HR Business Partner

Job Description

Our company is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines and animal health products. The difference between potential and achievement lies in the spark that fuels innovation and inventiveness; this is the space where our company has codified its 130-year legacy. Our success is backed by ethical integrity, forward momentum, and an inspiring mission to achieve new milestones in global healthcare.

We know that our people are the key to our success, which is why our Human Resources team works to attract, develop, retain and inspire our people so that they can learn, grow and make a true impact on the world. Together we collaborate to create a culturally rich, diverse organization ensuring we remain innovative and agile.

We are looking to welcome you as a HR Business Partner (m/f/d) to join our team in Burgwedel (near Hannover) on a permanent and fulltime basis.

We are bound by collective bargaining agreements and work together with our works council on a basis of trust, which is why sound knowledge of labor law, including collective bargaining law and works constitution law, is very important. The client group will include senior line leaders (Senior/Executive Director levels) and their teams within Manufacturing Team.

You will also need to quickly foster partnerships across the HR community, for example with Centers of Expertise (e.g. Compensation & Benefits, Talent Acquisition) in order to address client requirements and manage client expectations regarding HR service delivery.

Responsibilities:

• Supporting key stakeholders in implementing the strategic direction of the organization, considering the relevant KPIs

• Provide effective strategic and day to day HR support for clients focused on variety of topics, for example, engagement & culture change, talent development, succession planning, performance management, retention, compensation/rewards, and organizational design

• Oversee strategic HR topics in close collaboration with our Centers as part of our HR Operating Mode Ensure local processes for performance management, compensation & benefits, retention, talent management and succession planning are in line with our global corporate standards

• Advising managers on labor law (individual and collective) and working in a spirit of trust with the Works Council, among others, on the development and design of modern company regulations

• Drawing up works council agreements that pay attention to a modern and competitive working environment

• Collaboration in HR- Projects

• Accompanying change processes to promote an engaged and high-performing corporate culture

Qualification:

• Adequate studies, such as business administration or related working experience

• Around 5 years' experience as an HR Business Partner in an international  matrix environment – enough seniority to operate independently and eager to grow

• A coaching-oriented HR approach, able to empower leaders

• Stakeholder management of multiple decision makers, corporate colleagues and cross-functional teams

• Deep expertise in Profound knowledge of German labor law, including confident collaboration and in working with works councils, experience with collective agreements and involvement in restructuring processes

• Stakeholder management of multiple decision makers, corporate colleagues and cross-functional teams

• Business orientation and analytical skills combined with ability to be a highly effective communicator and to influence outcomes at all levels of the business / stakeholder management

• Understanding business needs with a pragmatic and Hands-on mentality

• Well organized, able to focus on multiple issues and prioritize effectively

• Solution-oriented approach to work and ability to think outside the box

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills - fluency in German and English is required

• Willingness to travel up to 25%

• Ability to project manage multiple projects and initiatives through to successful delivery

Our Benefits:

• Flexible working hours (37.5 hours/week) and an attractive company pension scheme

• Competitive salary package: 13 monthly salaries + holiday pay + target bonus

• 30 days holiday entitlement

• Hybrid working model (up to 50 % remote)

• Internal training and promotion opportunities

• International co-operations

• Training on the job

• Contributing your own ideas to the process design

• Insights into the development of medicinal products

• Corporate benefits and free car parking

• Working across borders (20 days per year)

• Paid Parental Time Off (PPTO)

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing diverse, talented, and committed people together. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when diverse ideas come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another's thinking and approach problems collectively. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.

People with severe disabilities and their equivalents will be given preference if they are equally qualified.

Required Skills:

Animal Vaccination, Animal Vaccination, Benefits Administration, Business, Business Performance Management, Change Management, Client Management, Collective Bargaining, Compensation Strategies, Functional Expertise, Global Health, HR Best Practices, HR Initiatives, HR Service Delivery, HR Systems Implementation, Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS), Human Resource Management, Human Resource Metrics, Human Resources (HR) Software Systems, Labor and Employment Law, Learning and Development (L&D), Management Process, Organizational Performance Management, Project Management, Recruiting Processes {+ 4 more}

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

25%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

12/6/2025

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

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