European HR Business Partner (m/w/d/kA)

KOSTAL Group is a global, family-owned German company that develops market-leading solutions for the solar and automotive industries. The company was established in 1912 and employs about 20 000 people at 47 locations in 22 countries. 

KOSTAL Group is seeking a highly experienced and strategically minded European HR Business Partner to coordinate HR efforts across our European Automotive operations. This is a high-impact regional role designed for a senior HR professional with strong business-partnering experience, deep industrial knowledge, and the capability to operate across diverse cultures and geographies.

The position plays a central role in aligning HR activities across nine countries, supporting senior leadership with data-driven insights, and establishing efficient, scalable processes from the ground up. It offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of HR within KOSTAL Automotive and is intended as a successor track for a future HR Director role. You can work from any locations within EU.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic HR Coordination as the central HR coordination point across nine countries (Spain, Ireland, Poland, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, and Morocco).
• Serve as a strategic business partner to local Managing Directors and Group leadership.
• Provide dotted-line guidance to local HR Directors, promoting cross-country alignment and collaboration.

Executive Support & Decision Enablement

• Deliver Europe+ HR insights, reporting, and workforce analytics to support executive and board-level decision-making.
• Create transparency in regional HR operations by developing dashboards, summaries, and reports for senior stakeholders.
• Support strategic workforce planning, restructuring efforts, and organizational development initiatives.

Process Development & Standardization

• Review, build and implement Europe-wide HR processes, ensuring consistency and scalability across the region.
• Drive efficiency in decentralized HR operations by identifying best practices and process optimization opportunities.
• Establish documentation, frameworks, and structures in areas lacking formalization.

Talent Development & Organizational Design

• Lead recurring and systematic processes like skills planning, succession management, and leadership development.
• Support HR capability building through knowledge sharing and peer alignment across HR teams in Europe.
• Facilitate regional workshops and internal HR events, ensuring content and logistics align with strategic objectives.

Cultural and Regional Engagement

• Foster collaboration across culturally diverse HR teams, with emphasis on Central and Eastern Europe.
• Provide support and guidance to senior stakeholders on region-specific HR considerations, labor practices, and union topics.
• Promote shared understanding between headquarters and regional leadership through structured coordination and personal engagement.

• Experience Minimum 5 years of senior HR experience in international manufacturing or automotive environments.
• Proven background in coordinating multi-country HR functions, preferably in a matrixed organization.
• Experience working at or with production plant sites is required; SSC-only profiles will not be considered.
• Familiarity with dotted-line leadership, stakeholder influence, and transformation/change programs.
• Demonstrated success in Greenfield-HR process design or restructuring initiatives.

Skills & Attributes

• Strategic and structured thinking with a hands-on, solutions-oriented approach.
• High resilience, agility, and confidence operating at board level.
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing, and cross-cultural communication skills.
• Capable of building trust and navigating complexity across multiple stakeholders and geographies.

Language & Travel Requirements

• Fluent English is mandatory
• Proficiency in German is preferred.
• Additional languages (especially Slavic or CEE languages) are a plus.
• Willingness and availability to travel across Europe up to 60–70% of the time.

Location Requirements

• Candidates must be based in Europe with unrestricted EU work and travel rights.
• Proximity to a major international airport is essential for travel feasibility.

• A strategic, visible role supporting the transformation of KOSTAL Automotive’s European HR landscape.
• Direct influence on key decisions at senior leadership and board level.
• Flexibility to operate remotely while being deeply embedded in international operations.
• A values-driven organization committed to innovation, collaboration, and operational excellence.