Director HR Rewards

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

Rewards Partner Lead working within a fluid environment to drive the development and implementation of Reward solutions, supporting the delivery of the business and overall adidas strategy while fostering engagement with employees.

The responsibility of the Director HR Rewards combines geographical responsibility and global oversight and coordination responsibility. This encompasses:

• On a geographical basis, leading the Rewards Partnering activities for adidas HQ/Germany and Central cluster; Switzerland, Austria and Eastern Europe.
• On a global basis, leading the oversight and coordination of global Rewards initiatives for Global Functions, Corporate Functions, Global Brands and Global HR4HR

Within this scope, manage all aspects of Rewards topics (Compensation, Benefits, Cross-Border Employment and Recognition) as well as lead the implementation and communication of Rewards processes, standards, procedures, and guidelines for this Business Unit.

For adidas HQ/Germany, own the relationships on behalf of Rewards with employee representative groups for adidas AG in Germany, as well as the European Works Council. On these topics, act as the primary contact point for the Herzo Site Lead, Legal (esp. Labor Relations, Employment Law) and Corporate Communications, as well as participating in, and in some cases leading all negotiations on Rewards-related topics. Ensure end-to-end delivery and implementation, including communication and change-management of within-scope Rewards programs.

Key Responsibilities:

• Act as the primary Rewards contact point for key HR and Business stakeholders; working together with these stakeholders to create global Rewards solutions, with a focus on the employee experience.
• Develop and maintain relationships with HR SLT and executive-level Business stakeholders, providing expert support and advice, as well as challenging where necessary.
• Focus on creating connections within and between teams, as well as with internal and external stakeholders, fostering a global mindset in the implementation of global programs, standards, and policies.
• Understand and communicate local compensation and Rewards arrangements in Germany.
• From an HR Rewards perspective, own expertise on, communicate and ensure broad knowledge about collective agreement arrangements within HR community, GBS, line managers and employees in Germany.
• Present to and/or negotiate with the local employee representative groups in Germany, where required.
• Apply storytelling techniques to facilitate effective change management and achieve alignment and buy-in.
• Lead Rewards project workstreams and initiatives, extending beyond the direct team.
• Collaborate with other HR functions, as well as Finance, Tax and Labor Law & Labor Relations and Site Lead to ensure alignment and compliance of Rewards programs and processes
• Collaborate with Labor Law to ensure consideration of HR / HR Rewards input in Collective Agreement arrangements as well as ensure adidas’ adherence to Collective Agreements
• Actively engage in internal and external networks and communities to ensure active knowledge transfer, and to facilitate innovation.
• Remain abreast of existing and future trends and implications on rewards programs.
• Provide ongoing evaluation of Reward programs to ensure alignment with market and strategy.

Germany employee-representative group specific activities

• On behalf of Rewards, manage the relationships with all employee representative groups (works councils) in Germany, building positive working relationships with open dialogue
• Together with Labor Law and Labor Relations and the Herzo Site Lead, support negotiations with employee representative groups in Germany on all Rewards-related topics, from an expert perspective
• Contribute to the preparation of legal agreements (e.g. Company Agreements etc.) where required
• Prepare and deliver training/communication material & change management related to Rewards programs in Germany, with a focus on Compensation.
• Work together with Global Lead Experts for Compensation, Benefits and Cross-Border Employment (CBE), to understand upcoming programs and initiatives, and provide expert advice on Germany-specific requirements.
• Ensure compliance of Rewards programs with all regulatory requirements and collective agreements in Germany. Closely monitor the development, tracking and reporting of KPIs
• Participate in, moderate and represent in internal strategic teams composed of Labor Law & Labor Relations, Site Lead, and Talent

Key Relationships:

• HR SLT
• HR Business Partners for coverage areas
• Business Leaders
• Global Rewards Team
• Global Rewards Lead Experts
• Employee representative groups (works councils)
• Labor Law & Labor Relations
• HR Site Lead
• External networks and knowledge providers
• Global Business Services (GBS)

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Experienced Rewards and/or Compensation specialist, ideally with a proven track record in Germany
• Understanding of German labor law and principles of Collective Agreements
• Ability to adapt and react in a fluid work environment
• Experience delivering extraordinary results in complex global and matrix organisations.
• Strong leadership skills, with the ability to bring people along on the journey
• Deep understanding of Rewards products and processes, developed through experience
• Confidence with and negotiation skills towards Executive-level stakeholders
• Strong ability to collaborate and create connections
• High level of resilience
• Proven communication and story-telling ability, particularly related to Rewards topics
• Desire to constantly challenge the status quo
• Passion for identifying and delivering upon enhancement opportunities
• Strong analytical and think-through skills, with the ability to put new ideas into concepts and actionable programs, always with a focus on digitalization
• Demonstrated multi-cultural skills and global mind-set
• Constant appetite to learn and extend knowledge on a wide range of topics
• Excellent command of English (knowledge of German language would be a definite plus)
• High level of affinity to and experience with Business computing solutions, ideally including SAP-HR (experience with additional tools would be a plus)

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• 8+ years of overall work experience within HR Rewards, preferably with a focus on Compensation (required)
• Language skills: German (Fluent) & English (Fluent) (required)
• University degree or adequate education with emphasis on HR, Finance, or Law / Labor Relations
• Proven executive management influencing and negotiation skills
• Proven Project Management skills
• Experience leading direct or indirect teams
• Experience working in an international matrix organization
• Proven leadership ability

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