HR Director 

• Role: Interim HR Director / Interim Head of HR (Plant Ramp-Up) • Location: Czech Republic (border region with Poland & Slovakia) • Industry: Industrial / Automotive manufacturing (high automation; linked lines up to ~100 machines) • Start / Duration: ~6 months, starting 04/2026 • Contract model: Consulting agreement • Reporting line: Head of HR Europe • Key interfaces: HQ HR & stakeholders, local segment leaders, production leadership, external labor-market partners • Secure a stable, controlled ramp-up of the flagship product production lines (availability, staffing, qualification, org stability) • Build scalable HR structures, roles, and processes for growth to ~1,500 employees (blue-collar focus, shift operation) • Deliver strong HR partnership to segment leaders, production managers, and shopfloor leadership • Ensure transparency, reporting, and implementation of central HR standards towards HQ • Strengthen employer attractiveness and talent pipeline in a cross-border labor market (CZ/PL/SK) • Own end-to-end HR accountability for the Czech site (potentially multiple segments/units) • Derive an HR roadmap from ramp-up and production plans (capacity, skills, shift models) • Implement/optimize E2E HR processes: • recruiting, onboarding, qualification/training • performance management • compensation & benefits • employee relations and separations • Lead workforce planning and rapid recruiting for blue-collar scale-up (incl. temporary labor and vendor steering) • Design and implement shift and deployment models to support technical availability across linked machines • Build and run qualification programs (machine operation, maintenance interface, EHS) with production and external partners • Maintain strong shopfloor presence; routine alignment with segment and production leaders and employees • Build/upgrade the local HR team setup (roles, responsibilities, operating cadence) • Define and steer HR KPIs & reporting: • turnover, time-to-fill, absenteeism, qualification status • operational stability indicators / OEE-related HR metrics • Ensure effective HR systems support (time & attendance, payroll interfaces, HR administration/HRIS) • Drive change management and communications during ramp-up and process/capacity adjustments • Manage stakeholder relations with central HR, functional HQ teams, and local labor market actors (agencies, schools, universities) • Handle employee representation / unions where applicable; support negotiations on working time, pay, restructuring topics (EU/DE context) • Must-Have Requirements • Senior HR leadership background in manufacturing (automotive/industrial preferred) • Proven responsibility for plants/sites with 800–1,000+ employees, strong blue-collar + shifts experience • Demonstrated ramp-up track record (greenfield/brownfield, rapid hiring, stabilization of org & processes) • Strong capabilities in: • workforce planning / workforce management • blue-collar recruiting & employer branding • shift models and industrial compensation frameworks • Czech labor law (with local legal support if needed) • employee relations / union engagement and negotiations • KPI-driven HR management; reporting discipline; HR-IT exposure (time/payroll/HRIS) preferred • Leadership style: credible, pragmatic, execution-driven; visible “on-the-floor” presence; resilient under pressure; able to run parallel workstreams • Language Requirements • Czech: negotiation level / near-native (mandatory) • German and/or English: very strong (mandatory) • Polish and Slovak: nice to have (Polish especially valuable for the region)