Interim HR Director – Netherlands

About Our Client:

An international group headquartered in Switzerland, with a Dutch operation of several hundred employees across commercial, operational and support functions. The organisation is consolidating its HR structure as part of a broader regional reorganisation, creating an immediate need for senior interim human resources leadership to guide the function through the transition. Further mandate details will be shared with qualified Interim Managers under a signed non-disclosure agreement.

Project Description:

This is a senior interim HR Director mandate: full accountability for interim human resources leadership through a period of organisational change, ensuring continuity and stability while a new regional operating model is established.

• Interim HR Director, reporting to the Group HR Director
• Full leadership of the HR function for a workforce of several hundred employees spanning sales, operations, customer-facing and back-office functions
• Direction of year-end HR cycles already underway: salary review, performance management, short-term incentive processes
• Direct partnership with the senior local management team through an organisational transition
• Ownership of works council and union relations, including matters already in progress
• Oversight of absenteeism and broader operational HR administration
• Business continuity throughout a live restructuring process affecting parts of the workforce

Expected Results:

Success will be judged on whether the HR function was led through the transition without disruption and handed over in a stable, well-run state.

• Year-end HR processes (salary review, performance management, STI) completed on schedule
• Works council and union relationships maintained without escalation
• Absenteeism and day-to-day HR administration kept current and under control
• Senior management stakeholders supported through the organisational transition
• A clean, well-documented handover once the function’s new leadership structure is in place

Interim Manager Required Skills:

A seasoned interim HR Director used to running the full breadth of a human resources function, comfortable at both strategic and hands-on level.

• Equally comfortable with the mundane and the difficult: absenteeism tracking as much as works council negotiation
• Resilient under competing demands, strong prioritiser
• Strong relationship-builder who earns trust with senior stakeholders and works council representatives alike
• Available for near full-time office presence for the duration
• Prior exposure to organisations mid-reorganisation or mid-integration

CE Interim is a cross-border executive interim management leader, with deep experience bridging international headquarters and local operations — from Swiss ownership structures to Dutch, German and wider CEE operating environments. We place proven interim HR Directors who understand both worlds: the governance expectations of an international HQ and the practical realities of local execution.

Track Record Required:

Please provide specific examples from your career that demonstrate the following:

• An HR Director or senior HR business partner role leading several hundred employees across mixed functions
• Direct, hands-on management of works council or union relationships, including sensitive topics
• Delivery of year-end HR cycles under time pressure
• Leading an HR function through organisational transition or restructuring
• A clean handover to a permanent successor or new leadership structure

Prior experience in a matrixed, internationally-owned organisation with a small standalone HR team will be given priority.

Key Requirements:

• Proven HR leadership experience at Director or senior Business Partner level in a matrixed, multi-site organisation
• Comfortable operating hands-on as well as strategically; this is a full-scope interim HR Director mandate
• Experience with works councils and union relations in a Northern European context
• Available to work from the client’s Netherlands office on a near full-time basis from mid-October 2026
• Familiarity with a major cloud-based HR information system is an advantage

Type of Assignment:

Interim

Scope of Interim Assignment:

Transformation and Integration

Functional Area of the Interim Manager:

Human Resources

Location:

Netherlands

Duration:

3-6 months (approx.)

Start Date:

October 01, 2026

Why work with us?

CE Interim delivers proven interim HR leaders within 72 hours, bridging international headquarters and local operations at exactly the moment continuity matters most.

For this mandate, that means guiding a Dutch HR function through an active restructuring while its Swiss-headquartered parent consolidates into a new regional model, the kind of cross-border transition we’ve led across Europe, the Middle East and beyond.

Every engagement is personally overseen by a CE Interim managing partner who has sat where this client sits, ensuring the interim leader we place understands both the governance expectations of an international HQ and the practical realities of local execution.

As part of the Valtus Alliance, the world’s largest alliance of Executive Interim Management companies, we draw on 80+ senior partners across 50+ countries to get this exactly right.

Executive Leadership Breaking Borders. Outcomes Without Compromise.