HR Director UK and Ireland & Global Functions Job Description Become part of the team powering household names like Andrex , Kleenex , Cottonelle , Scott , Viva , and WypAll . At Arbex, everything you need is right here-innovation, growth, and the chance to leave a real mark. Settling for just any role isn't you, and it isn't us either. Being Unstoppable Together calls for a particular kind of person and teams who genuinely care about making a difference. Here, you'll channel your professional expertise, talent, and drive into building and managing a portfolio of iconic, ground-breaking brands. In this role, you'll help shape the future of tissue and hygiene for billions of people worldwide.
About The Role As the HR Director UKI & Global Functions, you will be responsible for shaping and delivering the UK & Ireland people strategy, acting as a core member of the leadership team to enable business performance, organisational effectiveness and sustainable growth. You will also be responsible for the people strategy across DTS (Digital & Technology Services), GBS (Global Business Services), Finance and Technical (Supply Chain and R&D). The role provides strategic direction and operational leadership across all areas of HR, ensuring that the organisation has the capability, culture and leadership required to deliver its commercial priorities. The HR Director serves as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, translating business ambition into a clear and actionable people agenda, while providing insight, challenge and coaching to strengthen leadership capability and decision making. The role is accountable for building a high-performing, engaged and inclusive organisation, with strong focus on talent, performance, succession and culture. This is a pivotal moment in Arbex's evolution.
Formed through the strategic partnership between Kimberly-Clark and Suzano, Arbex is building a new global tissue and hygiene company that brings together iconic brands, commercial expertise, manufacturing scale and deep fibre knowledge. The business is entering an intensive period of transformation as it establishes its standalone operating model, embeds new ways of working, accelerates value creation and builds a distinct culture around empowerment, agility, bold thinking and positive impact. Within this context, UKI is the largest and most strategically important ABU, with a circa $700 million business, two manufacturing sites, a broad commercial footprint and important global enabling functions. The HR Director will play a critical role in helping the UKI leadership team translate this business context into a clear people and organisation agenda, ensuring the ABU has the leadership capability, organisational design, talent depth and cultural conditions required to deliver both near-term performance and longer-term transformation.
Operating across a complex, multi-site environment, the role ensures excellence in the end-to-end delivery of HR, including employee relations, reward, organisational design, workforce planning and leadership development. It plays a critical role in leading and embedding the new Arbex culture and ways of working, industrial relations, managing risk and ensuring full compliance with employment legislation, while balancing commercial outcomes with reputational and legal considerations. The HR Director leads and delivers large-scale transformation and change programmes, shaping organisational structures, driving continuous improvement and ensuring the organisation can adapt effectively to evolving business needs. This includes supporting the shift to a more regionalised operating model, enabling manufacturing and functional teams to operate closer to the business, and helping leaders move with pace, accountability and clarity through change. In parallel, the role drives culture, engagement and inclusion, embedding a compelling employee experience and strengthening organisational identity and purpose.
Responsibilities
Flex That Works at ARBEX We believe great work happens when people come together with purpose. That's why we offer a flexible work model that blends remote work with intentional in-person collaboration - helping you connect, grow, and innovate while maintaining the balance you value.
Fine print We are a committed equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, pregnancy, genetic information, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
The statements above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this classification.
Statements are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities and skills required for this position.
Employment is subject to verification of local policies.
Primary Location United Kingdom- Flexible Location - South East England Additional Locations Worker Type Employee Worker Sub-Type Regular Time Type Full time
Thank you for your interest in Arbex. Backed by the power of over 100 years of legacy brands, we are the world's next leading producer of consumer goods. When it comes to product development, we go beyond everyday needs to anticipate what life will require in the future-while keeping innovation, sustainability, and consumers at the core of every decision . click apply for full job details
About The Role As the HR Director UKI & Global Functions, you will be responsible for shaping and delivering the UK & Ireland people strategy, acting as a core member of the leadership team to enable business performance, organisational effectiveness and sustainable growth. You will also be responsible for the people strategy across DTS (Digital & Technology Services), GBS (Global Business Services), Finance and Technical (Supply Chain and R&D). The role provides strategic direction and operational leadership across all areas of HR, ensuring that the organisation has the capability, culture and leadership required to deliver its commercial priorities. The HR Director serves as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, translating business ambition into a clear and actionable people agenda, while providing insight, challenge and coaching to strengthen leadership capability and decision making. The role is accountable for building a high-performing, engaged and inclusive organisation, with strong focus on talent, performance, succession and culture. This is a pivotal moment in Arbex's evolution.
Formed through the strategic partnership between Kimberly-Clark and Suzano, Arbex is building a new global tissue and hygiene company that brings together iconic brands, commercial expertise, manufacturing scale and deep fibre knowledge. The business is entering an intensive period of transformation as it establishes its standalone operating model, embeds new ways of working, accelerates value creation and builds a distinct culture around empowerment, agility, bold thinking and positive impact. Within this context, UKI is the largest and most strategically important ABU, with a circa $700 million business, two manufacturing sites, a broad commercial footprint and important global enabling functions. The HR Director will play a critical role in helping the UKI leadership team translate this business context into a clear people and organisation agenda, ensuring the ABU has the leadership capability, organisational design, talent depth and cultural conditions required to deliver both near-term performance and longer-term transformation.
Operating across a complex, multi-site environment, the role ensures excellence in the end-to-end delivery of HR, including employee relations, reward, organisational design, workforce planning and leadership development. It plays a critical role in leading and embedding the new Arbex culture and ways of working, industrial relations, managing risk and ensuring full compliance with employment legislation, while balancing commercial outcomes with reputational and legal considerations. The HR Director leads and delivers large-scale transformation and change programmes, shaping organisational structures, driving continuous improvement and ensuring the organisation can adapt effectively to evolving business needs. This includes supporting the shift to a more regionalised operating model, enabling manufacturing and functional teams to operate closer to the business, and helping leaders move with pace, accountability and clarity through change. In parallel, the role drives culture, engagement and inclusion, embedding a compelling employee experience and strengthening organisational identity and purpose.
Responsibilities
- Strategic People Leadership
- Define and lead the UK&I people agenda aligned to business strategy
- Define and lead the Global Fucntions people agenda aligned to business strategy
- Drive long-term workforce planning and organisational effectiveness
- Shape culture, engagement, and performance outcomes at scale
- Act as a trusted advisor and coach to senior leadership teams
- Leadership Team Partnership
- Active member of UK Leadership Team
- Influence business strategy through a people lens
- Provide executive level coaching and challenge to senior leaders
- Build high-performing leadership teams and succession pipelines
- End to End HR Delivery
- Accountable for all elements of the HR lifecycle: Talent management and succession planning Employee relations and complex case management Reward, benefits, and pension governance Learning, development, and leadership capability Industrial Relations & Manufacturing HR Lead union relationships and collective bargaining negotiations Oversee consultation processes, restructuring, and site changes Ensure compliance with employment legislation (including TUPE) Manage large scale organisational change programmes
- Organisational Change & Transformation
- Lead major transformation initiatives across the UK&I and Global Functions
- Design and implement organisational structures
- Drive continuous improvement and efficiency
- Manage risk during complex business change
- Culture, Inclusion & Engagement
- Embed new Arbex culture and ways of working and behaviours - Empowered, Agile, Bold, Nurturing, Consumer centric and Future minded
- Lead employee engagement and culture initiatives
- Drive inclusion, wellness, and belonging strategies
- Strengthen organisational purpose and employee narrative
- Improve leadership effectiveness and people manager capability
- Governance, Risk & Compliance
- Ensure full compliance with UK & Ireland employment law
- Lead audit, risk management, and regulatory adherence
- Chair or oversee pension schemes and governance bodies
- Manage employment tribunal risk and external relations Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
- Proven experience operating at HR Director / senior leadership level within a complex, multi-site organisation
- Demonstrated success partnering with senior leadership teams and boards, providing strategic challenge and coaching
- Extensive experience across full HR lifecycle (talent, ER, reward, L&D, organisational design)
- Strong background in industrial relations, including union engagement and collective consultation processes
- Track record of leading large-scale transformation, restructuring and change programmes
- Experience operating across commercial and/or manufacturing environments
- Strong knowledge of UK & Ireland employment law, including consultation and TUPE
- Deep understanding of employee relations and risk management, including tribunal exposure
- Expertise in organisational design, workforce planning and performance management
- Ability to translate business strategy into a clear, actionable people agenda
- Strong commercial acumen and ability to link people outcomes to business performance
- Strong grounding in reward, pensions and benefits governance
- Skilled in managing high-risk, complex ER issues with sound judgement
- Ability to balance commercial outcomes with legal and reputational risk
- Experience across UK & Ireland and/or wider EMEA markets
- Exposure to multi-national or FMCG organisations
- Experience leading HR through M&A, JV or complex restructuring environments
- Fellow or Member of the CIPD Masters HRM Total Benefits
Flex That Works at ARBEX We believe great work happens when people come together with purpose. That's why we offer a flexible work model that blends remote work with intentional in-person collaboration - helping you connect, grow, and innovate while maintaining the balance you value.
Fine print We are a committed equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, pregnancy, genetic information, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
The statements above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this classification.
Statements are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities and skills required for this position.
Employment is subject to verification of local policies.
Primary Location United Kingdom- Flexible Location - South East England Additional Locations Worker Type Employee Worker Sub-Type Regular Time Type Full time
Thank you for your interest in Arbex. Backed by the power of over 100 years of legacy brands, we are the world's next leading producer of consumer goods. When it comes to product development, we go beyond everyday needs to anticipate what life will require in the future-while keeping innovation, sustainability, and consumers at the core of every decision . click apply for full job details
HR Director UK and Ireland & Global Functions in Reigate employer: Kimberly-Clark Corporation
Kimberly-Clark Corporation is an exceptional employer that values innovation and collaboration, offering a dynamic work culture where employees can thrive. With a strong focus on professional development and a flexible hybrid/remote work model, team members are empowered to grow their careers while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. The company's commitment to sustainability and community engagement further enhances the rewarding experience of working in a global environment dedicated to making a positive impact.
Contact Details:
Kimberly-Clark Corporation Recruitment Team
