HR Manager - France

INTRODUCTION

At Burberry, we believe creativity opens spaces. Our purpose is to unlock the power of imagination to push boundaries and open new possibilities for our people, our customers and our communities. This is the core belief that has guided Burberry since it was founded in 1856 and is central to how we operate as a company today.   

We aim to provide an environment for creative minds from different backgrounds to thrive, bringing a wide range of skills and experiences to everything we do. As a purposeful, values-driven brand, we are committed to being a force for good in the world as well, creating the next generation of sustainable luxury for customers, driving industry change and championing our communities. 

JOB PURPOSE

The HR Manager acts as a strategic partner to the France leadership team, aligning people strategies and initiatives with business objectives while ensuring compliance with French employment legislation and industrial relations requirements.

This role combines strategic HR business partnering with deep local expertise. The HR Manager serves as a trusted advisor to leaders, acting as an employee champion, change agent and local HR expert. The role is responsible for translating business priorities into actionable people plans that enable high performance, strengthen talent pipelines and foster an inclusive and engaging culture.

A key element of this role is managing industrial relations and maintaining constructive relationships with employee representatives, trade unions and the CSE, while ensuring Burberry's People Strategy is effectively implemented within the French market.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Partnership & Leadership

• Act as a trusted advisor to leaders across France, providing coaching and guidance on leadership effectiveness, organisational challenges and people strategy.
• Partner with business leaders to build a high-performance culture and embed Burberry's values and leadership expectations.
• Translate business objectives into actionable HR plans and initiatives.
• Use people insights, workforce analytics and business performance indicators to influence decision-making and improve organisational effectiveness.
• Promote diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that support an inclusive employee experience.

Performance & Workforce Effectiveness

• Partner with leaders to optimise organisational performance through workforce planning, organisational effectiveness and talent deployment.
• Analyse workforce trends and identify opportunities to improve productivity, retention and employee engagement.
• Support resource planning and organisational design activities to ensure structures remain fit for future business needs.
• Ensure people practices are aligned with both global standards and local market requirements.

Talent Management & Development

• Drive talent strategies to attract, retain and develop high-performing employees.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition, Learning and Development and Reward teams to deliver integrated talent solutions.
• Lead succession planning and talent review discussions across France.
• Support implementation of leadership and development programmes, ensuring strong talent pipelines for critical positions.
• Embed performance management processes including goal setting, performance reviews, calibration and development planning.

Employee Relations, Industrial Relations & Compliance

• Lead complex employee relations matters, investigations and performance management cases.
• Act as the primary HR lead for relationships with employee representatives, trade unions and the CSE.
• Lead consultation processes in line with French legal requirements, including organisational changes, restructures and business transformation projects.
• Develop and maintain effective industrial relations strategies that support business objectives while fostering constructive social dialogue.
• Ensure compliance with French employment legislation, collective agreements, internal policies and regulatory requirements.
• Manage HR-related risks and provide guidance to leaders on complex employment law matters.

Organisational Development & Change Management

• Support organisational design, restructures, workforce planning and business transformation initiatives.
• Partner with leaders to deliver change programmes effectively while maintaining employee engagement and business continuity.
• Support culture and engagement initiatives that strengthen employee experience and reinforce Burberry's values.
• Help leaders navigate ambiguity and organisational change through effective communication and stakeholder engagement.

HR Operations & Data-Driven Decision Making

• Ensure effective utilisation of the HR operating model and collaboration with HR Solutions and Centres of Excellence.
• Use HR data, employee insights and workforce metrics to identify trends and inform strategic decisions.
• Provide regular reporting and insights to leadership teams.
• Drive continuous improvement in HR processes and ways of working.

PERSONAL PROFILE

• HR Business Partnering experience within a multi-site environment.
• Strong understanding of French employment law, labour relations and CSE processes.
• Experience managing complex employee relations and industrial relations matters.
• Strong business and commercial acumen with the ability to connect people strategy to business outcomes.
• Experience supporting organisational change, transformation and workforce planning initiatives.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Ability to use data and analytics to drive decision-making.
• Experience working within luxury, retail or consumer-facing organisations is advantageous.
• Fluent French and English essential.

Burberry is an Equal Opportunities Employer and as such, treats all applications equally and recruits purely on the basis of skills and experience.