Head of Department HR Partners Munich

Directorate HR Customer Interface
Principal Directorate Human Resources
EPO Munich (DE)

Part of Principal Directorate Human Resources, Directorate HR Customer Interface is staff members' first point of contact with HR. It is responsible for HR support to business units (provided by the HR partners) as well as support to all EPO employees (provided by the HR interlocutors). It is also in charge of co-ordinating HR activities in Berlin and Vienna (excluding reporting and salary).

Main duties in the role of head of department (20%)
• implementing the strategic directions defined by the Director HR Customer Interface and reflected in individual and team targets
• managing workload distribution to ensure continuity in service delivery at the agreed level of quality
• maintaining a workforce plan, including competency-based individual and team development, job rotation, horizontal task allocations and succession planning
• day-to-day management of the unit, including dealing with any performance issues and complaints in a legally compliant, efficient and professional way
• ensuring harmonisation and close co-operation with other departments, and the further development and implementation of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to achieve streamlined overall HR service delivery.

Main duties in the role of HR partner (80%)
HR partnering – strategy
• working closely with line management to understand its business needs and challenges and then translating these into individual, team and organisational HR plans
• leveraging line management needs and input across HR departments and then channelling this feedback into the further development of HR policies and processes
• engaging in social dialogue, and supporting line management in doing the same, to ensure a high level of engagement and social peace
• change management and transformation advice and support
• helping to further develop efficiency-driven performance-management frameworks and tools.

HR partnering – operations
• monitoring compliance with HR procedures and policies and reporting back to line management and/or the responsible HR departments as appropriate
• engaging in, advising on and supporting short-term workforce planning and priority setting, performance- and case-management issues, conflict resolution, health and well-being matters, and the management review process.

HR partnering – emergencies
• providing timely solutions to any emergencies, or
• activating specialised services as appropriate to resolve emergency issues.

The ideal candidate will have
• a proven track record in a similar role or at least two professional HR areas
• experience in management-related activities
• the ability to understand business objectives and to translate them into HR solutions
• experience in developing, integrating, delivering and managing fit-for-purpose HR strategies
• knowledge and experience in the development and facilitation of strategic change initiatives
• experience in assessing the efficiency of an organisation’s structure, its people and their capabilities, and advising on ways to improve organisational effectiveness
• experience in social dialogue, and in identifying needs to optimise policies and practices that foster working relationships between business management, staff and staff representatives
• an understanding of key HR expertise areas, including learning & development, impact of compensation & benefits, staff mobility, medical services, leadership, etc., to ensure effective business diagnosis and solutions
• the ability to provide a customer-focused service
• the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously while remaining result-oriented
• a desire to achieve excellence.

Minimum qualifications
Diploma of completed studies at university level or – in exceptional cases – equivalent professional experience. Excellent knowledge of one official language and ability to understand the other two.

Selection procedure
The successful candidate will be selected on the basis of qualifications and relevant experience, supplemented as appropriate by interviews, tests and/or a psychometric questionnaire.

The interviews will be held in Munich, probably in calendar week 41.

Please apply online, using the 'link' below, reference number INT/EXT/5697.
Closing date: 12 September 2014.

Click here for the application form!

As the second largest European organisation, the European Patent Office offers a competitive salary, excellent social benefits and varied work in a modern international environment.

Agency calls are not appreciated.

Keywords: HR coordinator, HR manager, Unitmanagement, Human resources, Human resource management.