Director, Human Resources Business Partner - Global Operations

Overview

The Director, HR Business Partner (HRBP) plays a critical leadership role in enabling the transformation, scale, and sustained performance of Global Operations across a complex, multi‑site, and globally distributed organization. This role serves as a strategic thought partner to senior and executive Operations leaders, shaping and executing talent strategies in a dynamic manufacturing, supply chain, and operations environment. Talent strategy and leadership capability are core priorities for this role.

As a trusted advisor to executive leadership, the Director HRBP translates business and operating strategy into integrated, people‑centered solutions across talent management, organizational design, workforce planning, and change leadership. Success in this role requires strong business and financial acumen, the ability to operate effectively in ambiguity, and demonstrated credibility influencing senior leaders through large‑scale transformation, integration, and operational change.

Responsibilities

• Partner with senior and executive Operations leaders to design and execute forward‑looking talent and leadership strategies aligned to the Global Operations operating model and long‑term business objectives.
• Anticipate future capability and leadership needs, ensuring succession, bench strength, and critical skills are in place to support growth, scale, and operational excellence.
• Lead and advise on enterprise‑level change initiatives supporting organizational transformation, integration, and operating model evolution.
• Serve as a trusted coach to leaders navigating complexity, disruption, and change, ensuring clarity, alignment, and engagement throughout transformation efforts.
• Drive strategic workforce planning across global Operations, aligning talent supply, capability development, and location strategy with business demand.
• Partner with leaders to develop scalable workforce and leadership solutions that enable operational agility, productivity, and performance.
• Lead organizational design and effectiveness efforts, including structure, role clarity, spans and layers, and decision rights, to enable speed, accountability, and cross‑functional collaboration.
• Influence leaders to make data‑driven organization decisions that balance efficiency, scalability, and employee experience.
• Build deep, trusted relationships with senior and executive leaders, providing candid counsel on complex and high‑impact people decisions.
• Influence decision‑making at the enterprise level through strong business insight, judgment, and a clear point of view.
• Operate as a senior HR leader across geographies, partnering closely with HR Centers of Expertise and regional HR teams to ensure consistent, scalable, and locally relevant HR solutions.
• Navigate cultural, regulatory, and operational complexity across regions while maintaining enterprise alignment.
• Leverage HR analytics, operational metrics, and external benchmarks to inform strategy, assess risk, measure impact, and drive continuous improvement.
• Translate data into insights that enable leaders to make informed, forward‑looking talent and organization decisions.
• Champion a high‑performance culture rooted in accountability, inclusion, innovation, and continuous learning.
• Influence leadership behaviors and practices that strengthen engagement, capability, and long‑term organizational health.
  
  

Qualifications

• Strong HR Business Partner experience supporting Global Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, or Engineering‑led organizations at a senior leadership level.
• 12 years of progressive HR experience
• Proven success partnering with executive and senior leaders on complex, high‑impact workforce, talent, and organizational decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to lead large‑scale change and transformation in matrixed, global environments.
• Strong business and financial acumen with the ability to connect operational strategy to enterprise people outcomes.
• Exceptional communication, executive presence, coaching, and influencing skills.
• High tolerance for ambiguity and pace, with the ability to lead through complexity and competing priorities.
• Experience operating across geographies with a strong understanding of cultural, regulatory, and labor
  
  

Company Description

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) is a global leader in life sciences and diagnostics, dedicated to accelerating the benefits of pioneering science through analytical technologies, informatics, and service. With a focus on regulated, high-volume testing environments, our innovative portfolio harnesses deep scientific expertise across chemistry, physics, and biology. We collaborate with customers around the world to advance the release of effective, high-quality medicines, ensure the safety of food and water, and drive better patient outcomes by detecting diseases earlier, managing routine infections, and combating antibiotic resistance. Through a shared culture of relentless innovation, our passionate team of ~16,000 colleagues turn scientific challenges into breakthroughs that improve lives worldwide.

Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our core values at Waters Corporation. It benefits our employees, our products, our customers and our community. Waters complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws. Qualified applicants are considered without regard to sex, race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, marital status (including civil unions), military service, veteran status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, legally recognized disability, domestic violence victim status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Waters is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. All hiring decisions are based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.