Manager Labour Relations – France & Belgium​/Responsable Relations Individuelles et Sociales – France

Manager, Employee & Labour Relations – France & Belgium

The Manager, Employee & Labour Relations – France & Belgium holds end-to-end responsibility for individual employee relations matters (disciplinary processes, internal investigations, terminations and litigation support), ensuring procedural rigour, high-quality documentation and legal soundness in a highly regulated environment.

The role also contributes to labour relations execution (consultation preparation, action follow-up, support to collective bargaining processes) in partnership with the labour relations leadership.

In addition, the role supports manager capability building and coordinates selected local Learning & Development activities, aligned with global/regional strategy and GEPP-related workforce initiatives, within a complex international matrix organisation.

1. Employee Relations – end-to-end case management

• Manage employee relations cases end-to-end across a broad range of complexity, including disciplinary processes, internal investigations, terminations, and litigation/pre-litigation matters
• Support the Senior Labour Relations Manager in cases involving protected employees (employee representatives) in compliance with French legal requirements
• Ensure strict procedural compliance (statutory timelines, formal requirements, documentation, traceability)
• Build robust and legally defensible case files (consistency, evidence, factual narrative)
• Act as the primary interface with internal Legal, the London-based Employee Relations Hub, and external counsel
• Coordinate, where required, interactions with external authorities

2. Internal Investigations

• Establish and manage compliant investigation frameworks (neutrality, confidentiality, prevention of retaliation)
• Conduct investigations (interviews, evidence analysis, documentation and reporting)
• Deliver clear written outcomes, support decision-making, and ensure implementation and follow-up of corrective actions

3. Contribution to risk assessment

• Contribute to the assessment of legal, financial and reputational risks associated with employee relations matters
• Support decision-making by structuring options, assessing associated risks, and recommending appropriate courses of action
• Contribute to ensuring sound and defensible HR decisions in collaboration with HR, the London-based Employee Relations Hub, and Legal stakeholders

4. Labour & union relations support

• Support the preparation and execution of union negotiation processes (e.g. NAO, QVCT, gender equality)
• Prepare supporting materials (analysis, presentations, data, tracking of union positions)
• Contribute to the drafting and implementation of collective agreements, including the tracking and follow-up of related commitments
• Support the preparation and coordination of Works Council (CSE) consultations and meetings, ensuring high-quality documentation, action tracking, and compliance with procedural requirements

5. Manager coaching & preventive ER approach

• Advise and coach managers on employee relations matters, ensuring fairness, consistency, appropriate documentation, and alignment with legal requirements
• Support upstream structuring of sensitive situations (e.g. performance management, risk anticipation)
• Promote a preventive approach to employee relations, reducing exposure to disputes and litigation

6. Litigation, settlements & GDPR

• Contribute to the management of litigation and pre-litigation matters, including case preparation and coordination with Legal, the Employee Relations Hub in London, and external counsel
• Participate in the negotiation of settlement agreements
• Support the management of data privacy (GDPR) matters related to employee relations cases (e.g. data access requests in a litigation context), in close partnership with the Privacy team and the DPO Office

7. Governance, legal watch & continuous improvement

• Conduct a continuous employment law watch, anticipating legal and regulatory developments and translating their impact into actionable recommendations for HR practices
• Recommend and support implementation of required updates
• Ensure consistency, quality and auditability of ER processes and documentation

8. Learning &…