Who we are:
Founded in Japan in 1887, Kao is passionate about making a difference in people’s lives with our high quality products and services to create a Kirei Life for all – a beautiful life that respects the needs of our consumers and customers as well as the planet. We never compromise on quality and craft our products with care for the consumer and the environment. As a company driven by purpose and strong corporate values we pride ourselves to be listed among the World´s Most Ethical Companies since 16 consecutive years. Our corporate philosophy, the Kao Way, guides us in everything we do – acting with integrity, courageously driving innovation and treating each other with trust and respect.

The role:

This role will be the primary HR contact and operational support for 160 employees in our Research & Development function based in Germany but also provide support for Function and Sector employees in other parts of the business. The role reports to the Associate Director Functions based in the Netherlands.

You will:

Build strong relationship with business leaders and team members and act as sounding board, coach and advisor on all people issues
Drive operational excellence and execution
Be an advocate for digitalizing, smart working, life/work balance and well-being
Engage with your HR peers and our Centres of Excellence in a collaborative way to ensure holistic and timely results
Manage headcount cost planning for your sector in partnership with the FP&A team
Be a DE&I champion supporting the roll-out of our DE&I EMEA roadmap in your client group

We are looking for an emerging HR Business Partner who is keen to progress but also still hands-on with strong operational execution skills.

This is a full-time, fixed-term position (maternity cover until 31 December 2026) in our Darmstadt office. We are operating a hybrid working model with the opportunity to balance remote and in office work.

What you will do:

Pro-active, collaborative and pragmatic HR Business Partner: Responsible for the delivery of the wider HR strategy. Will be responsible for assisting in developing the strategy in close alignment with business leaders.
Handling of all operational tasks concerning the full employee life cycle,eg advising employees on all matters around performance, training needs, key life events etc and processing relevant data in Workday and various employee databases.
Accountable and Responsible for organizational restructures from discussing the proposal with business leaders through to execution, using employment legislation and best practice knowledge and business history. Offer advice and guidance with leadership team and other relevant managers where appropriate and ensuring all changes are completed within the agreed time frame.
Co-ordinating key activities including the annual pay review and bonus with full accountability for the accuracy of data. Building comprehensive knowledge of the pay, grade and benefits structure, advising and influencing on increases and producing persuasive salary and bonus proposals. Driving, managing and co-ordinating Reward and Recognition.
Analyze and provide recommendation to the business from HCD Metrics including headcount, turnover etc... Develop action plans to address areas of concern. Oversee headcount reporting for accuracy. Data auditing with 95% + data accuracy. Learn and develop knowledge cross-functionally to support fellow HRBPs. Contributing to cross sector / function projects supporting company's strategic HR plan.
Identify development /skills / competency needs within the organisation. Manage career development, succession planning and talent management needs in partnership with line management. With line manager, identify skills shortages and where there is need to improve. Drive Workforce Planning and Performance Management practices in function(s) in partnership with FP&A and our Centres of Excellence.
First point of contact for employees on all employee experience-related issues. Provide a professional, efficient and value adding HR service to internal customers in accordance with the Kao Way and legislation.

What you will need:

Degree in personnel management, employment law, psychology, business studies or similar qualification (ie „Personalfachwirt“) and at least 3+ years work experience as an HR Business Partner in Germany
Several Years acting as a commercial Business Partner in Human Resources
Experience in partnering with leaders and advising on human resources issues
Sound practical knowledge of labour law in Germany, ideally with some basic experience working with a Works Council
A genuine passion to act as a business partner and a hands-on operational approach
A good sense of humour
Fluent spoken and written German with a good command of English which is our main business language. Other languages (eg Dutch) beneficial but not essential.
Sound knowledge of German employment legislation in a company with Works Council representation
Curiosity and drive to challenge the status quo and help us simplify and digitalize processes
Energy and patience to impact positive cultural change
Ability to positively engage with stakeholders, peers and team members across multiple cultures and age groups
A clear focus on meeting deadlines and driving objectives and key results
Ability to influence, coach and mentor
Strong organizational skills and high accuracy with numbers
Sound digital skills (i.e. MS Teams, Microsoft Office 365, Workday)
An interest in working in a friendly and supportive multi-national HR team partnering closely with local and international HR Business Partners and Centres of Excellence
Self-motivation, a business and growth mind-set and influencing skills with an analytical and organized approach
Entrepreneurial, proactive, and comfortable working in a fast-paced, performance-driven environment
Fluent in English and German
Ideally some experience working in an international environment
Resilience and a hands-on approach

How we work: Having been selected among the World´s Most Ethical Companies for 19 consecutive years, we are a company with a purpose and strong corporate values. We never compromise on quality and craft our products with care for the consumer and the environment. At Kao, each employee can actively shape their job and their career. We work collaboratively to achieve our common goals, always aiming to deliver the best for our customers.
What we offer: A friendly and flexible work environment with competitive salaries, benefits package, ongoing development and the opportunity to enhance your skills and deliver tangible results. At Kao your voice will be heard. Your opinion really counts. We believe that change comes from taking opportunities into your own hands, so we value and reward entrepreneurial thinking and innovation.
Hiring Process: Kao embraces the diversity and the individual personalities of its people because we believe it is diversity that makes us strong. This is why we welcome applications from all areas of the global community.
Want to learn more: If you feel you are as unique as our products and want to find out why 33,000 people across the globe opted for a career with us please visit https://www.kao.com/emea/en/

HR Business Partner (m/w/d)