HR Lead Germany DePuy Synthes

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Job Description:

DePuy Synthes is recruiting for a Senior Manager, HR Germany, located in Hamburg, Germany. Johnson & Johnson announced plans to separate our Orthopedics business to establish a standalone orthopedics company, operating as DePuy Synthes. The process of the planned separation is anticipated to be completed within 18 to 24 months, subject to legal requirements, including consultation with works councils and other employee representative bodies, as may be required, regulatory approvals and other customary conditions and approvals. Should you accept this position, it is anticipated that, following conclusion of the transaction, you would be an employee of DePuy Synthes and your employment would be governed by DePuy Synthes employment processes, programs, policies, and benefit plans. In that case, details of any planned changes would be provided to you by DePuy Synthes at an appropriate time and subject to any necessary consultation processes.

Job Overview

The Senior Manager, HR Germany is the primary HR business partner for DePuy Synthes in Germany, one of the most important markets in EMEA. Reporting to the Head of HR EMEA, the role aligns people strategies with business objectives and country priorities, provides strategic HR partnership to the DePuy Synthes Germany leadership team, and drives people outcomes across organization design, talent, culture and engagement, and leadership effectiveness. The role leads and drives all local legal entity (LE) separation activities in Germany and is the primary owner of employee and labor relations for Germany, including the full scope of Works Council (Betriebsrat) and trade union engagement. This is a highly visible role with direct impact on business performance, employee experience, and the successful establishment of DePuy Synthes as a standalone company.

Key Responsibilities

Business Strategy and Organization Design

• Act as a member of the DePuy Synthes Germany leadership team and as a trusted advisor to the Managing Director and business leaders, providing strategic input on business strategy and the external competitive landscape.
• Serve as the primary HR business partner for Germany, aligning people strategies with business objectives and country priorities.
• Diagnose business needs and organizational health through data and analysis, and ensure the organization is optimally set up to deliver on the annual business plan and long-range plan, including workforce planning.
• Lead organization design efforts, including legal reviews, preparation of managers for notifications, and the development and execution of notification and exit plans in line with German labor law.
• Lead and drive all local legal entity (LE) separation activities in Germany, in full collaboration with other relevant functions.
• Support business transformation activities, including organizational changes, integration, workforce transitions, and M&A/A&D activity (e.g., due diligence, transfer of undertaking processes under Section 613a BGB – Betriebsübergang).
• Represent the Germany organization in regional HR forums, contributing insights to broader EMEA decision-making.
  

Talent Strategy and Management

• Identify and diagnose the talent needs of the business and deploy talent strategies to attract, develop, reward, and retain talent, including critical capability building.
• Own and drive talent management for Germany, aligned to the global talent calendar, including talent reviews, talent pools, and progress tracked through talent metrics (e.g., retention, movement).
• Lead succession planning for critical roles, assess pipeline strength, and develop plans to strengthen it.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition and the RPO model to source and hire talent in critical capability areas; facilitate slate and offer approval processes.
• Lead and execute all core HR processes, including workforce planning, talent management, performance management, and compensation (including year-end compensation planning), as well as the local pull-through of enterprise programs (e.g., Performance Management, Global Job Architecture), partnering with Total Rewards on non-standard offers and pay decisions.
  

Culture, Engagement and Leadership Effectiveness

• Partner with business leaders to shape culture and employee engagement strategies guided by the DS mindset.
• Drive a culture of growth, collaboration, and inclusion, and support the cultural transformation of the business as DePuy Synthes becomes a standalone company.
• Coach and advise leaders on organizational design, change management, leadership effectiveness, and employee engagement, building trusted relationships that strengthen leadership capability, team effectiveness, and leader impact.
• Coach people leaders on employee performance, underperformance, and stakeholder interactions, and develop onboarding plans for new leaders.
  

Employee and Labor Relations

• Lead and execute the full scope of in-country employee and labor relations (ER/LR) activities for the Germany organization.
• Manage the relationship with the Works Council (Betriebsrat) and Group Works Council (Gesamtbetriebsrat) in line with the Works Constitution Act (BetrVG), including information, consultation, and co-determination processes, and lead and drive negotiations with Works Councils (in particular with regards to works council agreements).
• Manage Works Council approvals and hearings for all personnel measures.
• Manage grievances, disciplinary actions, and performance management actions, and provide employee relations advisory to people leaders, including policy interpretation, terminations, and BEM (Betriebliches Eingliederungsmanagement) processes; build ER capability among people leaders.
• Lead workplace investigations in-country, and triage and escalate high-risk matters (e.g., harassment, discrimination, retaliation, senior leader cases) to the dedicated ER Investigations team, regional Labor Relations experts, and Legal, as appropriate.
• Coordinate litigations with managers, payroll, and external law firms, and partner with Legal or external counsel on changes to German employment legislation.

• Own the update of local HR policies and ensure their application in the local context, in compliance with German labor law, collective and works agreements, data privacy requirements, and internal policies.
  

HR Country Lead and Local HR Operations

• Act as HR country lead for DePuy Synthes Germany: identify local regulatory and legal requirements, assess country-specific implications of global policies and programs, and ensure execution of HR service delivery in partnership with Centers of Expertise and People Digital Solutions.
• Partner with regional and global HR teams to implement enterprise HR programs and initiatives at country level.
• Serve as HR point person for crisis management activities in-country.
• Lead and develop any local HR team members or contractors, ensuring high standards of service delivery and continuous improvement.
• Execute local operational HR activities across the employee life cycle (Document handling and signature collection; Employee life cycle certificates; Records management; Compliance/admin and communication with authorities; support HR audits; etc.)
  
  

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Law, Psychology, or a related field required.
• Master’s degree or MBA preferred bur not required.
  

Experience and Skills

Required:

• Typically 10+ years of professional experience, including a minimum of 5 years of progressive HR business partner or HR generalist experience.
• In-depth knowledge of German labor law and proven experience working with Works Councils and trade unions, including consultation, co-determination, and negotiation of works agreements, reconciliation of interests, and social plans.
• Demonstrated experience partnering with senior leaders in a complex, matrixed organization.
• Proven ability to lead change initiatives and support business transformation, including restructuring and workforce transitions.
• Hands-on experience across employee relations, talent, performance, and engagement processes.
• Strong coaching, influencing, and stakeholder management skills, with sound judgment in handling sensitive and confidential matters.

Preferred:

• Experience in a multinational and highly regulated environment (e.g., MedTech, pharmaceuticals, or healthcare).
• Prior country-level HR leadership experience.
• Experience supporting organizational separations, integrations, A&D activity, or major transformations.
• Familiarity with global HR operating models, Centers of Expertise, and shared services environments.
• People management experience.

Other:

• Languages: fluency in German and English (written and spoken) required.
• Travel: up to 25%, primarily within Germany and occasional international travel.
• Certifications: HR or labor law certifications preferred but not required.

 

Applications close: Monday 9th of November 2026.

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

The anticipated base pay range for this position is:

Benefits:

In addition to base pay, we offer the following benefits*: an annual bonus with set target (% of pay) depending on pay grade / location, where the actual amount is based on the employees’ and companies’ performance of the previous calendar year, or sales commissions. Moreover, we offer vacation days, parental leave for a minimum of 12 weeks, bereavement leave, caregiver leave, volunteer leave, well-being reimbursement, programs for financial, physical and mental health. We also offer service anniversary and recognition awards, and subject to the terms of their respective plans, employees - and in some location’s eligible dependents - can participate in several insurance plans. For more information, visit Employee benefits | Supporting well-being & career growth | Johnson & Johnson Careers.

*This is for informative purposes only. Amounts and actual benefits may vary by location and are subject to change.