Interim Head of HR Country Services Germany, Austria

Job Summary

Tetra Pak is looking for an Interim Head of HR Country Services for Germany and Austria on a 13-month fixed-term contract from mid August 2025 whilst the current incumbent will be on sabbatical leave. The position reports to the HR Country Services Leader – Europe.

As the Acting Head of Country Services for Germany and Austria, you will drive excellence in the delivery of HR services in these countries, provide strong leadership for ongoing projects and manage a team of HR representatives and Health & Safety Officers. You will work in a highly matrixed, professional and fast-paced environment.

You will be responsible for collective and individual labour relations, government liaison, local policies, local reward strategy, reporting and compliance, supporting all organisations based in Germany and Austria (about 800 employees). You will work closely with business leaders, Work Councils and different stakeholders, especially the HR Service Centre delivering core HR services.

The position may be based in Hochheim (preferred), or Limburg, Glinde (Hamburg) or Munich in Germany. Tetra Pak offers flexible (hybrid) work and both domestic and international travel may be required (up to 15%). 

What you will do

• Driving labour relations strategy in the countries and managing relations with Works Council to secure regular agreements, effective grievances handling and facilitating annual salary negotiations (in cooperation with the global and regional rewards drivers).
• Setting the local reward strategy and enabling its delivery (advise clients regarding the reward process, work with the HR Service Center to recommend pay increases for the countries and drive ongoing reward projects).
• Guaranteeing the quality and application of the benefits across the country geography.
• Acting as a link between employees and managers in case of conflicts and recommending corrective actions
• Leading the HR Country Committee, advising the Managing Director and the leadership team on all employment matters
• If needed, managing labour law related issues and government audits. Interacting with internal and external lawyers and representing the company in court.
• Managing government relations and reporting: monitoring changes in country regulations and ensuring compliance; being the main contact with local country government authorities, such as social security, Labour Office and others.
• Implementing and governing applicable local country policies. Proposing and driving a modification of employee's handbooks.
• Supporting HR Business Partners in driving Employee Engagement actions for local country policies / facilities specific issues.
• Guaranteeing legal compliance of the recruitment process in the country, and legal compliance in collaboration with the HR Service Center.
• Managing the termination process.
• Managing compliance and enforcement of local privacy laws and of Group Policies and Procedures regarding the processing of employee personal data in collaboration with the local management team and the relevant Support Functions.
• Ensuring compliance with the relevant legislation related to Occupation, Health and Safety.
• Supervising HR Representatives and the OHS Officers in the geography.

We believe you have

The successful candidate is a seasoned HR professional with at least 10 years of experience in Human Resources and at least 5 years in managing people. You possess deep expertise in labour law and have previous experience working with Compensation & Benefits in a multinational environment. You are an excellent negotiator with resilience and a focus on delivering mutually beneficial solutions. You have good business understanding, and have successfully built relationships with internal clients, colleagues, Works Councils/Unions and authorities in your current or previous work experience.  

Furthermore, you have a high level of integrity and autonomy. You are willing to take the lead, prioritise and plan competing demands. You excel at delivering tangible results despite a high level of ambiguity. Your communication skills are strong, and you are comfortable working across functions and levels. Also, you are experienced in and comfortable with handling tough discussions on both individual and organisational levels.

You are fluent in English and German, both written and spoken.