Director, EMEA People Partner

Gilead Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes innovative therapeutics in areas of unmet medical need. The company's mission is to advance the care of patients suffering from life-threatening diseases worldwide. Headquartered in Foster City, California, Gilead has operations in North, South and Central America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. Gilead makes it a priority to increase access to its medicines for people who can benefit from them, regardless of where they live or their economic status. 
 

About the Role 

Gilead HR is undergoing an exciting period of transformation. Work is underway to modernize our employee experience, streamline our existing processes, and align our service delivery on a global scale while retaining the ability to provide personalized support during the moments that matter to employees. This is an exceptional opportunity to lead and launch a new, UK-based team of People Partners supporting Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), and shape and influence how the company provides HR support at scale, while driving excellence and innovation in a tiered HR deliver model.   

This role will be based in Stockley Park, UK, and will be responsible for leading a team of co-located People Partners.  It will report to the Global People Partner Leader, who will report to the Global Head of HR Shared Services, both of whom will be based at the company’s headquarters in Foster City, California (US).   

Essential Functions 

Key Competencies: 

• Leadership: Ability to influence and advise at all levels. 

• Adaptability: Capable of navigating change and working effectively in dynamic environments. 

• Problem-Solving: Adept at identifying HR-related issues and developing solutions. 

• Collaboration: Works well across HR teams and partners 

• Empathy: Demonstrates understanding and care when working with employees. 

• Creator: Comfortable with ambiguity taking responsibility to build new ways of working 

Job Summary: 

The EMEA People Partner Leader plays a pivotal player/coach role in leading a team of EMEA People Partners while acting as a partner to the business. This role combines overseeing day-to-day for a new People Partner operations team and guiding strategic HR initiatives that support business growth and employee engagement. The Team Leader will ensure the People Partner team drives results through advanced case management, policy, and compliance support, while providing deep business insight to balance employee needs and organizational goals. This leader will mentor the team, oversee complex cases, and ensure that HR strategies are aligned with business objectives. 

Key Responsibilities 

Leadership & Team Management: 

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of People Partners, ensuring they provide effective HR support across the business. 

• Ensure the team delivers high-quality case management, employee relations, and HR advisory services, balancing consistency with flexibility based on business context. 

• Provide training and development opportunities for the People Partner team to improve skills and ensure knowledge of the latest HR trends, policies, and country specific legal requirements. 

• Manage team performance by setting clear goals, monitoring progress, and offering regular feedback. 

Knowledge & Expertise: 

• To help build and scale the EMEA People Partner organization, guide and support their team, and deliver people partner support directly, the EMEA People Partner Leader should possess knowledge and expertise in the following areas: 

Employee Relations Support: 

• Advise on, and help resolve, complex people issues, interpersonal conflicts, and concerns. Partner with, and escalate to, Employee Relations where appropriate.   

• Mediate and help resolve interpersonal conflicts and misunderstandings. 

• Conduct intake interviews with complainants and triage to the appropriate team depending on the issues raised. Independently investigate concerns that, if true, would likely result in coaching and document findings and outcomes.  For more serious issues, conduct investigations at the direction of Employee Relations and/or Legal. 

• Support, and ensure compliance with, corporate disciplinary action processes. 

• Support time and attendance issues, including long term leave situations and unscheduled absences, along with any related performance or disciplinary actions. 

• Ensure compliance with company policies, labor laws, internal rules documents where applicable and other relevant regulations. 

• Assist Employee Relations and/or Legal by providing local support for complex people issues, including but not limited, supporting Works Council activities.  

Performance Management: 

• Ability to guide managers through the performance review process, providing coaching and advice on setting goals, offering feedback, and managing underperformance. 

• Support the development and implementation of improvement goals and performance improvement plans (PIPs). 

HR Operational Collaboration: 

• Partner on organizational changes, restructuring, and mergers. 

• Help manage the human impact of change, including communication, engagement, and transition planning. 

• Collaborate with business to understand their goals and provide tailored HR strategies that support their objectives. 

• Facilitate conversations around HR metrics (e.g., turnover rates, employee satisfaction) and make recommendations for enterprise-wide improvements. 

Policy & Compliance: 

• Support efforts to update and revise HR policies in alignment with organizational culture and business needs, while remaining compliant with regulations. 

• Maintain internal rules documents up to date where and when applicable  

• Partner with Employee Relations and HR Compliance to monitor and support compliance with laws and regulations and any government mandated reporting, ensuring the organization stays ahead of legal and regulatory changes. 

• Serve as the sponsor for HR compliance matters for the business, advising on how policies can impact business operations and mitigate risk. 

Basic Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or complimentary field. 

• 10+ years of progressive HR experience, with at least 7+ years performing in a like People Partner role. 

• Required to be proficient in English.  A secondary language of Dutch, Italian, French German, Portuguese, or Spanish is a plus.   

• Experience leading a large diverse global team with experience forming new teams and developing talent 

• Strong knowledge of international HR practices, employment laws, and compliance requirements. 

• Proven experience in handling employee relations, talent management, and change management. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and problem-solving skills. 

• Ability to work strategically and operationally, leveraging intended processes but taking a hands-on approach when necessary. 

• Ability to bring insight into the team / business in a multi-cultural and multi-location environment. 

• Ability to solve novel or adaptive challenges and navigate ambiguity. 

• Ability to understand works council dynamics and related obligations. 

• Experience working with case management systems (e.g. ServiceNow) and HR analytics 

• Certifications like SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, or PHR are a plus.