Job Description:

Location: Aimargues (30 min from Montpellier)

Type of contract: Permanent (CDI)

Entity: Mars IS France

The Royal Canin Associate Relations (AR) Segment Lead France is responsible for leading and shaping the AR strategy in Royal Canin in France with the objective to enable and amplify an inclusive, fair and positive workplace that safeguards the company’s culture and principles. To establish an environment of collaborative relationships with the social partners of the legal entity, and to anticipate the needs at the social level of the organisation and associates.

Key responsibilities include the responsibility of the management of labour relations in RC France delegated by the General Management and build the mid and long-term social strategy for RC. This included the deployment of global, regional & local OD transformations (as part of the people strategy), in line with French labour law.

The role has a responsibility to act as the pulse of the business and identify associate and organization insights to segment leaders and to coach people leaders to create an environment of engagement and inclusivity in line with the spirit of the Mars culture. Another key responsibility includes leadership of complex AR issues, managing high risk situations and resolving them in a fair and mutual manner.   

Royal Canin France- campus site, is one of the most complex sites from a volume, level, and complexity standpoint. The role partners with the entity’s Global Management and People & Organization (P&O) Business Partners of the Head Quarter, the French market, Supply and MGS within an international environment. The role collaborates with a.o. the Site Mgt, Rewards, Legal, H&W and Ombudsman teams.

The role is people leader of a team in France (remote and on site) of 4 Associate Relations professionals who own the relationships and negotiations with Unions and Works councils on their unit perimeter.

The role leads and provides strategic AR input for Associate Relations France (x-segment team) such as AR France x-segment projects, x-segment policies and practices and union engagement strategies.

The role will have an expert level of business expertise- understanding global business as well as expert in French social/employee relations and labour regulations/law.

What are we looking for?

Minimum qualification: University degree or equivalent, preferably in Human Resources, Labor/Industrial Relations, Management, Legal

Preferred qualification: Master degree; Combination of education and experience preferred

Extensive functional HR experience in vision of social relations, understanding organisations and understanding (by experience) of managerial issues

Experience in successfully carry out negotiations with unions and IRP’s.

Ideally experience / knowledge of French labor relations

Ability to interact and develop relationships with all levels of associates, including senior management, to influence desired outcomes

Ability to rapidly mobilize and manage teams

Ability to work independently and efficiently, with minimal supervision, in a fast-paced environment

Ability to handle and maintain confidential and sensitive information

Strong communication skills, written and interpersonal

Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills

Exceptional conflict management skills

What will be your key responsibilities?

AR Leadership & Relationship management

Partner and build sustainable relationships with Leadership teams, P&O VP’s and P&O Heads, legal, H&W and other AR partners to achieve the goals aligned with the people agenda and business strategy.

Consult and provoke senior stakeholders on people insights and key industry trends related to work and workplace

Be the pulse of the business and report on associate and organization insights with use of Data

Assess employment trends and initiate progressive employment practices to support our work, workforce, and workplace

Industry Relations (Union/WC) Leadership

Establish collaborative and trustful relationships with all the social partners of the legal entity

Lead with the team the negotiations of collective agreements with the Unions and coordinates the deployment and application of the agreements in the different units of the entity.

Collaborate with the entity's Site and General Management and P&O to build the entity's (long-term) social strategy and leadership of managing change within a complex organization.

Lead the Social Coordination RC France team to expose, challenge and align/harmonize new processes, new projects or future negotiations that concern all RC units in France.

People Leadership

Leadership and Line Management of 5 functional experts and ensure performance and delivery of the AR team in RC France

Foster a high-performance team culture by bringing the Mars High Performance Collaboration (HPC) Framework to life within the RC French AR team to drive team performance and engagement.

Establish an environment that positions direct reports to drive and own solutions whilst developing a team of experts and talent succession with AR Royal Canin  and broader P&O in RC  

OD transformations and change

Provide expertise and identify the optimum methodology for the implementation of OD changes

Collaborates with P&O BP in OD projects, recommending the best deployment strategy for each project

Lead by the team, the deployment of Royal Canin organizational changes from an Associate relations perspective with minimal of noise and disturbance of the business, and execute in a fair and consistent manner

Work and Workplace issue resolution  

Ensure associate & business advocacy.

Take escalation from direct reports in complex, high risk associate relations issues to ensure consistency and provide capability building through coaching.

Ensure legal counsel is engaged as appropriate and partner with legal counsel on legal matters.

Review, recommend and approve separations, separation options and transition assistance. 

Lead and perform associate relations investigations as appropriate & ensure appropriate tracking / communication / documentation.

Build LM capability for issue avoidance

Ensure associate & business advocacy by building functional capability of line managers

Provide coaching, counselling, and training to line managers and P&O partners in areas related to employment law, performance management to build performance capabilities in the Mars way

Provide interpretation & consultation to ensure fair application

Culture Pulse & Managing future focused areas

Serve as the guardian of the Mars culture and the Five Principles, and report on the pulse of the business by associate and organization insights

Analyze Associate Relations cases and ensure root cause/broader issues are proactively addressed.

Identify associate relations trends to ensure development of training and tools that address broader AR opportunities. 

Develop and deploy simplified associate relations policies, procedures and guidelines whilst ensuring legal and regulatory compliance.

Responsible for continuous improvement to evolve the efficiency of AR service delivery 

What can you expect from Mars?

Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.

Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.

Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.

An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.

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