People Director - France

The People Director France is responsible for owning the strategic, tactical, and operational people agenda, ensuring that DP World's most valuable asset-its people-are engaged, motivated, and developed. This role drives workforce quality, talent pipelines, and leadership development to foster a high-performing, future-ready organization.

Reporting to the Vice President People Western Europe, the People Director will integrate and align newly acquired business(es) with DP World's global people standards, ensuring a seamless transition and an enhanced employee experience. They will oversee people processes across all French operations, acting as the key partner to business leaders in driving culture, capability development, and compliance.

As a member of the People Cluster Leadership Team, the People Director provides functional leadership to the HR teams in the joint ventures and acts as the main point of contact for all people-related matters in France. They will work closely with internal and external stakeholders to maintain high-quality workforce standards, succession planning, and a strong leadership culture.

Operating within a regulated and diverse environment, the People Director will navigate complex labor laws, union engagements, and commercial client expectations while ensuring alignment with DP World's vision for people excellence and business growth.

How you will contribute

Business Growth and Support

• Act as a strategic partner to the French business, driving growth through effective people processes and ensuring line managers and employees are fully supported in achieving business objectives.
• Provide hands-on support and solutions to help leaders and employees thrive, focusing on talent development, performance, and engagement.

Governance and Compliance

• Ensure all people processes comply with DP World's global standards and French labor laws, working closely with external service providers for operations and administration.
• Serve as the key point of contact for labor relations, managing relationships with works councils, unions, and legal bodies.

Integration and Alignment

• Develop and execute a plan to integrate the acquired business into DP World, maximizing employee benefits from global programs and ensuring alignment with corporate standards.
• Facilitate access to regional resources and initiatives that support employee development and operational excellence.

Stakeholder Management

• Collaborate with line managers, senior leaders, and external partners to provide seamless people support and drive business performance.
• Act as the primary contact for the VP People Western Europe, offering guidance to DP World's operations and joint ventures in France.

People Strategy and Development

• Implement a people strategy that supports business growth, enhances employee development, and fosters a high-performance culture.
• Lead initiatives for talent management, training, and career development, ensuring employees are empowered to contribute to business success.

Operational Delivery and Excellence

• Oversee day-to-day people processes, ensuring efficient operations through external providers while continuously improving services.
• Support line managers in all aspects of people management, providing tools and guidance for effective leadership.

Cultural and Employee Engagement

• Drive a positive workplace culture aligned with DP World's values, enhancing employee experience and satisfaction.
• Promote open communication, collaboration, and a strong sense of belonging within the organization.

Measurement and Continuous Improvement

• Provide regular insights and reports on people metrics, business support outcomes, and operational performance.
• Continuously refine and optimize people processes to better support business growth and employee success.

What you will bring

• Bachelor's or master's degree in Business, Law, Labour Relations, Organizational Development, or a related field.
• 7-10 years of experience in people leadership roles, with a focus on business growth, employee development, and unionized environments.
• Proven success in managing people processes in complex, fast-paced environments, including ports and logistics.
• Extensive labor relations experience, including works councils, unions, and French labor law.
• Experience in post-acquisition integrations, TUPE processes, and managing external providers.
• Commercial experience in Logistics (Contract Logistics, Freight, Ports & Terminals), representing the organization in customer interactions and ensuring quality people services.
• Fluent in French and English.
• Flexibility to Travel: You are ready to travel between 30-50% of the time across to our operations in the assigned area to participate in meetings with leadership, employees, and works councils / unions. Preferred working location is Paris.

Additional Skills

• Strong Communication Skills: You are an exceptional listener. You communicate clearly. You write exceptionally well and you speak eloquently. You can explain just about anything to anyone. You're comfortable on the phone or to groups of people - at any level. You are incredibly tactful when delivering the facts.
• Problem Solving: You enjoy solving problems. Getting to the root cause. You love taking on difficult challenges and finding creative, innovative solutions. You don't get flustered easily. If you don't know the answer, you'll dig until you find it.
• Detail Oriented: You pay strong attention to the details as it is one of your core qualities. As far as you are concerned, anything worth doing is worth doing right, every single time. You stay focused and nothing falls through the cracks on your watch.
• Exceptional Critical Thinking Skills: You can identify gaps in logic and underlying causes of issues. You think on your feet. You like learning new things, and you can learn quickly.
• Strong Collaborator: You can work independently because you self-manage, with limited direction and guidance, but you also enjoy collaborating across dynamic and multicultural teams and are personable, helpful and incredibly organized.
• Results Oriented: You are proactive in handling competing priorities and meet your deadlines and commitments; you always demonstrate a "can do" positive attitude.
• Confidentiality: You consider and protect the confidentiality of company data at all times.
• IT Skills: You are highly proficient in the full Microsoft Office Suite: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio.