HR Policy and Employee Relations Advisor

HR Policy and Employee Relations Advisor

ESO
- European Southern Observatory Garching, Munich International Mid level Speaks English, Spanish

(re-issued Vacancy - previous candidates need not reapply)

ESO is building the world's biggest eye on the sky. This role helps build the people strategy behind it. This is a genuinely blended role. ESO is looking for a person who can move between HR policy development and employee relations casework, not a policy specialist or an employee relations specialist alone. Candidates should be drawn to both areas in their HR career journey and have demonstrable, hands‑on experience.

Human Resources plays a central role in supporting ESO's strategic objectives by providing a comprehensive, high‑quality service to staff and management. This position is a great opportunity for an experienced HR professional to influence how policy and employee relations are practiced across a scientific organisation entering a period of significant change. Rather than administering an established framework, the successful candidate will help design one, working at the intersection of day‑to‑day HR advice, policy development in the framework of the recently established People Strategy, and some of the most consequential governance conversations happening inside ESO today.

You will work closely with managers, staff representatives and other HR colleagues, and you will be line manager of an HR Policy Officer, giving you scope to build not just policy, but a team.

You will:

• Manage and drive the development, review and implementation of HR policies and frameworks, ensuring alignment with organisational needs and best practices.
• Collaborate with staff representation bodies, supporting constructive social dialogue and follow‑up actions.
• Provide expert HR advice and guidance to managers and staff on policies, procedures and employment conditions.
• Actively support and, where appropriate, lead HR projects and strategic initiatives, such as:
  Organisational Development; reviews of Staff Regulations and internal policies; benchmarking of employment conditions.
• Prepare HR proposals, reports and presentations for internal governance bodies and senior management.
• Conduct research and analysis on HR trends and best practices to inform decision‑making.
• Represent HR in internal working groups and committees.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of HR processes, systems and services.

The role requires flexibility and the ability to operate across a broad range of HR topics in an evolving organisational context.

Programme Manager
- People Strategy (a role which also acts as HR Policy and Employee Relations Team Leader).

This reporting line reflects the central role that HR policy and employee relations expertise plays in delivering significant strategic objectives under the People Strategy. The postholder will be fully integrated into the broader HR function in the HR Business partnering group under the overall leadership of the Head of Human Resources.

• A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in Human Resources is required, ideally in an international or complex multi‑national organisational environment.
• Proven experience in developing, reviewing and implementing HR policies.
• Experience in Employee Relations management, including advising on and managing individual employee cases, interpreting HR policies and employment frameworks, and engaging with staff associations/unions or other staff representative bodies.
• Strong knowledge of employment frameworks, policies and HR practices (experience with staff regulations or similar frameworks is an asset).
• Ability to balance operational delivery with strategic…