Associate Director, HR Business Partner - Manufacturing

Job Title:  HR Business Partner – Associate Director level

Location:  Verviers

Visa and relocation support is offered for the successful candidate.

The role:

We are looking for a strategic and forward-thinking Associate Director – HR Business Partner to lead the people agenda across our sites in Verviers, Strasbourg, Illkirch-Graffenstaden, and other regional locations as required. As a trusted advisor to site leadership teams, you will play a critical role in shaping HR strategy while managing complex employee relations matters, ensuring fair, consistent, and legally compliant practices in line with Belgian and French employment laws, and proactively mitigating risk.

This is a highly visible leadership opportunity, ideally suited to an experienced HR professional who thrives in a fast-paced, global-matrixed environment and is passionate about enabling organisational success through people.

This is an office‑first role. Working together in person supports close, real‑time collaboration and team alignment, enabling us to deliver our best work. You will work primarily in the office, with the flexibility to work remotely for 20% of your time (one day per week).

What you will get:

• An agile career and dynamic working culture

• An inclusive and ethical workplace

• Compensation programs that recognize high performance

• A variety of benefits dependant on role and location

• The full list of our global benefits can be also found on https://www.lonza.com/careers/benefits

The full‑time annual base pay for this position in Belgium  is expected to range between €93,750 and €131,250. Initial salary placement within this range will be determined based on role‑related factors such as experience, qualifications, and expected contribution.

What you will do:

• Act as the primary strategic HR Business Partner and trusted advisor to leadership teams in Verviers, translating business objectives into effective HR strategies, including organisational design, workforce planning, and leadership development.

• Lead and manage complex employee relations cases (investigations, conflict resolution, disciplinary actions, grievances) ensuring fair, consistent, and compliant processes under French and Belgium employment law.

• Drive talent management processes, including performance reviews, talent calibration, succession planning, and development of high-potential employees in partnership with Learning & Development.

• Ensure full compliance with French and Belgium labour laws and regulatory requirements, proactively advising leadership and mitigating legal and operational risks.

• Lead and support organisational change initiatives, including restructuring and transformation, with strong communication planning, stakeholder engagement, and change management practices.

• Partner with Global Total Rewards to implement compensation and benefits programmes, providing local market insights and advising on pay equity and incentive structures.

• Leverage HR data and analytics to identify trends, inform decision-making, and provide actionable insights to leadership on workforce and organisational effectiveness.

What we are looking for:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.

• Extensive HR Business Partnering experience, preferably within a manufacturing environment is highly desirable.

• Fluency in French and English is essential, with German considered a strong advantage.

• Experience working with trade unions and employee representative bodies is highly desirable, with the ability to build constructive relationships and effectively manage collective consultation processes.

• Strong working knowledge of Belgian and French labour laws, employment practices, and cultural nuances, with the ability to apply this expertise pragmatically in a business context.

• Proven experience supporting diverse business functions (e.g., commercial, manufacturing, or R&D) within a multi-country environment.

• Excellent communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills, with a demonstrated ability to build credibility and constructively challenge senior leaders.

About Lonza

At Lonza, our people are our greatest strength. With 30+ sites across five continents, our globally connected teams work together every day to manufacture the medicines of tomorrow. Our core values of Collaboration, Accountability, Excellence, Passion and Integrity reflect who we are and how we work together. Everyone’s ideas, big or small, have the potential to improve millions of lives, and that’s the kind of work we want you to be part of.

Innovation thrives when people from all backgrounds bring their unique perspectives to the table. At Lonza, we value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. If you’re ready to help turn our customers’ breakthrough ideas into viable therapies, we look forward to welcoming you on board.

Ready to shape the future of life sciences? Apply now.