ETA HR Business Unit Manager

About ETA

ETA is a benchmark of Swiss horological expertise, renowned for designing and producing precision movements that power many of the world’s most respected watches. As part of the Swatch Group, the manufacture combines industrial excellence, technical innovation, and a deep respect for traditional watchmaking savoir-faire. As an employer, ETA offers a highly specialized environment where engineers, micromechanics, technicians, and operational talents contribute to products defined by reliability, accuracy, and refinement. The company values discipline, craftsmanship, continuous improvement, and collaborative expertise, providing careers at the heart of Switzerland’s watchmaking ecosystem and the future of mechanical and quartz movement technology.

Role & Responsibilities

• Lead, develop and manage four HR Business Partners, including their professional and personnel development.
• Implement and further develop HR policy at a strategic level, and lead projects.
• Oversee the full employee lifecycle for a department of approximately 200 employees, from recruitment through onboarding and offboarding.
• Advise and support managers on workforce and succession planning, employee development, disciplinary management and leadership.
• Manage long-term absences and support employees’ reintegration.
• Contribute actively to HR projects and help develop and optimise HR processes.

Qualifications

• Further education in HRM (Swiss Federal HR Specialist Certificate or bachelor’s degree).
• At least 5 years of professional experience in an equivalent role, ideally in an industrial environment.
• At least 2 years of leadership experience.
• Sound knowledge of Swiss employment law.
• Demonstrated experience in change management and coaching.
• Entrepreneurial, strategic and interconnected thinking.
• Strong communication skills, trustworthiness and high social competence.
• Confident presence, assertiveness and ability to work in a team.
• Digital affinity and openness to new technologies.
• Customer- and service-oriented approach, with a pragmatic and solution-focused working style.
• Proficiency with standard IT tools, including MS 365; SAP knowledge is an advantage.
• Business-fluent German, spoken and written, is required; very good French is also required.

Skills

Experience

At least 5 years of professional experience in an equivalent role, ideally in an industrial environment, and at least 2 years of leadership experience.

Education

Further education in HRM, with a Swiss Federal HR Specialist Certificate or a bachelor’s degree.

Benefits

Five or six weeks of annual leave, depending on age and/or function; 40-hour workweek under the collective employment agreement; attractive social benefits; three weeks of parental leave for fathers and up to 19 weeks for mothers; company restaurant; discounts on Swatch Group and partner-company products; sports activities and company events; contribution toward health insurance; further education opportunities; internal mobility and career prospects; attractive pay policy.

Culture

ETA offers a workplace culture rooted in Swiss precision, technical mastery, and continuous innovation within the watchmaking industry. As an employer, it fosters collaboration between engineers, artisans, and production specialists, valuing reliability, quality, and the transmission of specialized expertise across generations.

About Cerulean

Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.