Interim Director, Human Resources Business Partner, Southern Europe

OverviewCytokinetics is a late-stage specialty cardiovascular biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing first-in-class muscle activators and next-in-class muscle inhibitors as potential treatments for debilitating diseases in which cardiac muscle performance is compromised.The company is developing small molecule drug candidates engineered to impact myocardial muscle function and contractility.The Interim Director HR Business Partner Southern Europe serves as the strategic HR partner for Italy and Iberia, supporting the company's first EU commercial launch.Reporting to the Head of HR Europe with a dotted line to VP GM Italy, this role is responsible for shaping and executing the full end-to-end HR agenda for the region, ensuring organizational readiness, leadership capability and cultural alignment as the business scales.This position operates within a newly evolving European HR operating model and works in close partnership with business leaders, the European HR team and global HR Centers of Excellence (CoEs) to deliver consistent high-impact people solutions while addressing local market needs.The role is a 1-year temporary assignment.Location: Milan, Lombardy, Italy.ResponsibilitiesServe as the primary HR partner and steward of the full HR agenda for Southern Europe, ensuring alignment with European and global business objectives.Partner with senior business leaders to drive performance, organizational capability and commercial launch readiness, providing strategic counsel through periods of growth and change.Act as a trusted advisor to leaders, influencing decision-making and reinforcing the desired leadership culture and ways of working.Co-own and drive talent, organizational effectiveness and culture-building initiatives aligned with European and global HR strategy.Lead workforce planning, organizational design, role creation and headcount planning to support near- and long-term business growth.Support succession planning, leadership development and long-term talent strategies to ensure leadership continuity and bench strength.Own staffing plans and recruiting pipeline quality for the Italy and Iberia regions, partnering closely with Talent Acquisition and HR Centers of Excellence to deliver high-quality hiring outcomes.Participate in hiring decisions for critical and leadership roles, ensuring alignment with capability, culture and future-state organizational needs.Lead annual performance management processes including goal setting, performance reviews, calibration and development planning.Manage salary and bonus cycles in alignment with regional reward frameworks and corporate guidelines.Coach managers on performance planning, career development and effective leadership behaviors, building leadership capability across the organization.Ensure consistent deployment of HR systems, policies, reward programs and people processes in alignment with European and corporate standards while addressing local requirements.Implement and sustain HR initiatives delivered by HR Centers of Excellence, ensuring effective adoption and change management at the local level.Contribute to European and global HR projects and cross-functional initiatives representing Southern Europe business needs and perspectives.Develop and execute the annual HR Business Plan aligned with European HR priorities and business objectives.Provide support for HR administration management as required, ensuring compliance, efficiency and a positive employee experience.Qualifications10 years of progressive HR Business Partner or HR Generalist experience with increasing scope, complexity and leadership responsibility.Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or a related field; advanced degree (Masters or MBA) preferred.Biopharmaceutical or pharmaceutical industry experience strongly preferred, ideally within a commercial environment.Proven success as a strategic HR partner in a build-out, scale-up or first-market commercial launch environment.Demonstrated experience partnering effectively with HR Centers of Excellence in a global matrixed organization.Deep knowledge of Italian and Spanish labor law and works council engagement; experience supporting Italy- and Spain-based employee populations required.Strong consulting, communication and influencing skills with the ability to operate credibly with senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders.Experience operating across multiple countries and cultures with sensitivity to regional and local market dynamics.Strong business acumen with the ability to translate business strategy into people and organizational solutions.Demonstrated change leadership capability, including experience leading organizations through growth, transformation or ambiguity.Experience leveraging HR systems and tools such as HRIS (e.g., Workday or equivalent), performance management and talent platforms, compensation planning tools and workforce analytics to inform decision-making, ensure compliance and drive scalable people processes.Fluency in Italian and English; Spanish strongly preferred.#LI-HYBRIDOur employees come from different backgrounds and we celebrate those differences.We are looking for the best candidates for our open roles but do not expect applicants to meet every qualification in order to be considered.If you are excited about what you could accomplish at Cytokinetics and believe you can add value to our team we would love to hear from you.Please review our GDPR policy PRIOR to applying.Our passion is anchored in robust scientific thinking, integrity and critical thinking.We keep the patient front and center in all we do; all actions and decisions are in service of the patient and their caregivers.We champion integrity, ethics, doing the right thing and being our best selves.Fraud Warning: How to Identify Impersonated Cytokinetics Job Postings and OffersFraud alerts: legitimate offers will come directly from Cytokinetics official channels and will occur after a formal interview process.If you are unsure about authenticity, contact us directly at the official website or employment contact points.Equal Opportunity EmployerKey Skills:Talent ManagementEmployee RelationsSuccession PlanningEmployee EvaluationHuman Resources ManagementWorkers' Compensation LawBenefits AdministrationHRISTraining & DevelopmentEmployment & Labor LawOrganization DesignHuman ResourcesEmployment Type :Full TimeExperience:DirectorInterim Director Human Resources Business Partner Southern Europe • Milan, Lombardy, Italy#J-*****-Ljbffr