Regional HR Business Partner - NAM

John Crane, a business of Smiths Group, is a global leader in mission-critical flow control solutions for energy and process industries that enable efficient and sustainable operations. Our products include mechanical seals and systems, couplings, bearings, filtration systems, and predictive digital monitoring technologies. 

We have a global network of more than 200 sites in over 50 countries and employ more than 6,000 people worldwide. We partner with our customers to help them keep their operations safe, reduce downtime, improve efficiency, and meet the latest environmental standards. 

John Crane is part of Smiths Group. For over 170 years, Smiths has been pioneering progress by engineering for a better future. We serve millions of people every year, helping to create a safer, more efficient, productive, and better-connected world across four global markets: energy, security & defence, space & aerospace, and general industrial. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Smiths employs approximately 16,000 colleagues in over 50 countries. 

Reporting directly to the HRVP John Crane the Regional HR Business Partner, North America is responsible and accountable for ensuring exceptional service quality in the delivery of HR services to both employees and managers across the North America region.  The role provides insight and guidance as a strategic partner to the region client groups, and aids in the design and delivery of HR initiatives, programs and actions.  As a trusted HR Business Partner, the role influences effective decision making with the aim of driving John Crane growth across the region.

Responsibilities:

• Partner with the John Crane Global HR Directors to support the execution of the John Crane HR strategy in the region, and by staying true to the guiding principles and values of the company.
• Work closely with region operational and functional leaders to ensure their organizations leverage the resources of the HR function to fulfill the business strategy of the John Crane.
• In conjunction with VP HR and Global HR Directors, responsible for supporting region operational and functional leaders with talent development in their organizations, including assessment, selection, coaching and mentoring.
• Support Global HR Directors to ensure succession planning and employee development plans are implemented and followed for the operational and functional leaders of the region, and for any business-critical technical leadership roles.
• Act as a key driver and facilitator of change management to support the completion of HR functional initiatives, region/site organizational changes, expansions, relocations, and M&A activities.
• Support HR function engagement and the delivery of strategic Group/Division HR initiatives, as well as key annual HR Calendar processes (i.e., succession planning, high potential employee identification, health and wellness benefits, performance management, annual incentive payments, merit, etc.).
• Provide HR function guidance to region/site operational and functional leaders to help them improve employee engagement, address sensitive employment issues, and to raise the level of workforce efficiency and performance.
• Support region/country/site operational and functional leaders with their talent requirements by evaluating their resource needs, and by collaborating with Global/Division talent acquisition resources to fulfill those needs in a timely and efficient manner.
• Provide region/site operational and functional leaders with day-to-day guidance and support addressing employment issues as related to Group/Division HR policies and practices.
• Proactively collaborate with the HR Rewards team to maintain awareness of current market conditions, and to manage region/site activities related to the implementation of market salary adjustments, sales incentive programs, or other Division Rewards initiatives.
• Support GlobalView report development and generation to effectively analyze and interpret HR metrics and data trends for the region/site.
• Ensure legal compliance as it relates to employment law in all the countries in the region, and where the business operates.
• Work in tandem with HR Generalists and internal/external Legal counsel to support engagement and negotiations with the Unions that impact Division sites within the NAM region.
• Ability to drive improvement , comfortable implementing structure and processes to support HR Excellence, through Tier Meetings and other SES tools
• Support safe workplace cultures and compliance with Smiths H&S requirements.

Technical Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent leadership, coaching, interpersonal, and communication skills.
• Proven track record of success in progressively more senior HR roles in organizations recognized for the quality and commercial focus of the HR function. 
• Strategic business acumen and planning ability.
• Analytical skills and financial acumen.
• Experience as an HR leader providing functional support to at least one business group (i.e., research, engineering, production, manufacturing, operations, etc.) commonly present within leading technology organizations.
• Experience supporting engagement and negotiations with Bargaining Units/Unions in NAM
• Experience supporting M&A integration efforts at a regional or country level.
• Experience providing HR functional support as required for facility openings, closures, or relocations resulting from Division driven organizational changes.
• Ability to drive and facilitate cultural and organizational changes across a number of sites
• Experience in the following key HR skill areas:  talent acquisition; talent development; performance management; succession planning; cultural change, change management and reward management.
• Ability to contribute to the strategic agenda while balancing day-to-day operational responsibilities; able to go from concept to detail.
• Ability to deliver clear and unbiased judgements about people, relationships, and organizational issues.
• Able to cope under pressure and manage a wide range of priorities with multiple objectives.
• Bachelor’s or Master's degree in Human Resources Preferred.
• Minimum Yellow Belt preferred 
• Experience as an HR professional in supporting multi-site business preferred with strong intercultural awareness.
• Proven track record of success in progressively more senior HR roles in organizations recognized for the quality and commercial focus of the HR function.
• Fluent in English.
• Fluency in other languages preferred, but not mandatory.

With colleagues stretching across the globe, we are proud of our diversity. To foster inclusivity, we run employee resource groups (ERGs) to provide a safe space for employees to connect and support each other. Our cross-business ERGs include Veterans, Pride Network, Black Employee Network, Women@Work Network, and Neurodiversity. 

Across our company, we recognize excellence, culminating in the Smiths Excellence Awards, our annual celebration of the most extraordinary activities, people, and projects that best showcase our strengths and help drive our business forward. We announce these on our annual Smiths Day, a global celebration of Smiths around our network. 

Join us for a great career with competitive compensation and benefits, while helping engineer a better future. 

We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, economic status, disability, age, or any other legally protected characteristics. We are proud to be an inclusive company with values grounded in equality and ethics, where we celebrate, support, and embrace diversity.

At no time during the hiring process will Smiths Group, nor any of our recruitment partners ever request payment to enable participation – including, but not limited to, interviews or testing. Avoid fraudulent requests by applying jobs directly through our career’s website (Careers - Smiths Group plc)