturing operations.

Qualifications

• Fluent in Spanish and English.
• Experience in HR and H&S in an international manufacturing setting.
• Travel readiness for regular international travel.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the Division CEO and leadership to translate business strategy into HR/H&S priorities across the Division.
• Lead the Divisional HR and H&S strategy and agenda across all countries and sites.
• Lead organization design and workforce planning to support transformation and changes.
• Drive talent and succession planning and internal mobility across the Division.
• Develop leadership capability and strengthen organizational effectiveness across sites.
• Oversee HR governance, policy controls and compliance across countries.
• Manage employee and union relations and negotiate restructurings as needed.
• Oversee compensation, benefits and annual salary reviews with regional teams.

Skills

Proactive leadership

Analytical problem-solving

Operational mindset

Cross-cultural communication

Multitasking ability

Spanish & English fluency

Job description

Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) is the go-to leader and partner of choice in sustainable packaging. We are dedicated to creating efficient and scalable paper and packaging solutions to help solve complex packaging challenges. Guided by our values of safety, loyalty, integrity and respect, we are committed to delivering meaningful value for shareholders, customers, employees and the communities where we operate.

The opportunity:

Bag-in-Box®is a sustainable choice of packaging for many industries such as wine, juice, liquid eggs, dairy and also non-food applications such as motor oil and chemicals.

Our Vitop® Original tap is the most commonly used for Bag-in-Box® wines and juices in the world for its exceptional and consistent quality - with a leak rate of less than 1 in 85 million since its launch.

The Bag-in-Box Division operates across 10 industrial locations in 9 countries, employing 1,200 colleagues across Europe and the Americas.

The HR and H&S Directoris a key strategic member of the Bag-in-Box Division Executive Committee, responsible for shaping and leading the Division’s People and Health & Safety agenda across its international manufacturing footprint, spanning Italy, France, Spain, Bulgaria, the United States, Canada, Mexico and Argentina.

Working in close partnership with the Divisional CEO, General Managers, and local HR and H&S teams, the role ensures that the organization has the leadership, capabilities, organizational structure, culture and working environment required to deliver its strategic and operational objectives and support the continued development of the business.

The position combines strategic leadership with a strong connection to day-to-day operations. It requires an experienced HR leader who is comfortable operating across different countries, cultures and employment environments, while remaining close to manufacturing operations, local leadership teams and employees.

The role requires a high degree of flexibility, adaptability and personal engagement, together with the ability and willingness to travel regularly across the Division’s

international locations.

How you will impact Smurfit Westrock:

• Partner with the Division CEO and leadership team to translate business strategy into clear people, organization and workforce priorities across the Division.
• Lead the Divisional HR and H&S strategy and agenda, ensuring HR priorities support operational, commercial and financial objectives across all countries and sites
• Lead and execute organization design and workforce planning, supporting business transformation, investments, restructuring, acquisitions, integrations and other significant organizational changes.
• Drive talent and succession planning, ensuring strong pipelines for critical leadership, operational and technical roles and supporting internal mobility across the Division.
• Strengthen leadership capability and organizational effectiveness through the identification, development and retention of talent and by supporting managers in key appointments and development decisions.
• Lead and develop the Divisional HR/H&S community, building capability, collaboration and consistency across sites while using workforce data and analytics to identify trends, risks and opportunities and support business decision-making.
• Lead employee and labor relations, providing guidance on complex employee matters, union and works council relationships, negotiations, restructurings and sensitive organizational changes
• Oversee compensation, benefits and reward practices, including annual salary reviews, incentive programs and key compensation decisions in partnership with Group and regional teams.
• Ensure strong HR governance and compliance, maintaining appropriate policies, controls and employment practices in line with local legislation and Group requirements across all countries.

What you need to succeed:

• Is proactive, action-oriented, and capable of making decisions quickly in a dynamic environment.
• Possesses strong problem-solving, analytical, and organizational skills with high attention to detail.
• Demonstrates a strong operational mindset and drives accountability and follow-up.
• Brings a hands-on leadership style and can motivate teams while building a strong performance culture.
• Takes ownership and is committed to delivering results and driving operational improvements.
• Can manage multiple priorities effectively while maintaining high operational standards.
• Communicates effectively and collaborates well across all levels of the organization and across different cultures.
• Is fluent in both Spanish and English.

Additional Information:

• Regular international travel is required, including occasional extended periods away from the home location (North America).
• Leads and coordinates an international network of approximately 15 indirect reports, comprising local HR and Health & Safety Managers based across the Division’s manufacturing site.

Candidates are required to undergo a drug screening after receiving a conditional job offer, but before starting employment.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by state or federal law.