Senior Director, Brand Management EMEA
New Today
Reports to: VP of HR, EMEA, APAC, and Technical Functions, with a dotted line to Global Chief People Officer
Wella Company is one of the world's leading beauty companies, comprised of a family of iconic brands such as Wella Professionals, Clairol, OPI, Nioxin and ghd. With 6,000 employees globally, presence in over 100 countries, Wella Company and its brands enable consumers to look, feel, and be their true selves. As innovators in the hair and nail industry, Wella Company empowers its people to delight consumers, inspire beauty professionals, engage communities, and deliver sustainable growth to its stakeholders.
Wella is committed to building a modern, strategic employee and labor relations function that fosters trust, ensures compliance, and reinforces our commitment to being a great place to work. This senior HR leader will play a dual role: leading our engagement with the newly formed European Works Council (EWC) and shaping an employee relations (ER) strategy that reflects Wella's values and supports our people through transformation and growth.
It will also work in partnership with other HR team members to coordinate with local country-level works councils across the EU.
This senior HR leader will also work closely with Wella's Employment Legal team to ensure compliance with applicable labour laws and support constructive dialogue between Wella and its employee representatives. They will also oversee all aspects of employee relations across Europe, including investigations, grievances, policy development, and case resolution. This is a high-impact opportunity to influence how Wella engages with its people across borders-strengthening our employee experience while enabling agile, people-centered business outcomes.
Ensure EWC Compliance & Governance: Serve as the key point of accountability for compliance with EU Directive 2009/38/ECMaintain the EWC agreement, monitor regulatory developments, and partner with Wella's Employment Legal team to manage obligations, mitigate risks, and ensure no consultation duties are missed.
Coordinate Across Countries & Functions: Collaborate with HR and business leaders across Europe to ensure accurate, timely information sharing and alignment with EWC requirements and transnational matters such as reorganization, digital transformation, or cross-border initiatives.
Act as Liaison with the broader European employee representation structure, including coaching local teams on consultation execution, follow-up actions, and employee communications.
Advise senior management on the employee relations landscape and labor sensitivities, risks, obligations, and strategies related to employee representation across Europe.
Contribute to labour relations planning for M&A, business transformations, or operational shifts.
Proactively embed EWC and employee voice into strategic planning, and advocate for business and HR priorities to foster alignment, support, and engagement.
Policy Leadership & ER Strategy: Develop and implement a clear, consistent employee relations strategy and labor engagement policies aligned with Wella's values and global standards. Oversee complex ER matters-such as investigations, grievances, and policy escalations-ensuring compliance, fairness, and business continuity
Coordinate annual in-person and online meetings with EWC members, consultations, and communications with the EWC.
Monitor trends in European labour law and industrial relations.
Manage ER Investigations & Team Leadership: Lead and develop employee relations professionals, ensuring investigations and case management are conducted with integrity, consistency, and alignment to Wella's values and policies.
Collaboration & Training:
Work cross-functionally with Employment Legal, HR, and Operations teams to collaborate to ensure policy alignment and legal compliance.
Provide training and support to local HR teams on effective council engagement and compliance.
Deliver training for leaders and employee reps to build capability, mutual understanding, and high-quality dialogue.
External & Union Stakeholder Management: Engage with union representatives and industry peers to stay informed on labor dynamics. Executive Reporting & Continuous Improvement: Regularly update executive leadership on EWC activities, risks, and outcomes. Identify opportunities for improvement and innovation in employee and labor relations to reinforce Wella's reputation as a great place to work.
10+ years in labour/employee relations within a multinational environment, with deep expertise in European labor relations and experience working with EWC's, (including experience with a newly set up EWC), works councils or unions across multiple countries.
~ Skilled at developing strategy and building trust with employee reps and senior leaders; Strong business acumen and ability to align employee relations strategy with broader organizational goals.
~ Willingness to travel within Europe.
Fluency in English (required); additional European languages, especially German and French (both written and spoken), are a plus.
Bachelor's or Master's in Human Resources, Labor Law, Industrial Relations, or related field.
A background in conflict resolution or mediation training is a plus
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- Location:
- London
- Job Type:
- FullTime
