SAINT LAURENT Southern Europe HR Manager

Summary

Founded in 1961, Yves Saint Laurent was the first couture house to introduce the concept of luxury prêt-à-porter in a 1966 collection called ‘Rive Gauche’, synonymous with youth and freedom. This shift represented a first critical step in the modernization of fashion and revolutionized the socio-cultural landscape.
In 1999, the luxury goods division of the Kering Group acquired Yves Saint Laurent and, under the creative direction of Anthony Vaccarello since April 2016, continues to position the house at the summit of the luxury universe.
Today, Saint Laurent collections include women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, shoes, handbags, small leather goods, jewellery, scarves, ties and eyewear.

Job Description

ROLE

This position is based in the Saint Laurent Milan office, reporting directly to the General Manager of Southern Europe; heading up all HR disciplines for Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal.  

The Southern Europe HR Manager will identify and deliver HR strategies to support business goals and drive results with the responsibility for all HR activities and the end-to-end employee lifecycle. The HR Manager will play an ambassador role in delivering the company’s culture empowering and inspiring to drive the talent and leadership capabilities.

MISSION

• Develop strong and trusted partnerships with internal business clients, providing coaching and advice on people related matters and strategies, supporting organizational design in line with overall business needs

• Manage all employee-related issues within scope

• Define the recruitment strategy to hire the best talents fitting with Saint Laurent’s culture and business needs. Lead the recruitment process and ensure positive experience during onboarding process for all new employees, setting up for success within the company and their role

• Be familiar with the external market of the assigned region by active networking and interacting with target talents. Maintain and develop the talent pool and build a good network

• Coaching management to manage high and low performers in a timely and impactful manner, understanding the skill gaps and training needs and creating relevant development plans to support business plans

• Identify key contributors to the business and advise on short- and long-term ways to increase retention of key talents. Lead talent review discussions to identify key talents, plan their development across Saint Laurent and/or Kering and prepare for succession

• Owner of budget and forecasting business process for markets, responsible in preparing, supporting and monitoring market personnel costs at retail and corporate level; productivity levels, and carry out cost controls as needed

• Implement global HR initiatives at the market level, share any market specificities with HQ and adapt these as per local needs

• Ensure the compensation and benefits are aligned to the market and support our attraction and retention objectives

• Monitor compliance with local and international labor laws and implement measures to address labor-related issues

• Ensure quality execution of all HR operational activities/projects in the region, including payroll, employee relations and legal compliance

• Implement a holistic engagement plan to implement HR initiatives, ensuring alignment with business priorities and promoting a positive and inclusive workplace culture

• Support initiatives around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), ensuring diversity at all levels and fostering an inclusive culture that attracts and retains a wide range of talents

• Other ad hoc duties as required by management

PROFILE

• A minimum of 6-8 years of experience as HR Manager, prior experience in retail environments within the luxury or fashion industry highly preferred

• Degree in Human Resources or relevant discipline

• Strong technical knowledge of HR and employment legislation in respective markets, with a strong expertise in Italian labor law compliance; knowledge of the Spanish market/legislation is desirable

• People-oriented, solution-focused, results-driven and highly organized

• Excellent communication skills, inspiring and engaging; effective coach, ability to empower the business

• Ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams, influent and with a strong capacity to manage conflict and complex stakeholder relationships

• Computer savvy and proficient in data-driven decision-making, policy formulation, and workforce analytics

• Fluent and advanced level of Italian and English are a must, other languages also highly preferred

• Able to travel as necessary to visit markets

Location: Milan, Italy

Saint Laurent is committed to building a diverse workforce. We believe diversity in all its forms – gender, age, nationality, culture, religious beliefs and sexual orientation – enriches the workplace. It opens up opportunities for people to express their talent, both individually and collectively and it helps foster our ability to adapt to a changing world. As an Equal Opportunity Employer we welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their background.

Job Type

Regular

Start Date

2026-03-30

Schedule

Full time

Organization

SL Luxury Retail S.r.l.