Associate Director, Employee Relations – Germany & Northern Europe

Fresenius Medical Care

Associate Director of Employee Relations overseeing a team in compliance with labor regulations across Germany and Northern Europe. Engaging in multi-country employee relations environments with a focus on HR policy application.

Posted 4/25/2026full-timeBad Homburg • 🇩🇪 GermanySeniorWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Leading a team of Employee Relations Advisors, providing senior-level direction, guidance, and oversight
Ensuring the team’s adherence to Compliance, Legal, Human Rights, and Labor Union requirements
Collaborative interaction with all stakeholders, meeting deliverables and all associated key performance indicator (KPI) metrics, and continuous quality improvement
Driving the strategies and plans necessary to transform the in-country ER services catalogue to one unified group to allow for the consistent and efficient application of HR policies and employee programs
Planning, directing, and supervising all activities relating to assigned in-country ER teams in multiple sites, geographies, and business lines
Investigating complaints alleging discrimination, harassment, unfair working conditions, violations of compliance, legal, and ethics policies or regulations, and issues relating to works council/union contracts
Ensuring fair and consistent application of HR policies and employee programs in accordance with Company core values and mission
Responsible for quality assurance of investigation outcomes for consistency, thoroughness, objectivity, and appropriate remedies
Maintaining and expanding knowledge and understanding of existing and proposed country regulations affecting human resource management
Responsible for the team’s interaction, engagement, and requirements with local works council/unions and may partake in or advise on negotiations as needed

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor’s Degree; Advanced Degree desirable in Employment Law, Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business Administration or similar business degrees; or an equivalent combination of education and experience
Has 10+ years of professional experience directly in the Employee Relations function of Human Resources with 7+ years of managerial experience
Management of direct reports (minimum 5 years)
Multi-country experience is needed and working in highly complex, socially conflictive country/s
Advanced knowledge of German employment law and European labor regulations, and experience managing Employee Relations or Labor Relations matters in more than one country
Experience with works councils, unions, EWC, complex negotiations, and managing collective bargaining agreements and co‑determination processes across different legal frameworks is required
Work independently and manage multiple and competing priorities in more than 1 country, while operating with a high degree of autonomy and senior‑level accountability
Has strong business acumen in addition to Human Resources skills
Exercises solid judgment in decision making on complex, high‑impact, and sensitive ER matters across countries
Resilient and can navigate challenging and difficult situations with the ability to hold crucial conversations at senior level
Able to collaborate and communicate at all levels in the organization in a clear and articulate manner, both verbal and written, with the ability to influence senior leadership across countries
Acts as a change agent to the team and with business leaders, driving transformation and shaping the ER strategy across multiple countries
Advanced knowledge of German labor law and regulations; well‑rounded understanding of all core Human Resources disciplines; and strong expertise in Works Councils, European Works Councils (EWC), unions, and complex collective negotiations in international environments
Workday, Microsoft Office suite, and case management system
Level 3 or higher in English and German in both verbal and written form
Able to travel up to 50% wherever direct reports are located and/or attend meetings where such meetings are held

Benefits

Comp & perks

Individual opportunities for self-determined career planning and professional development
A corporate culture in which there is enough room for innovative thinking - to find the best solution together, not the quickest one
A large number of committed people with a wide range of skills, talents and experience

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

Employee RelationsEmployment LawHuman ResourcesOrganizational DevelopmentBusiness AdministrationGerman employment lawEuropean labor regulationsCollective bargaining agreementsCo-determination processesNegotiation

Soft Skills

LeadershipCollaborationCommunicationJudgmentResilienceChange managementBusiness acumenDecision makingInfluencingAutonomy