Location: Rotterdam (WTC)
Type: Full time
Job Requisition ID: RQ13995
Job PurposeThis is a rare opportunity for a commercially minded and people-focused HR leader to shape the next stage of MSM's people agenda at a pivotal moment in the organisation's evolution.
We are currently looking for a people- and results-oriented Interim Head of HR to join MSM (MSIG Specialty Marine). Reporting to the CEO, the role will be responsible for bringing the HR function at MSM to the next level, acting as a trusted advisor to the MSM Management Board and partnering closely with the wider MS Amlin group.
The successful candidate will combine genuine strategic vision with a hands‑on mentality, moving seamlessly between legal entities, advising on business priorities, influencing senior stakeholders and stepping into the HR Business Partner role for the various MSM countries when required.
Collaboration with MSIG EuropeA defining feature of this role is the close partnership with MSIG Europe across a broad range of HR domains, including talent management, learning & development, compensation & benefits, HR operations, and organisational development. The Interim Head of HR MSM will act as a true bridge builder between MSM and MSIG Europe, fostering alignment, knowledge‑sharing and synergies across both entities while preserving MSM's identity and specific operational needs.
The role operates in a dual-track leadership model: the Head of HR MSM will directly manage a dedicated MSM HR team, while also steering and coordinating HR services delivered by MSIG Europe without a formal reporting line into those functions. This requires a high degree of stakeholder management, influence without authority, and the ability to navigate matrix structures with confidence and professionalism.
Building trust-based relationships with HR counterparts at MSIG Europe will be essential to ensure seamless service delivery and joint execution of HR initiatives across both organisations.
Key ResponsibilitiesThe Head of HR MSM will be accountable for the following areas:
- HR Strategy & Business Partnering. Define and execute the MSM HR strategy in alignment with the MSM Management Board and the broader MS Amlin group direction. Act as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to the Managing Director and senior leadership, identifying people risks, opportunities and capability need, and translating business priorities into practical HR initiatives.
- Team Leadership. Lead, develop and inspire the MSM HR team, setting clear objectives, strengthen ownership and ensuring the team delivers high-quality, business-focused HR support across all MSM locations. Foster a culture of continuous improvement, accountability and collaboration.
- MSIG Europe Interface & Service Governance. Act as the primary MSM interface with MSIG Europe HR functions, governing the quality, scope and delivery of shared HR services. Build strong working relationships, ensuring MSM's needs are clearly articulated and delivered to standard.
- Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning. Own end-to-end recruitment and workforce planning for MSM, partnering with MSIG Europe on shared pipelines, frameworks and employer brand initiatives where relevant. Ensure MSM attracts, selects and retains specialist talent in a competitive marine insurance market by strengthening its external talent proposition and clearly articulating what makes MSM distinctive as an employer. Strengthen succession planning across critical roles and support the development of future capability.
- Performance Management & Reward. Drive the MSM performance management cycle, ensuring clarity of goal setting, meaningful development conversations and differentiated reward outcomes. Work closely with MSIG Europe on compensation benchmarking, pay review processes and benefits harmonisation, while safeguarding MSM's specific business needs and market context.
- Learning, Development & Engagement. Champion a culture of learning and development within MSM, leveraging group L&D resources from MSIG Europe while ensuring locally relevant programmes are in place. Support the development of technical, leadership and commercial capability across the business. Lead employee engagement initiatives, using data and feedback to improve the employee experience and organisational health.
- Employment Law, Compliance & Employee Relations. Ensure MSM operates in full compliance with applicable employment legislation across all jurisdictions in which it operates. Manage complex employee relations matters with sound judgment, confidentiality and a constructive resolution mindset. Liaise with legal counsel, Works Councils and employee representative bodies where required.
- Organisational Design & Change Management. Support and lead organisational design activity as MSM continues to evolve, including restructures, role redesign and integration projects. Act as a key enabler of change, building stakeholder buy‑in and ensuring people impacts are well managed throughout transformation programmes.
- HR Reporting & Analytics. Maintain accurate HR data, develop meaningful dashboards and management information, and present HR insights to the MSM Management Board on a regular basis. Use data to support evidence-based decisions on workforce topics and track the impact of HR initiatives.
- Culture, Identity and Employee Experience: Act as a guardian and shaper of MSM's culture, ensuring that growth, change and wider group alignment do not dilute the specialist, client-focused and collaborative identity of the business. Strengthen the employee experience by ensuring HR activity is practical, visible, commercially relevant and trusted by managers and employees.
- Managing Director
- MSM Management Board
- MSM HR team
- MSIG Europe HR leadership and specialist HR functions
- Country leaders and functional leaders across MSM
- Legal counsel, Works Councils and employee representative bodies where applicable
- External partners, recruiters, advisors and vendors
Experience
- Holding a university degree in a relevant subject, the ideal candidate will have a minimum of ten years' experience in HR roles of increasing size and scope in international environments
- Strong understanding of how HR can actively support business performance, including the ability to translate business priorities into practical people plans.
- Proven experience operating in complex, empowered or decentralised organisations, with a current and practical understanding of modern HR trends, best practice and the evolving people agenda.
- A skilled and credible communicator, able to engage a range of audiences with professionalism, cultural awareness and respect for diversity, both internally and externally.
- Demonstrated experience advising senior business leaders on sensitive people matters with confidence, discretion and sound judgment.
- A "hands‑on" and agile HR leader who is equally comfortable shaping strategy, developing policy and rolling up their sleeves to support practical implementation.
- A commercially minded HR professional who can contribute to senior leadership discussions beyond the immediate HR agenda, with the ambition to make a lasting impact on MSM's business.
- Proven experience managing HR in a matrix or shared‑services environment, with a track record of coordinating services and initiatives across different entities without direct line authority.
- Fluent English essential; knowledge of French, Dutch or German is a strong asset.
Personal Characteristics
The right personality is critical to success in this role at MSM.
- A self‑starter with high energy, drive and a strong focus on delivering results, with the confidence to operate effectively in an empowered environment.
- A pragmatic, business‑oriented and hands‑on HR leader who can move beyond theory, translating ideas, frameworks and strategy into practical action, visible momentum and measurable business impact, while bringing the energy and credibility needed to complement MSM's dynamic and ambitious culture.
- Intellectually curious, with an interest in legal, regulatory and organisational matters, and comfortable using data, numbers and insight to support better people and business decisions.
- An inspiring and credible leader with the maturity and gravitas to operate at the most senior levels of the organisation, including the MSM Management Board and senior HR leadership across MS Amlin and MSIG Europe.
- A natural connector with strong interpersonal skills and a genuine commitment to teamwork, collaboration and relationship-building.
- Able to build trust quickly across cultures, functions and organisational layers.
- Comfortable challenging constructively, influencing senior stakeholders and helping the business navigate change.
- Resilient and balanced, with the judgment to manage sensitive topics with discretion, fairness and professionalism.
Leadership Competencies
Qualified candidates for this important position will need to demonstrate the following critical competencies:
- Collaboration and Influencing Skills. Demonstrates strong multicultural awareness and a proven ability to build successful partnerships across functions, entities and geographies. Able to communicate effectively in a dynamic, entrepreneurial environment and act as a credible 'internal consultant' to the MSM Management Board and senior leadership across MS Amlin. A key part of this role is strengthening collaboration between MSM and MSIG Europe on shared HR services and initiatives. The successful candidate will be able to build trust, create alignment and drive consensus around key decisions while maintaining a spirit of collaboration, mutual respect and shared purpose.
- Results Orientation. A reputation for strong results orientation and performance focus, with the analytical skills and business acumen to translate strategy into concrete, measurable action plans. This individual will have initiative, drive and personal commitment to get things done – not relying on large teams, but leading by example as a hands‑on, action‑oriented leader who tracks performance against targets and holds themselves and others accountable.
- Strategic Orientation. The ability to think long‑term across a broad spectrum of issues and to identify and pursue opportunities in the area of organisational development. Equipped with good business knowledge and a strategic mindset, this individual will combine strong strategic vision with outstanding skills in tactical execution, resourcefulness and a demonstrated ability to 'roll‑up their sleeves' when needed.
- Change Leadership. The ideal candidate must be familiar with, and should enjoy, bringing about change – starting with analysing the underlying factors, building a compelling case, and implementing with conviction and courage. Experience leading change in a group context, including navigating the interface between a subsidiary and a parent or partner organization, will be a clear differentiator.
- Commercial and Data‑Led Mindset. Able to use workforce data, business insight and market understanding to support better decisions on talent, succession, performance, engagement and organisational design. Comfortable using HR reporting to move conversations from activity tracking to business impact.
MSM offers a genuinely distinctive environment for an ambitious HR leader. This is a role with real scope and strategic influence – sitting on the senior leadership team, shaping the people agenda of a specialist business, and building bridges across a broader international group. In addition to a competitive salary and benefits package, MSM offers:
- A senior role with direct access to the Managing Director and Management Board and genuine influence over business direction beyond the HR function.
- An international working environment spanning multiple countries, with the support and resources of a broader group in MSIG Europe.
- A high degree of autonomy and empowerment to shape the HR function and make a tangible difference in an organization that values and invests in its people.
- A collaborative, specialist culture with a team of approximately 200 professionals who are leaders in their field.
- The opportunity to make a tangible difference in an organization that values expertise, client focus and continuous development.
€120000 - €180000 monthly