Job Description

At Warner Music Group, we’re a global collective of music makers and music lovers, tech innovators and inspired entrepreneurs, game-changing creatives and passionate team members. Here, we turn dreams into stardom and audiences into fans. We are guided by three core values that underpin everything we do across all our diverse businesses:

• Curiosity We do our best work when we’re immersing ourselves in culture and breaking through barriers. Curiosity is the driving force behind creativity and ingenuity. It fuels innovation, and innovation is the key to our future.

• Collaboration Making music and bringing it to the world is all about the power of originality amplified by teamwork. A great idea, like a great song, travels globally. We ignite passions and build connections across our diverse community of artists, songwriters, partners, and fans.

• Commitment We pursue excellence for our team and our talent. Everything in music starts with a leap into the unknown, and we’re committed to keeping the faith, acting with integrity, and delivering on our promises.

WMG is home to a wide range of artists, musicians, and songwriters that fuel our success. That is why we are committed to creating a work environment that actively values, appreciates, and respects everyone. We encourage applications from people with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences.

Consider a career at WMG and get the best of both worlds – an innovative global music company that retains the creative spirit of a nimble independent.

Head of People - Benelux

A little bit about our team:

The People team sits at the heart of Warner Music Group and is focused on attracting, retaining and developing exceptional people, enabling them to be the best they can be to drive Warner’s continued success in the marketplace. The team designs, implements and facilitates People programs around Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Learning & Development, Employee Engagement, Compensation and Benefits and People Experience and Solutions. Our team also partners with the business to support key organisational initiatives. We are passionate about what we do, always striving for better, willing to go the extra mile and happy to roll up our sleeves to support our colleagues.

In Central Europe, WMG has reorganised its recorded music structure, bringing together our team in Warner Music Germany, Austria and Switzerland with our teams in Warner Music Benelux (Netherlands and Belgium). The changes will enable our recorded music teams in these markets to align their structures, processes and strategy, taking account of market nuance but also synergies and growth opportunities, under one leader.

In our music publishing business, Warner Chappell Music (WCM), the team in WCM Benelux serves our songwriters’ ambitions across the Netherlands and Belgium. Both our recorded music and music publishing businesses are supported by central functions (Finance, People, Technology etc) to deliver maximum impact for artists on the world stage. WCM Central Europe, based in Germany, remains under separate leadership within the Group, but is supported by our people team in Hamburg and Berlin.

Your role:

Our team is evolving – we are looking for a creative, curious and commercially orientated Head of People to support our teams based in the Netherlands and Belgium. This is a generalist role, operating as a Senior People Partner and reporting to the VP, People - Central Europe who is based in Germany, travelling to Amsterdam monthly.

You will partner closely with the local leadership team for Warner Music Benelux, Warner Chappell Benelux and Spinnin Records, and help translate and deliver a people agenda aligned to Central European, EMEA and People Team priorities. In this role you will liaise with multiple stakeholders locally and internationally to achieve business goals. You will provide support on both strategic and operational matters, supporting both business as usual and transformation initiatives, informing and challenging management thinking and partnering with specialist teams. Your cultural curiosity will yield great ideas and pragmatic ways to deliver and enhance the employee experience.

You’ll be a driver of change, growth-minded and relentless in your focus to deliver on our employee value proposition and to hire, develop and retain the very best talent. You’ll have an experienced focused approach to delivering first-class service and your cultural curiosity and influence will yield great ideas and pragmatic ways to deliver our people agenda, enhance operations and demonstrate real value to the business.

Here you’ll get to:

• Provide responsive and strong business partnering, advice and support for leaders and managers, across Benelux, challenging assumptions and enhancing their decision-making

• Develop a good working relationship with leadership and management within local and global teams; understand their priorities and objectives, with action orientated service delivery

• Advise and influence stakeholders on issues related to workforce planning, organisational design, restructuring implementation and talent planning and development

• In conjunction with department heads and the VP, People - Central Europe, plan, action and deliver organisational changes in line with legislation and business needs

• Serve as the primary contact for delivery of Benelux’s key people processes, ensuring robust operational foundations are in place and accurate and timely delivery of HR services

• Develop reward strategies to harmonise and consolidate the landscape across benefits, payroll, policies, people processes etc

• Deliver cyclical business processes (year end merit and bonus, high potential talent mapping, succession planning, job mapping, performance planning etc) in line with global frameworks and timelines

• Ensure Dutch and Belgian legislative frameworks are adhered to and the business is Compliant with local requirements (eg Health and Safety)

• Deliver local talent, learning and development initiatives and interventions

• In partnership with the VP, People - Central Europe, manage the relationship with the Dutch Works Council, preparing and attending the meetings and overseeing the agreements in place.

• Manage employee relations issues both informal and formal with the business; make recommendations for the best approach, upskilling managers and solving root causes

• Navigate complex situations, environments and team dynamics

• Support business leaders in dealing with any short and long term absence issues; from advising on policy to workforce planning and re-integration of resources

• With support of your team, partner with finance to ensure accurate monthly payroll processing, budgetary control and headcount reconciliation

• Employ a data-driven approach to identify trends and inform strategic decisions.

• Experiment with AI tools and technology to automate, simplify and enhance services we provide to the business

About you:

• Relevant degree (or equivalent experience) in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.

• Extensive and progressive HR experience, ideally within a creative environment, and/or strong interest in it

• Demonstrate experience of working in a complex, rapidly changing environment that is highly matrixed and going through a period of global and local transformation

• Proven track record in a senior generalist people partnering role, building trust and credibility with senior stakeholders and international audiences

• Working knowledge of local legislative and compliance requirements, including the Dutch payroll & pension landscape

• Maintain a high tolerance of ambiguity, resilience and offer a flexible approach

• Apply critical thinking, problem-solving and analytical skills to cut through complexity

• Demonstrate a data driven approach – you are highly analytical and able to draw insight from data and use/promote technology enablement

• Excellent communication (verbal and written) and inter-personal skills in both Dutch and English

• Advocate the talent agenda and act as a culture champion

• Demonstrable experience of relevant HR disciplines/activities including, but not limited to, talent management & development, performance management, discipline & grievance, change management, restructuring and redundancy

• Adept at working autonomously with designated client groups and of working closely day to day with senior management, coaching where appropriate

• Good knowledge of employment law and strong previous experience of applying knowledge when providing day to day advice

• Project management and delivery capabilities in a fast-pace environment

• Culturally curious, inquisitive networkers who leverage insight from the external world and keep abreast of trends in the market

• Good conflict management, negotiation and influencing skills

• Experience of HR systems (Workday), google suite and AI tools

We’d love it if you also had:

• Experience working within the music, tech or media industry

• Hands on experience of working in post-acquisition environments

• Previous line management experience to engage and motivate a team

As the home to 10K Projects, Asylum, Atlantic Music Group, East West, FFRR, Fueled by Ramen, Nonesuch, Parlophone, Rhino, Roadrunner, Sire, Warner Records, Warner Classics, and several other of the world’s premier recording labels, Warner Music Group champions emerging artists and global superstars alike. And our renowned publishing company, Warner Chappell Music, represents genre-spanning songwriters and producers through a catalog of more than one million copyrights worldwide. Warner Music Group is also home to ADA, which supports the independent community, as well as artist services division WMX. In addition, WMG counts film and television storytelling powerhouse Warner Music Entertainment among its many brands.

Together, we are Warner Music Group: Independent Minds. Major Sound

Love this job and want to apply?

Click the “Apply” link at the top of the page, or apply directly with your LinkedIn. Applying with LinkedIn will import all of the information you put in your profile, but will still allow you to upload a resume and cover letter.

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear from us right away. We’re taking our time to review all resumes, and to find the best people for WMG.

Thanks for your interest in working for WMG. We love it here, and think you will, too.

This position requires a minimum of 4 days per week in the office. We value in-office collaboration, which is essential for talent development and strong working relationships. #LI-Onsite

WMG is committed to inclusion and diversity in all aspects of our business. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and will evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, religion or belief, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, disability, pregnancy, childbirth or any other characteristic protected by law.