At Cytokinetics, each team member plays an integral part in advancing our mission to improve the lives of patients. We are seeking tenacious, compassionate, and collaborative individuals who are driven to make a positive impact. The_ _Interim Director, HR Business Partner Southern Europe serves as the strategic HR partner for Italy and Iberia, supporting the company's first EU commercial launch planned for 2026-2027. Reporting to the Head of HR, Europe with dotted line to VP, GM Italy, this role is responsible for shaping and executing the full end-to-end HR agenda for the region, ensuring organizational readiness, leadership capability, and cultural alignment as the business scales. This position operates within a newly evolving European HR operating model and works in close partnership with business leaders, the European HR team, and global HR Centers of Excellence (CoEs) to deliver consistent, high-impact people solutions while addressing local market needs. - Please Note: This role is as 1-year temporary assignment_ Responsibilities - Serve as the primary HR partner and steward of the full HR agenda for Southern Europe, ensuring alignment with European and global business objectives. - Partner with senior business leaders to drive performance, organizational capability, and commercial launch readiness, providing strategic counsel through periods of growth and change. - Act as a trusted advisor to leaders, influencing decision-making and reinforcing the desired leadership culture and ways of working. - Co-own and drive talent, organizational effectiveness, and culture-building initiatives aligned with European and global HR strategy. - Lead workforce planning, organizational design, role creation, and headcount planning to support near - and long-term business growth. - Support succession planning, leadership development, and long-term talent strategies to ensure leadership continuity and bench strength. - Own staffing plans and recruiting pipeline quality for the Italy and Iberia regions, partnering closely with Talent Acquisition and HR Centers of Excellence to deliver high-quality hiring outcomes. - Participate in hiring decisions for critical and leadership roles, ensuring alignment with capability, culture, and future-state organizational needs. - Lead annual performance management processes, including goal setting, performance reviews, calibration, and development planning. - Manage salary and bonus cycles in alignment with regional reward frameworks and corporate guidelines. - Coach managers on performance planning, career development, and effective leadership behaviors, building leadership capability across the organization. - Ensure consistent deployment of HR systems, policies, reward programs, and people processes in alignment with European and corporate standards, while addressing local requirements. - Implement and sustain HR initiatives delivered by HR Centers of Excellence, ensuring effective adoption and change management at the local level. - Contribute to European and global HR projects and cross-functional initiatives, representing Southern Europe business needs and perspectives. - Develop and execute the annual HR Business Plan aligned with European HR priorities and business objectives. - Provide support for HR administration management as required, ensuring compliance, efficiency, and a positive employee experience. Qualifications - 10 years of progressive HR Business Partner or HR Generalist experience with increasing scope, complexity, and leadership responsibility. - Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field; advanced degree (Master's or MBA) preferred. - Biopharmaceutical or pharmaceutical industry experience strongly preferred, ideally within a commercial environment. - Proven success as a strategic HR partner in a build-out, scale-up, or first-market commercial launch environment. - Demonstrated experience partnering effectively with HR Centers of Excellence in a global, matrixed organization. - Deep knowledge of Italian and Spanish labor law, and works council engagement; experience supporting Italy-and Spain based employee populations required. - Strong consulting, communication, and influencing skills, with the ability to operate credibly with senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders. - Experience operating across multiple countries and cultures, with sensitivity to regional and local market dynamics. - Strong business acumen with the ability to translate business strategy into people and organizational solutions. - Demonstrated change leadership capability, including experience leading organizations through growth, transformation, or ambiguity. - Experience leveraging HR systems and tools, such as HRIS (e.g., Workday or equivalent), performance management and talent platforms, compensation planning tools, and workforce analytics, to inform decision-making, ensure compliance, and drive scalable people processes. -