Senior People Partner – EMEA (Germany & Italy)

About VIRTUS

VIRTUS Data Centres is the UK’s fastest-growing data centre provider. We own, design, build, and operate some of the most energy-efficient, flexible, and secure data centres in Europe. In 2023, we announced our expansion into continental Europe, beginning with Germany and Italy, and continuing to grow across the EMEA region.

At VIRTUS, we aim to be a positive force in the fourth industrial revolution—delivering innovative solutions while staying rooted in our values: integrity, curiosity, commitment, and teamwork.

Role Purpose

This is the first HR role dedicated to the EMEA business,and will be pivotal to organisational growth and success in the region by embedding the People & Talent Strategy across Germany and Italy. The Senior People Partner will act as a strategic advisor to local leadership, aligning people plans with business goals while ensuring compliance, engagement, and capability development. The role will also lead the implementation of people initiatives across the colleague lifecycle, tailoring global approaches to local needs and fostering a culture of performance, inclusion, and wellbeing.

Duties and Responsibilities

The role includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Strategic HR Support

1. Collaborate with the SVP People & Organisation, People Director and local leadership to implement the People & Talent Strategy across EMEA, with a focus on Germany and Italy.
2. Partner with local leadership to align people plans with business goals and long-term workforce requirements.
3. Ensure organisational structures, policies, and processes support effective delivery and future growth.
4. Contribute to the regional integration of global People initiatives, aligning with DEI, wellbeing, and employee engagement goals.

People Partnering

1. Lead and support people activities across the employee lifecycle, including organisational change, employee relations, performance, and reward.
2. Build trusted relationships with managers, providing coaching, challenge, and support on team dynamics and people decisions.
3. Use people data and insights (e.g., surveys, turnover trends, ER data) to guide decision-making and improve employee experience.
4. Collaborate with colleagues across People functions (e.g., Talent Acquisition, Reward, Learning) to deliver high-impact, locally relevant solutions.

Employee Relations & Compliance

1. Ensure compliance with German and Italian labour law and oversee engagement with local works councils; provide general support on compliance across EMEA.
2. Support and advise on employee relations issues, working to resolve concerns effectively, empathetically, and fairly.
3. Ensure HR policies and processes reflect legal requirements and company values, and are clearly understood by stakeholders.

Talent & Capability Development

1. Support the implementation of talent management processes (e.g., performance cycles, development planning, succession mapping).
2. Identify skills and capability gaps in partnership with leaders and collaborate with the Talent Development team to address them.
3. Support managers in fostering a feedback-rich, high-performance culture.

Employee Engagement & Culture

1. Leverage employee engagement data and feedback to shape and improve local culture and experience.
2. Champion wellbeing initiatives and inclusive practices that create a healthy and resilient workforce.
3. Design or localise initiatives to build connection, recognition, and purpose across teams in Germany and Italy.

People Operations & Project Delivery

1. Contribute to the annual people planning processes (e.g., headcount planning, pay review, performance cycles).
2. Partner with internal teams on the delivery of cross-functional People & Organisation projects.
3. Continuously identify opportunities to simplify or improve processes in support of scalability and employee experience.

Person Specification

Skills & Experience

1. • Minimum 7 years of progressive HR/People Partnering experience, preferably in fast-paced, technical, or industrial environments.
2. Strong working knowledge of German and Italian labour law and experience working with Betriebsrat (works councils); additional familiarity with Italian collective agreements is desirable.
3. Demonstrated ability to work independently while collaborating with remote and global teams.
4. Agile mindset, and experience working in an agile way is desirable
5. Strong experience in building relationships and ability to coach others on the same.
6. Skilled in using HR data and insights to influence decision-making and drive continuous improvement.
7. Strong communication, coaching, and stakeholder management skills.
8. Ability to navigate ambiguity and support change initiatives with empathy and clarity.
9. Fluent in German and English (written and spoken) is essential; Italian language skills are a plus.

Mindset & Behaviours

1. Agile and curious – open to learning and adapting in a fast-changing environment.
2. Empathetic and approachable – builds trust and psychological safety across all levels.
3. Analytical and commercial – understands the link between people and performance.
4. Inclusive and values-driven – committed to creating equitable and human-centred workplaces.

VIRTUS is an equal opportunity employer. As part of our commitment to equality, we ensure a fair and consistent interview process. We celebrate diversity and are committed to an inclusive work environment.

We reserve the right to close this post for applications should sufficient applications be received.

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