Just found an interesting HR Director job advertised by Amazon Ireland. I really, really like it, and I think it would be good for it myself! I do not think Amazon is ready to go outside of the box and hire people like me for a role like that. Could I be wrong? Corporations might be screaming the word “Diversity” but leadership roles rarely get filled by really embracing it. Foreign accents are absent in boardrooms in Ireland. And that is exactly what an HR Director should work on! Chicken or egg situation isn’t it? :)
Anyway, I love the job description! It is slightly messy, someone was editing it a lot, so paragraph titles do not correspond much to the text beneath them – Benefits is the best example. But it does show a high level of creativity, a lot of care and, above all: modern thinking!
I wonder if the recruiter receiving applications, will simply decline all applicants without “HR Director” as a current title? Will they look for credentials as opposed to experience? Will they look for school grades or charisma – that is one of the top requirements of a great HR Director? I don’t know…
Anyway, I like it and wish all the best to who gets it. I’ll just be singing Ray Charles – It Should Have Been Me…
Here is a cool job advertisement:
Director, AWS HR
Job description
Position Summary
The Head of HR, Amazon Web Services (AWS) Ireland carries a critical role in managing Amazon’s human capital capability and requires a progressive, data-driven, customer-obsessed Human Resources Leader. This role will be pivotal in scaling an innovative, groundbreaking business.
Responsibilities
Direct responsibilities include providing support to a diverse set of businesses represented across the AWS businesses. The population is varied with a strong technical orientation – this includes data centre technicians working shift patterns, field workers, technical customer services and contractors. The Human Resources team consists of HR Business Partners supported by HR Shared Services, with indirect responsibilities including Web Consumer, Kindle and Ireland Compensation & Benefits.
The position is based in Dublin, Ireland. It will report into the Head of HR, EU AWS.
Key Responsibilities
Day To Day, This Person Will
Provide strong HR leadership and direction to HR business partners and Talent Acquisition teams in Ireland
Earn trust as a partner to the Ireland Leadership Teams, EU as well as global HR Team and beyond
Contribute to EU and global HR team, working beyond a local remit; will be recognized as having added value to the business, not just HR, by business unit and functional heads even outside the core geographies;
Be known for setting HR goals that are based on business drivers and ensuring HR is always looking for underlying people issues to help solve business challenges.
Interact and build strong, productive relationships with Amazon UK Corporate, Operations, Kindle and Digital
Manage and further build a strong, structured HR team with succession bench strength; identify, attract and develop new HR talent and provide a clear roadmap to progress further
Objectives
Focus and Deliverables for the First 12 Months
Further develop and coach the existing HR team to grow further and provide best-in-class HR business partner service to their clients
Act as counselor and trusted advisor to the Ireland Senior Leadership Team, coaching them to hone leadership skills
Build global relationships with other HR partners and business heads; will be recognized as having added value to the business, not just HR, by business unit and functional heads in all geographies
Will have ‘moved the needle’ in Ireland through innovation; will have produced and developed programs to provide measurable results– by time saved, revenue added etc.
Impact the role of the EU HR Leader through questioning perceived norms, bringing original perspectives to existing challenges and trying new methods to achieve results
Ideal Candidate Profile
Education
University degree required
MBA, additional technical or analytical qualification ideal but not essential
Fluent English is required
Experience
The ideal candidate will be an experienced leader with a reputation for hiring and developing the best teams and taking brave and innovative talent decisions. They will have earned the trust of executives, peers and teams through challenging preconceived norms to add value to a business beyond a pure human capital remit, developing programs that yield measurable change. Possessing natural gravitas and credibility, the ideal candidate will have a proven track record of acting as a counsellor and sounding board to CEOs or MDs and will be recognized for providing guidance that is indispensable in critical decision making.
Benefits
They will have built deep relationships across cultural boundaries with both the business and peers within a global, senior HR team and will be respected for approaching challenges with original thinking, penetrating insight and tenacity. They may well also be a subject matter expert in a human capital discipline such as Learning & Development, Talent Management or Compensation and Benefits. Experience of American corporate culture or post-merger / acquisition integration environments may also be beneficial.
The Head of HR, AWS Ireland will be a natural ‘strategic do-er’ who will balance execution strength with strategic insight and may have had previous experience with an online or a game changing organization. They will thrive in fast paced, data-driven environments and will have excellent communication and presentation skills, able to ‘zoom-in and zoom-out’ of detail while not losing sight of bigger-picture objectives. They will have a preference for fact-based decision making, be numerate, write well and quickly and be able to effortlessly influence across cultures.
Team leadership; will have developed a best-in-class HR team, preferably in an international role
Will have worked in an international, matrixed environment, preferably online
Will be adept at coaching; direct but subtle at all levels
Will have operated at pace; preferably in an organization experiencing hyper-growth in new markets
Will have delivered change and measurable results in environments with high levels of ambiguity where proven structures or complete data are not the norm
Professional Qualities
Professional Traits That Are Not Unique To This Position, But Necessary For Amazon Leaders
Is a great people manager that understand to further build, develop and motivate a great team
Is highly analytical and structured
Thinks strategically and long term, but can also dive deep and stays on top of tactical execution
Exhibits excellent business judgment
Create an environment where innovative drive is fostered
Is a superb negotiator, at ease sitting down with top level executives with vendors and manufacturers
Has relentlessly high standards
Is action and results oriented
It should have been me….
