Head of Human Resources (m/f/x) | Lisbon | International Services Group

Role Overview:

Are you an experienced HR professional with a strong background in Labour Law, Employee Relations, and Health & Safety, looking to take ownership of the HR function in a large-scale operational environment?

Our client, a leading international services group, is looking for a Head of Human Resources to lead the HR function in Portugal. This role combines strategic HR leadership with strong operational and legal expertise, ensuring compliance with Portuguese labour legislation while supporting business growth and operational excellence.

You will act as a trusted advisor to senior management, oversee key HR processes, and lead a small team responsible for payroll administration and Health & Safety. This is a high-impact position with significant visibility and long-term career development opportunities.

Key Responsibilities:

·        Employee Relations & Labour Compliance: Ensure full compliance with Portuguese Labour Law and collective bargaining agreements, manage relationships with unions and labour authorities, lead disciplinary processes, and provide legal HR guidance to management.

·        Health & Safety Leadership: Act as the certified Health & Safety specialist (TSST), validating prevention plans, driving occupational health and safety initiatives, reducing workplace incidents, and supervising Quality & Environment activities in line with ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 standards.

·        Payroll & HR Administration Oversight: Lead the administrative HR team responsible for outsourced payroll, ensuring legal compliance, accuracy, and timely delivery while monitoring labour costs, absenteeism, overtime, and workforce indicators.

·        Generalist HR Management: Implement corporate HR policies related to employee development, engagement, retention, conflict management, and organisational effectiveness. Define recruitment guidelines for corporate positions and support workforce planning.

·        Leadership & Business Partnership: Partner closely with Country Management and Corporate HR, translating business needs into HR initiatives while leading and developing the local HR team.

·        HR Analytics & Reporting: Define, monitor, and report key HR KPIs, providing data-driven insights to support strategic decision-making.

Requisitos

Requirements:

·        University Degree in Law, preferably with specialisation or strong expertise in Labour Law.

·        Mandatory certification as Técnico Superior de Segurança no Trabalho (TSST – Level VI or Portuguese equivalent).

·        Minimum 5 years of experience in generalist HR positions with a strong focus on employee relations and labour law.

·        Experience in high-volume operational environments with complex workforce management.

·        Previous experience supervising payroll administration and HR teams.

·        Experience within Facility Services or similar operational industries is highly valued.

·        Native or fluent Portuguese and intermediate/advanced Spanish.

Key competencies:

·        Strong knowledge of Portuguese Labour Law and employment relations.

·        Strategic mindset with hands-on execution capability.

·        Excellent leadership and people management skills.

·        High level of integrity, sound judgement, and decision-making ability.

·        Strong analytical skills with a data-driven approach.

·        Ability to build trusted relationships with stakeholders across all organisational levels.

·        Comfortable working in dynamic, fast-paced operational environments.

Ventajas

What We Offer:

·        Opportunity to lead the Human Resources function of a leading international services company in Portugal.

·        Strategic role with direct exposure to Country Management and Corporate HR.

·        High level of autonomy and influence on business performance.

·        Professional development within a multinational environment.

·        Competitive compensation package including fixed salary, performance bonus, company car, and additional benefits.