HR Lead - International Operations Support in Aberdeen

Responsible for leading the delivery of HR support across a range of strategic and operational activities, with a focus on overseeing new country entry initiatives, including HR planning for recruitment, immigration, payroll, employment compliance, local labour law, and taxation. The role is also responsible for the development and implementation of robust HR procedures and governance frameworks and provides generalist HR support including employee relations and mobility matters.

Responsibilities

• Lead Corporate HR planning for new jurisdictions, ensuring effective collaboration and oversight of Regional HR activities related to entry into new countries of operation.
• Drive HR planning activities, including defining local labour requirements and timelines, immigration requirements (e.g. visas and work permits), statutory benefits, and employment obligations.
• Oversee liaison with external/in-country legal counsel, in partnership with Regional HR, ensuring all employment-related aspects of market entry are identified, assessed, and implemented in a compliant and timely manner.
• Manage follow-up with in-house legal, tax, and compliance teams to ensure all employment-related components of new country entry are addressed and delivered in accordance with company standards.
• Ensure employment contracts are appropriately localised and legally compliant, working with Regional HR to align with Corporate standards and in-country legal requirements.
• Oversee the localisation and compliance of HR procedures, ensuring consistency with Corporate frameworks and relevant employment legislation.
• Collaborate with Regional HR and immigration providers to ensure full compliance with immigration and mobility requirements in both host and home countries for expatriates and local hires.
• Monitor immigration timelines and status updates to proactively mitigate risks to employee mobilisation and project delivery.
• Ensure governance documentation (e.g. country entry checklists, legal advice) is fully completed, up to date, and aligned with Corporate HR standards.
• Support the management of international assignments including relocations, secondments, and cross-border employment arrangements.
• Lead the review and continuous improvement of global mobility and relocation procedures to support effective international workforce assignments.
• Develop, implement, and govern HR procedures applicable across multiple jurisdictions, ensuring alignment with Corporate frameworks and legal compliance.
• Conduct regular reviews of HR procedures, ensuring timely updates in response to legal developments, business changes, and continuous improvement opportunities.
• Maintain oversight of ongoing employment litigation by updating and managing the corporate HR litigation tracker, ensuring accurate records and timely status updates are maintained in coordination with Legal and Regional HR.
• Coordinate and support internal and external HR audits related to HR processes and employment compliance across all jurisdictions.
• When required, provide HR advice and case management oversight on employee relations matters, including grievances, disciplinaries, capability, and absence management, ensuring resolution in line with legal requirements and company standards.
• Support and analyse HR reports and key metrics (e.g. headcount, nationalisation, attrition, etc) to support strategic planning, compliance monitoring, and continuous improvement efforts.
• Assist in the delivery of HR training or briefing sessions to line managers or employees as required.
• Maintain HR records in accordance with data protection regulations and company standards.
• Lead or oversee HR projects aligned with business priorities, such as system implementations, policy harmonisation, or organisational change initiatives.
• Promote strong collaboration and knowledge sharing across Regional HR functions to ensure alignment and best practice across the global HR team.
• Represent HR Services in Regional HR meetings, proactively identifying support requirements, cascading updates, and ensuring effective communication between Corporate and Regional HR teams.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in HR or similar qualification.
• CIPD Level 5 (or equivalent) preferred.
• Significant experience in an HR advisory role, preferably in the oil and gas or energy sector.
• Experience with international HR operations, including new country entry and mobility.
• Knowledge of global employment legislation, tax, and payroll practices.
• Experience developing HR procedures and governance frameworks.
• Relevant experience in managing Employee Relations cases.
• Hands-on experience with IT programmes and various HRIS (Workday preferred).
• Supervisory experience is preferred.
• Ability to advise and work with senior members of staff.
• Driven, practical and logical; able to solve problems quickly.
• High level of attention to detail and process governance.
• Strong communication and relationship building capabilities across all levels of the business.