The posting
Our partner is a leading manufacturing organization with a significant presence in the energy infrastructure sector and a large-scale production operation in Greece. The organization is looking to appoint a Senior Plant HR Manager who will assume overall responsibility for the delivery of the HR agenda at one of its major manufacturing facilities, supporting a workforce across blue-collar, white-collar and managerial populations. Reporting to the HR Director, the successful candidate will act as the primary HR Business Partner to the Plant Director and the plant leadership team, ensuring that people strategy, organizational priorities and day-to-day HR operations are effectively aligned with business and production requirements.
This is a senior, highly visible and hands-on HR leadership position. It requires someone who can combine strategic thinking and sound business judgement with a strong presence on the shop floor, direct engagement with employees and managers, and the ability to navigate complex employee and labor relations matters.
The role will lead the plant HR team and work closely with central HR functions and Centers of Excellence to ensure consistent implementation of HR policies, processes and initiatives, while addressing the specific workforce needs and operational realities of the plant. The successful candidate will play a key role in strengthening organizational effectiveness, leadership capability, employee engagement and workforce stability within a large and demanding industrial environment.
Key Responsibilities
- HR Leadership & Business Partnering: Act as a trusted advisor to the Plant Director and plant leadership team, providing HR guidance, evidence-based recommendations and constructive challenge on organizational and people-related decisions.
- Plant Presence & Employee Relations: Maintain a visible and regular presence across production areas and shifts, engaging directly with employees, supervisors, managers and employee representatives to identify and address workforce issues.
- Workforce Planning & Organization: Lead workforce planning in collaboration with Plant Management, Production, Finance and central HR, ensuring that headcount, capabilities and organizational structures support current production requirements and long-term business priorities.
- Employee & Labor Relations: Manage employee relations at plant level, serving as the primary day-to-day HR contact for unions and employee representatives. Ensure fair, consistent and legally compliant handling of grievances, disciplinary matters and employment decisions.
- Collective Consultations: Support the HR Director and other authorized stakeholders in collective consultations and negotiations, identifying and escalating significant employee-relations, legal or business risks.
- Talent Acquisition & Development: Oversee recruitment across production, technical, engineering, office and managerial positions. Coordinate talent reviews, succession planning, leadership development and capability-building initiatives.
- Performance & Organizational Culture: Drive the implementation of performance management processes and employee engagement initiatives. Work with plant management to improve leadership effectiveness, retention, employee experience and workplace culture.
- HR Analytics & Workforce Reporting: Monitor key workforce indicators, including headcount, absenteeism, turnover, recruitment, overtime and other relevant HR metrics. Translate data and operational insights into recommendations and corrective actions.
- Compensation & HR Programs: Ensure the effective implementation of approved compensation, benefits and other HR programmes at plant level, working in coordination with central HR functions.
- HR Operations & Compliance: Ensure the effective delivery of core HR services, including onboarding, offboarding, employment documentation, employee communication and HR administration. Maintain compliance with Greek labor and social security legislation, working-time requirements, ERGANI obligations and internal policies.
- HR Systems & Data Management: Ensure the accuracy and integrity of employee information and HR reporting through SuccessFactors and other relevant HR systems.
- Team Leadership & Development: Lead, coach and develop the plant HR team, establishing clear responsibilities, accountability and a service-oriented approach to HR delivery.
- Budget & Governance: Manage the plant HR budget within approved limits and delegated authority, ensuring alignment with corporate HR policies and governance requirements.
- Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with the HR Director, Group HR Centers of Excellence and relevant business functions to ensure effective coordination and consistent application of HR practices across the organization.
The Impact
The successful candidate will help strengthen the connection between HR and industrial operations, ensuring that people management is not simply an administrative function but an integral part of plant performance and business effectiveness.
Success will be reflected in measurable improvements in:
- Workforce planning and organizational effectiveness.
- Employee engagement, retention and workforce stability.
- Employee and labor relations.
- Leadership effectiveness and people management capability.
- Recruitment effectiveness and availability of critical skills.
- Absenteeism, overtime and other key workforce indicators.
- Compliance, HR process quality and employee data accuracy.
- HR team effectiveness and service delivery.
- Alignment between workforce capabilities and production requirements.
Requirements
What We Are Looking For
A senior HR professional with substantial experience in Human Resources Management / HR Business Partnering within an industrial or manufacturing environment, ideally supporting a large blue-collar workforce and shift-based production operations. The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of the operational realities of a manufacturing facility and proven experience partnering with senior operational leaders, managing complex employee relations matters and leading an HR team.
We are particularly interested in professionals who combine strategic HR capabilities with a practical, hands-on approach and are comfortable being regularly present in the plant, interacting with employees at all organizational levels and addressing people-related challenges directly.
The successful candidate should have:
- A university degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Economics, Law or a related field. A postgraduate qualification in HR or Business Administration will be considered an advantage.
- At least 8 years of progressive HR experience, including substantial experience in an HR Business Partner or HR Management position.
- Strong experience in an industrial or manufacturing environment, preferably within a large organization with a significant blue-collar and shift-based workforce.
- Proven experience in employee relations, labor relations, workforce planning, organizational development and change management.
- Demonstrated experience leading an HR team and partnering with Plant Directors, Operations Directors or other senior business leaders.
- Strong knowledge of Greek labor and social security legislation, working-time regulations and ERGANI requirements.
- Experience in recruitment, performance management, talent development, succession planning and the implementation of compensation and benefits programmes.
- Familiarity with corporate HR frameworks, shared services and collaboration with central HR functions or Centers of Excellence.
- Experience with HR information systems, preferably SAP SuccessFactors, as well as HR analytics, reporting and compliance processes.
- Excellent command of Greek and English.
- Strong Microsoft Office skills.
Core Competences
- Strategic HR Business Partnering: Understands business and operational priorities and translates them into effective people strategies and HR solutions.
- Industrial & Employee Relations: Has the judgement, communication skills and negotiation capability to manage complex workforce matters in a manufacturing environment.
- Visible & Hands-on Leadership: Builds trust and credibility through regular plant presence, accessibility and consistent follow-through.
- Business Acumen: Understands the relationship between workforce decisions, productivity, operational performance and business objectives.
- Organizational & Workforce Planning: Can anticipate workforce needs, assess organizational structures and align capabilities with production requirements.
- Leadership & People Development: Develops managers, strengthens leadership capability and builds an accountable and effective HR team.
- Analytical Thinking: Uses HR data and workforce indicators to identify trends, understand underlying issues and support sound business decisions.
- Stakeholder Management: Influences senior management while maintaining constructive relationships with employees, unions, employee representatives and central HR functions.
- Integrity & Resilience: Demonstrates discretion, fairness, independence of judgement and composure when handling sensitive or challenging employee matters.
- Communication: Communicates effectively and credibly with employees and stakeholders at all organizational levels, in both Greek and English.
Benefits
- Monthly gross salary: €4,500–€5,200, depending on candidate's experience and qualifications.
- Annual target bonus (ranging from 11% up to 28% of annual gross salary, based on candidate's experience), linked to company performance and the achievement of individual objectives.
- Meal vouchers / gift vouchers of up to €1,200 annually, paid monthly.
- Private life and medical insurance coverage.
- Company car or car allowance, according to company policy.
- Coverage of business travel expenses in accordance with company policy.
- Participation in the company's savings / pension programme.
- Additional benefits associated with the company's employment and reward policies.
