Strategic HR Business Partner - Europe (m/f/d)

ZwickRoell GmbH & Co.; Worcester; Hybrid; GBP 61,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An international company in materials testing is seeking a Strategic HR Business Partner to lead HR initiatives across Europe, particularly in the UK, Spain, and France. The role involves advising management on strategic projects, coordinating talent management, and implementing HR digitalization. The ideal candidate has a degree in HR or business, 5+ years of relevant experience, and is comfortable with international travel. A hands-on mentality and strong communication skills in English are required, while knowledge of additional languages is a plus.

Benefits

Attractive compensation

Numerous social benefits

Flexible working hours

Qualifications

• You have at least 5 years of experience in HR, ideally in the engineering sector.
• International travel of 20-40% is expected.
• Knowledge of Spanish or French would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Advise on strategic HR projects across Europe.
• Coordinate talent management with analytics.
• Deliver training and development plans.
• Advance HR digitalization and optimize HCM systems.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Project management

Extroverted personality

Cultural awareness

Professional English (C1/C2)

Knowledge of French, Spanish, or German

Education

Degree in human resources or related field

Additional certifications in HR or leadership development

Job description

Lead the European HR agenda at ZwickRoell. At ZwickRoell, you’ll take on challenging, innovative work in a modern, family-owned company. Our solutions push materials and components to their limits, delivering reliable test results for our customers. The ZwickRoell Group is the global leader in materials testing systems, with around 1,800 employees and annual revenue of €310 million. Leading companies across industries worldwide trust high‑tech testing solutions from Ulm.

About the Role

As a Strategic HR Business Partner – Europe you will partner with management and HR to drive the group HR agenda across Spain, France and the UK and strengthen strategic HR initiatives across the region. You will partner with senior leaders and local HR teams to ensure group‑wide standards and processes, while initiating and driving projects in retention, recruiting, employer branding, leadership development, succession planning, digitalization, and talent management.

Your tasks

• Advise and support management and HR on strategic and corporate projects across our subsidiaries in the UK, France, Spain and other European partners.
• Coordinate talent management and advance strategic personnel planning with analytics, benchmarking, and survey insights.
• Deliver training and development plans; support proactive recruiting and onboarding.
• Initiate employer branding with unified messaging and regional campaigns.
• Advance HR digitalization; implement/optimize HCM systems.
• Shape culture and design retention and engagement initiatives.
• Ensure internationally harmonized processes, policies and communication.
• Team up with our global HR network and benefit from shared expertise.

Your profile

• You have a degree in human resources, business administration, psychology or a related field; additional certifications in HR or leadership development are a plus.
• 5+ years of experience, ideally in an internationally operating mechanical engineering company.
• Strong skills in strategic thinking and project management, with a hands‑on mentality.
• You have an extroverted and independent personality – comfortable taking the driver’s seat: You contact and consult managers actively, lead projects and take on responsibility.
• International experience and mindset, general cultural awareness and cultural knowledge of UK, France & Spain is beneficial.
• Travel 20-40% across Europe; occasional multi‑week trips.
• Professional in written and spoken English (C1/C2), additional knowledge of French, Spanish or German would be an advantage.
• Ideally located close to Ulm (GER), Worcester (UK), Metz (FR) or Barcelona (ES). If needed, a hybrid solution could be discussed individually.

What we offer

Choose ZwickRoell! This is how you gain real added value – whether through fair, transparent, and attractive compensation, numerous social benefits, or a modern and secure workplace.

• We offer astrategic role with high visibility and impact across Europe.
• The opportunity to shape HR initiatives in a dynamic, international environment.
• Collaborative culture with strong values and entrepreneurial spirit.
• State‑of‑the‑art infrastructure, a positive working atmosphere, and an ambitious, professional team provide the ideal environment for you to feel comfortable.
• Even after onboarding, you will have access to numerous training and development opportunities.
• Flexible working hours and a family‑friendly HR policy enable you to balance your career, family, and personal life.
• Depending on the location, we offer several additional benefits such as a discounted company restaurant, extra vacation days, contributions to pension plans, travel cost subsidies, health courses, and medical check‑ups at ZwickRoell.

Interested?

We look forward to receiving your application! For reasons of readability, we refrain from gender‑specific differentiation. All genders are always intended.