VP, Head of Regional HR Enablement & Labor Relations

About the role

This role has been designed as ‘Hybrid’ with an expectation that you will work on average 2 days per week from an HPE office.

Job Description

• Market HR Leadership (Local HR strategy)
  • Translate and enable global HR priorities into locally executable plans aligned with business objectives, growth strategies, and transformation roadmaps.
  • Ensure compliance with local employment laws and regulations.
  • Act as a trusted strategic advisor to HR Business Leaders (HRBLs), HRBPs, and COEs.
  • Partner with and guide regional & country Managing Directors to identify and mitigate country-specific risks, trade-offs, and sequencing.
• Labor Relations Strategy
  • Develop and guide local labor relations strategies, including union and workers councils, Health and Safety Committee engagements.
  • Lead negotiations, collective bargaining, and dispute resolution efforts, coordinating with Legal, HR, and business stakeholders.
  • Collaborate with Legal on labor-related risks and strategic planning.
  • Monitor external labor market trends and advise on their implications for the business.
  • Create and maintain a country-specific HR playbook repository, providing practical guidance for effective operations in each market.
  • Coach HR teams to manage complex interactions with union and worker council representatives.
  • Ensure adherence to labor relations requirements across all jurisdictions.
• HR Integration and Execution
  • Connect global HR program design with local implementation, ensuring practicality and scalability across regions.
  • Partner with COEs to adapt programs to local needs.
  • Enable HRBPs to focus on strategic business initiatives by reducing local operational complexity.
  • Workforce Insights, Risk Management and Execution
    • Understand workforce trends, including giving insight into local attrition and labor risks unique to specific markets.
    • Provide insights and advice on workforce stability and external labor market dynamics.
    • Execute workforce plans and negotiate with local authorities regarding employment and labor policies.
    • Lead regional execution of workforce management plans, ensuring alignment with local priorities and stakeholder needs.
    • Partner with HRBPs and business leaders to provide guidance on high-risk employee relations decisions.

Qualifications & Experience

• Minimum of 12 years of progressive HR experience, with at least 3 years specifically dedicated to global employee and labor relations within large, complex organizations.
• Proven track record of leading labor relations strategies in multi-national corporations with a minimum employee base of 20,000+ globally, preferably within highly regulated industries such as technology, manufacturing, or energy.
• Demonstrated success in designing, implementing, and managing global HR operating models that unify dispersed regions into a cohesive framework, with measurable outcomes.
• Extensive hands-on experience managing labor negotiations, collective bargaining agreements, and union engagement in multiple countries with diverse labor laws and union presence.
• Deep expertise in local employment legislation, union interactions, and regulatory compliance across at least 3-5 different geographies, preferably including North America, EMEA, and APAC regions.
• Proven ability to develop and execute comprehensive labor strategies that balance legal compliance, employee engagement, and business objectives, with demonstrated success in reducing labor risks and mitigating disputes.
• Experience managing large HR budgets exceeding $10 million, including resource allocation for labor negotiations, legal compliance, and regional HR initiatives.
• Demonstrable success leading large teams (75+ HR professionals), including remote and geographically dispersed teams, fostering collaboration and accountability.
• Prior experience working within or with global enterprise organizations with 20,000+ employees, including experience in highly matrixed environments with multiple stakeholders.
• A strong understanding of AI tools, including GenAI and Agentic AI, with examples of how they have been leveraged to modernize HR processes, increase operational efficiencies, or reduce costs.
• A track record of building centralized process repositories, policies, and procedures to eliminate single points of failure, streamline operations, and ensure consistency across regions.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Law, or related field; Master’s degree or equivalent preferred.
• Professional HR certification such as SPHR, SHRM-SCP, or equivalent is preferred.