HR Business Partner (m/f/d)

Job Description

Our company is a global healthcare leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal health products. Building on a strong legacy, we are driven by ethical integrity, innovation, and a clear mission to improve global health outcomes

People are at the heart of our success. Our Human Resources team plays a critical role in attracting, developing, and retaining talent while fostering a diverse, inclusive, and high-performing culture. We work collaboratively across regions and functions to ensure our organization remains agile, future-ready, and business-focused.

We are looking to welcome an HR Business Partner (m/f/d) on a permanent, full-time basis in Munich. In this role, you will act as a strategic partner to senior leaders (Senior/Executive Director level) and their leadership teams within the Commercial Organization and Support Functions.

Operating in a regulated and co-determined environment, you will provide expert HR advice across the full employee lifecycle, combining strong business acumen with deep knowledge of German labor law and works council collaboration.

Your key responsibilities

• Act as a trusted strategic advisor to senior leaders, supporting the implementation of business strategy and transformation initiatives while considering relevant KPIs and organizational priorities

• Provide both strategic and day-to-day HR support across a broad range of topics including:

  • Organizational design and workforce planning

  • Talent development, succession planning, and performance management

  • Capability building, employee engagement, and culture development

  • Retention strategies, employee relations, and compensation and rewards

• Partner closely with HR Centers of Expertise (e.g., Compensation & Benefits, Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development) to deliver integrated, high-quality HR solutions and manage stakeholder expectations regarding HR service delivery

• Ensure local implementation of global HR processes (performance management, compensation, talent management, succession planning) in line with corporate standards and local requirements

• Advise managers on individual and collective labor law matters and collaborate with the Works Council in a spirit of trust to shape modern, competitive, and compliant company agreements

• Draft, negotiate, and implement works council agreements that support a contemporary working environment and evolving business needs

• Contribute to and lead HR projects at local and cross-functional level, including change initiatives and transformation programs

• Actively accompany and support change processes to strengthen leadership effectiveness, employee engagement, and a high-performance culture.

What skills you will need

To be successful in this role, you bring the following qualifications and skills:

• Degree in business administration or a related field, or equivalent relevant professional experience

• Proven experience of at least 5 years as an HR Business Partner within a complex, preferably international organization

• Strong digital affinity and capability, with experience working with HR systems, digital platforms, and people analytics to inform decision-making

• Proven experience supporting senior leaders in commercial and/or corporate environments

• Strong knowledge of German labor law, including experience working with works councils and collective bargaining frameworks

• Experience working in matrix organizations and collaborating with international stakeholders

• Strong business orientation with analytical capabilities and the ability to translate business needs into pragmatic HR solutions

• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence at all levels of the organization

• Structured, well-organized working style with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously

• Hands-on, solution-oriented mindset with the ability to think creatively and pragmatically

• Fluency in German and English (written and spoken) is required

Our Benefits:

• Flexible working hours and hybrid working model

• Attractive compensation package (13 monthly salaries plus target cash bonus)

• Company pension scheme

• Holiday allowance

• 30 days annual leave

• Paid volunteer hours

• Digital meal vouchers

• Employee benefits

• Company bike/bike leasing

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing diverse, talented, and committed people together. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when diverse ideas come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.

People with severe disabilities and their equivalents will be given preference if they are equally qualified.

Required Skills:

Compensation and Benefits, Employee Engagement, HR Business, HR Organizational Design, Human Resource Metrics, Human Resources (HR), Labor and Employment Law, Organizational Capacity Building, People Analytics, Performance Management (PM), Project Management, Stakeholder Management, Succession Planning, Talent Management, Workforce Analytics, Works Councils

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

25%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

05/10/2026

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.