HR Business Partner (French Speaker)

About us

One team. Global challenges. Infinite opportunities. At Viasat, we're on a mission to deliver connections with the capacity to change the world. For more than 35 years, Viasat has helped shape how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the globe communicate. We're looking for people who think big, act fearlessly, and create an inclusive environment that drives positive impact to join our team.

What you'll do

The HR Business Partner is a critical, regionally aligned role within the People, Brand & Culture (PB&C) organization, serving as the primary PB&C advisor for the United Kingdom and France. Working closely with Strategic Business Partners, business leaders, Legal, and Centers of Excellence (COEs), you will provide expert guidance on complex employee relations matters, organizational change, workforce risk, consultation requirements, and local employment law.

You will partner with senior leaders to address complex people challenges, provide pragmatic, risk-based advice, and support business decisions that balance employee experience, compliance obligations, and operational needs. As the local subject matter expert for the UK and France, you will help translate enterprise people strategies into locally relevant solutions while identifying and mitigating organizational risks.

You will build trusted relationships across the business, providing coaching, credible challenge, and guidance on sensitive and business-critical matters. You will also support the broader PB&C organization through complex case management, knowledge sharing, mentoring, and leadership in your areas of expertise.

Your internal job title will be Solutions Partner.

The day-to-day

Trusted Advisor & Strategic Partnership

• Act as a trusted advisor to managers and senior leaders on complex people matters, workforce risks and employee relations issues.
• Partner with Strategic Business Partners to provide local expertise and practical recommendations that support business decisions.
• Influence decision-making through expertise, judgment and risk-based recommendations.
• Identify systemic employee relations trends and workforce risks.

Employee Relations & Organizational Risk Management

• Serve as the regional PB&C authority and primary escalation point for complex employee relations matters.
• Independently lead complex PIPs, grievances, investigations, disciplinary processes, dismissals, restructuring activities and consultation processes.
• Manage complex matters involving discrimination concerns, protected characteristics, accommodations, long-service employees, senior employees and elevated business risk.
• Exercise significant independent judgment while balancing employee experience, legal requirements and business needs.

Employment Law & Local Expertise

• Serve as the primary local PB&C subject matter expert on employment law, employee relations practice, consultation obligations and local market trends.
• Advise leaders, Strategic Business Partners and PB&C colleagues on local requirements and risk implications.
• Monitor legislative developments and provide guidance regarding business impact and recommended actions.

Employee Representative Bodies & Consultation

• Lead consultations with employee representative bodies, works councils, unions and employee forums where applicable.
• Independently lead complex consultation processes.
• Advise leaders on consultation strategy, stakeholder management and risk mitigation.

Organizational Change & Workforce Initiatives

• Partner closely with Strategic Business Partners as the local PB&C expert.
• Proactively identify workforce, employee relations and implementation risks.
• Advise leaders on local implications of organizational changes and workforce decisions.
• Lead local execution strategies for organizational changes, restructures and workforce initiatives.

Talent & Leadership Support

• Support talent reviews and succession planning by providing local expertise, employee relations insight and market context.
• Coach leaders up to L4 level on complex employee situations, organizational challenges and business-sensitive decisions.
• Contribute to calibration discussions by advising on risk, local market practice and employee relations implications.

Scope, Impact & Influence

Scope & Complexity

• Leads projects and initiatives of complex scope involving multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, significant organizational risk, and ambiguous situations.
• Exercises substantial independent judgment in determining approaches, solutions, and outcomes.
• Uses advanced expertise to resolve complex issues and drive effective business decisions.

Decision Making & Autonomy

• Operates with a high degree of autonomy and requires little to no day-to-day supervision.
• Independently determines methods and approaches for complex and non-routine situations.
• Anticipates and mitigates organizational, employee relations, and compliance risks before they escalate.
• Escalates only the most significant legal, reputational, or organizational risks as appropriate.

Expertise, Influence & Mentorship

• Influences senior stakeholders through expertise, judgment, and credible challenge.
• Independently designs and delivers communications, presentations, training content, and stakeholder messaging.
• Represents PB&C in leadership forums and handles complex questions without escalation.
• Coaches and mentors less experienced Solutions Partners.
• Serves as a recognized local expert in employee relations, employment law, and consultation processes.
• Acts with minimal reliance on Solutions Partner Lead support and provides guidance to others on complex matters.

What you'll need

• HR Business Partnering and Employee Relations experience, including substantial experience supporting UK and French employee populations and navigating the employment law, employee relations, and consultation requirements of both countries.
• Significant experience independently managing complex employee relations matters, including investigations, grievances, disciplinary matters, dismissals, organizational change, and consultation processes.
• Demonstrated experience leading consultations and partnering with employee representative bodies, including French Works Councils (CSE) and UK Employee Forums.
• Significant experience supporting employee populations in both the United Kingdom and France.
• Strong working knowledge of UK and French employment law, employee relations practices, and consultation requirements.
• Professional fluency in English and French (written and spoken).
• Demonstrated ability to advise and influence senior leaders on complex people matters and organizational risks.
• Strong judgment, stakeholder management, coaching, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience leveraging workforce insights and data to support decision-making.

What will help you on the job

• Experience acting as the primary PB&C advisor for a country, region, or business unit.
• Experience supporting employee populations in both the United Kingdom and France.
• Experience leading complex investigations, grievances, disciplinary processes, dismissals, restructures, and consultation activities.
• Experience advising leaders through organizational change, workforce planning, and restructuring initiatives within complex regulatory environments.
• Experience coaching and influencing senior leaders on employee relations, organizational risk, and business-sensitive people decisions.
• Experience presenting recommendations and influencing senior leadership audiences.
• Experience mentoring and developing HR professionals and sharing expertise across a broader HR or PB&C team.
• Experience supporting global or multinational organizations operating across multiple jurisdictions.
• Familiarity with the SATCOM industry is desirable.

At Viasat, we consider many factors when it comes to compensation, including the scope of the position as well as your background and experience. Base pay may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Additional cash or stock incentives may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to a range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position offered. Learn more about Viasat's comprehensive benefit offerings that are focused on your holistic health and wellness at https://careers.viasat.com/benefits.
EEO Statement

Viasat is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, seeking to create a welcoming and diverse environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, genetics, age, or veteran status or any other applicable legally protected status or characteristic. If you would like to request an accommodation on the basis of disability for completing this on-line application, please click here.