Manager, Human Resources (UK & Northern Europe)

Reporting to the Director, HR (Europe), the Manager, Human Resources (UK & Northern Europe), based out of Cambridge, UK provides on-going HR support, and overall coordination and successful delivery of STEMCELL’s HR programs (designed by the global Centres of Excellence) within the assigned countries, currently including United Kingdom, Sweden and Ireland.

The core HR practice areas for service delivery encompasses all people activities within and across the assigned European countries, including organizational development, workforce planning, employee training and leadership development, performance management, compensation and benefits, disability management, employee relations issues (both proactive and reactive), conflict resolution in accordance with the established HR strategies, programs, policies, processes and practices.

The HR Manager represents the needs of the regional leaders they are partnered with, within the HR team as a whole. Working in collaboration and close partnership with the HR functional and divisional/regional leaders and teams, this role takes the lead in delivering and embedding a broad range of Corporate HR programs and services in Europe. In a context of rapid business growth, they proactively support the assigned business groups by understanding their current and future business needs and providing a global perspective.

In its first year, this role will also have a key compliance focus, working closely with the rest of the HR Europe team and HR Operations team, to build, maintain and continually improve business processes and policies in Europe that answer local needs and legal requirements while being aligned with our global practices.
Job Description
Duties and Responsibilities

Serve as a lead in providing front-line HR consultation, counsel and coaching to senior management, people managers and employees in all HR practice areas, including legal compliance and employment standards.

Take the lead in building, maintaining and continually improving business processes and policies in Europe that answer local needs while being aligned with our global policies and processes.

Responsible for ensuring that all HR transactional activities for the assigned countries are achieved with a high level of customer service, quality and accuracy.

Lead by example in demonstrating STEMCELL’s values of innovation, quality, responsiveness, integrity and collaboration.

Manage and maintain positive employee relations with a strong corporate culture focus by understanding the work environment, driving employee engagement, satisfaction and motivation, in addition to addressing / resolving all employee issues or concerns expeditiously.

Within a matrix organizational structure, work in close partnership with the HR functional and divisional leaders and teams to effectively respond to the short-term and long-term organizational needs in the areas of headcount planning, Performance Management, Talent Management, Leadership Development and HR Operations.

Plan, organize, coordinate, and implement all Corporate HR programs, policies, processes and procedures by guiding and supporting senior management, people managers and employees.

Identify internal and external employment issues, skills gaps, and market trends that may impact the business group(s) by recommending opportunities for improvement of the identified areas, and leading the change management activities.

Where required, provide local HR subject matter expertise in the areas of local legislation and practices to the HR Operations team, to support the development of correspondence, policies and other related local requirements to ensure compliance with local laws, aligned with STEMCELL’s global practices.

Support the development of job profiles and career paths for the assigned business group(s), including job analysis, job design and job evaluation. Contribute to oversight of our employee compensation plans to meet and compete against market standards.

In a context of rapid business growth, conduct needs / gap assessments by analyzing and reporting on HR metrics through data retrieval from the HRIS systems and measuring results of the HR programs and initiatives, including retention and engagement. Recommend improvements (introducing, redefining and updating) to address gaps to the HR programs, processes and service levels.

Proactively identify and analyze the organizational structures (services, processes, resources and tools), people capabilities, and change initiatives that are required.

Manage candidates and employees immigration and relocation activities.

Directly or indirectly, develop HR professionals to support the assigned business group(s).

May manage HR generalists in transactional activities depending upon the size, scope and regional complexity of the assigned portfolio.

Partners with Finance and local payroll providers to ensure accurate Payroll processing.

Perform special projects and other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Law Sciences, Human Resources Management or related field. A CIPD qualification, MBA or other related Master’s degree would be preferred.

Minimum 10+ years of relevant and progressive HR experience as an HR Business Partner, Senior HR Advisor or HR Manager

Previous HR management experience in the UK required. Proficiency in understanding and applying UK employment related laws, standards and regulations. Additional HR experience with other European countries would be an asset.

Strong experience creating, maintaining and continually improving business processes and policies required.

Good track-record working effectively within an international organization, including project collaboration with teams based in other countries.

Proven ability to deliver results of high quality and demonstrated experience working in a highly responsive environment. Excellent attention to detail.

Demonstrated experience in building strong relationships, including interfacing and communicating effectively with employees at all levels across the organization.

Strong ability to facilitate, influence and negotiate in order to resolve conflict and achieve desired outcomes.

Highly adept in dealing with sensitive and confidential HR issues with tact and discretion.

Broad perspective on general business, with a working understanding of financial matters.

Comprehensive knowledge of employment related laws, standards and regulations.

Proven ability to analyze problems, identify key information and issues, interpret data and determine implications, provide recommendations and effectively resolve.

Excellent judgment, critical thinking and evaluation, analytical and problem-solving skills are essential.

Highly flexible, good tolerance for ambiguity and time-driven deadlines and able to quickly adapt to changing priorities.

Proficient ability to plan, organize, prioritize time and workload to deliver on goals, deadlines and transactional tasks. Passionate about meeting or exceeding performance goals and expectations.

Mastery of English required. Fluency in additional European languages such as German or French, is an asset.

Excellent communication skills (verbal, written, and presentation) coupled with strong interpersonal skills both in one-on-one and in group settings.

Proficient knowledge of HRIS systems (e.g. WorkDay), Google Products and MS Office Suite.

Team orientated –‘one-team’ behavior is a must.

Key Competencies

Business Acumen

Communication

Consultation

Critical Evaluation

Global & Cultural Awareness

HR Expertise

Employment Law & Compliance

Leadership & Navigation

Relationship Management

Ethical Practice

STEMCELL Technologies Inc. is a privately-owned biotechnology company based in Vancouver that helps power leading-edge life science research around the world. Scientists performing stem cell, immunology, cancer, regenerative medicine and cellular therapy research are among those who rely on our cell culture media, cell separation products, instruments, ancillary reagents and contract assay services. We create novel, useful, standardized products of unfailing quality and deliver them to more than 70 countries via our many regional offices plus distribution centres in Vancouver, Seattle, Grenoble and Singapore. Driven by our love of science and our passion for quality, we see ourselves simply as “Scientists Helping Scientists” – standing by our customers to provide outstanding products, technical support and training. We have over 1000 science-oriented employees globally, including 250 PhDs/MScs, with most others holding a BSc or engineering degree. STEMCELL is proud to be the largest Biotechnology employer in Canada.

This is an opportunity to work with highly motivated colleagues in a science-oriented, creative and dynamic environment. We offer a competitive salary, excellent benefits and significant career development opportunities.