Interim Head of HR · Interim HR Business Partner · Consultant

Dr. André Emmermacher

Trust rocks!

Successful transformations and efficient action under uncertain conditions require trust.

I take over the HR leadership and shape the transformation of HR when a company wants to evolve or has to undergo fundamental change: carve-out, merger, restructuring, turnaround or rapid growth. I bring more than 20 years of HR experience in large corporations and mid-sized companies, including production environments. My expertise in German labor and collective bargaining law and my deep understanding of HR processes help to deliver results quickly and to solve problems pragmatically. The foundation is reliable, trust-based collaboration with everyone involved: management, leaders, employees and employee representatives.

Arrange a call Executive profile (PDF)

Available immediatelyOn site, hybrid or remote, unrestricted willingness to travel

Assignments in the DACH regionPreferably in German, my native language, as linguistic nuances often matter in HR work; English whenever needed

Profile and services

What you can count on.

Turnaround, Transformation & Carve-out/Merger

Supporting a turnaround; carving out, merging or newly founding companies and business units, including the HR process landscape, payroll and the structure of the HR department.

Labor Law & Co-determination

Negotiations with works councils and unions on works agreements, collective bargaining and social plans, proceedings at all court levels. Plus 14 years as an honorary labor court judge.

HR Processes

I know HR processes in detail, from hiring to payroll: first standardize and optimize, then digitalize, also with AI where it measurably helps.

150–12,500employees under my responsibility, from mid-sized companies to large corporate structures

approx. 10carve-outs and mergers supported operationally

14 yearshonorary labor court judge (2008–2022)

20+ yearsas HR Business Partner and Head of HR in mid-sized companies and corporations

I come when experience combined with a hands-on mentality is needed.

Carve-out, merger or transformation: making HR efficient, scalable and effective
Building the HR function from scratch, e.g. for spin-offs or after rapid growth
Switching to the business partner model
Building comprehensive and sustainable occupational health management

I come when professional HR work is needed in special situations.

Interim cover for the head of HR, including payroll and day-to-day operations
Acquisition or exit in a private equity environment
Recruiting initiatives, managing headhunters and temporary staffing
Restructuring with involvement of the works council and, where applicable, the union
Advising leaders on disciplinary measures and compliance cases
Building talent management and people development

Interim Head of HR

I am responsible for all operational HR work in the company and for the local implementation of strategic and, where applicable, global initiatives.

Interim HR Business Partner

As a sparring partner for management and leaders, I advise on conflicts, labor law questions and leadership issues.

Consultant

I advise and support HR departments in fulfilling their tasks.

Industries: energy and electrical engineering, mechanical and plant engineering, industrial and production environments in mid-sized companies (incl. private equity-owned) and large corporations.

Selected assignments

What I have achieved recently.

All assignments are anonymized. I am happy to share references in a personal conversation.

Metal and electrical industry · Private equity

Restructuring of the HR function

Mid-sized company · 05/2025 – 07/2026

A company with approx. €150 million revenue and 350 employees, a high order backlog and planned growth of approx. 20 %, whose HR work had not kept pace with its growth. My task: restructuring the HR department according to the business partner model, modernizing HR processes and HR IT tools, a recruiting initiative, later hiring a new head of HR and interim cover including payroll.

Key resultapprox. 100 hires · 24/7 shift system with works agreement · growth of approx. 20 % enabled

Show all results

Hiring and onboarding of approx. 100 employees
Introduction of a fully continuous shift system (3 shifts, 24/7) including a works agreement on working hours, to work off the backlog and realize the growth
Systematic health management introduced; absenteeism reduced by more than 5 % compared with the previous year
Business partner model in the HR department; future-proof and scalable work processes established
Talent management built, including an orientation center for talent retention and development

Reference: CEO of the company and CHRO of the entire group

Metal and electrical industry · Carve-out · Private equity

Building the HR department for a newly founded group

Group with approx. 2,100 employees in 6 countries · 03/2024 – 12/2024

A holding newly founded after a carve-out, without its own HR department, in a group with approx. €600 million revenue. My task: building the HR department from scratch including external payroll, leading a global HR program and simultaneously covering the roles of CHRO of the group, Head of HR Germany and Head of HR of the holding.

Key resultapprox. 35 hires within 6 months, mostly in leading positions · simultaneous interim cover in 3 HR roles · foundations for global HR work established

Show all results

Hiring and onboarding of approx. 35 employees in the holding, usually in leading functions (Sales, Controlling, Accounting, Communications, IT, Legal & Compliance)
Interim cover for the CHRO of the group and the HR Business Partner of the holding
Introduction of a Global Job Architecture in the group
HR reporting built, including the necessary works agreements with the German companies
Introduction of a global platform for Learning & Development

Reference: CEO and CHRO of the group

Mechanical and plant engineering · Sale process

Realignment of HR work

Group subsidiary with approx. 2,000 employees worldwide · 03/2023 – 12/2023

The planned sale of a group subsidiary with approx. €550 million revenue in a difficult economic environment, with inefficient HR work and a vacant Head of HR Germany. My task: realigning the HR department in Germany, optimizing time management, reviewing the transitional service agreement (TSA) with the parent group and securing day-to-day operations including payroll.

Key resultEfficiency of the HR department increased by 20 % while securing day-to-day operations · HR processes and tool landscape prepared for the merger with the buyer

Show all results

Job descriptions and task allocation in the HR department updated, for greater efficiency and a better distribution of the workload
Working time regulations harmonized at the 3 German sites, including the works agreements; essentially switched to trust-based working time
Unneeded or inadequate software licenses terminated and alternatives created, e.g. in recruiting and in the management of temporary workers
Selection and hiring of the Head of People & Organization Germany

Reference: CHRO of the company

Voices from collaboration

What others say about working with me.

We very much enjoyed working with Dr. André Emmermacher. His reliable way of working and his experience were a very good support for us in a challenging business situation.

CEOContact on request

André stands out for his great operational experience. He integrated seamlessly into the HR team and was valuable support in implementing the global HR strategy and restructuring an HR department in one of our group’s companies.

CHROContact on request

In no time, André got an overview of the team and immediately understood what we as a team needed from him. He built trust very quickly, and for me he was a coach and role model. I learned a lot from him.

AnnaHR Business Partner

About me

Psychologist, HR leader, negotiating partner.

I hold a doctorate in psychology and have worked in HR for more than 20 years: many years in leadership roles at Siemens and Siemens Energy, and since 2023 as a freelance interim manager. I know corporate structures as well as mid-sized companies, and I am as much at home on the shop floor as at the negotiating table with the works council.

Fourteen years as an honorary labor court judge and my time on the collective bargaining committee of the Association of the Saxon Metal and Electrical Industry have sharpened my view of both sides of the table. That is why I look for solutions that hold up legally and that people support.

One topic has accompanied me since the start of my career: people’s health at work. I wrote my doctorate on occupational health management, built health management in several companies, and taught and published in occupational health psychology at TU Dresden. This experience flows into every assignment, because healthy organizations change more easily.

Download the full CV (PDF)

2023 – 2026Freelance interim manager (eta Quadrat) in mid-sized companies
2020 – 2023Regional Head of HR, Siemens Energy
2015 – 2019Head of HR and HR Business Partner, Siemens AG, Region East
2012 – 2015Head of HR Saxony, Siemens AG
2010 – 2012Head of HR, Siemens VAI MT GmbH
2005 – 2010HR consulting, health management and projects, Siemens AG

Education Doctorate (summa cum laude), degree in psychology and degree in continuing education management, Technical University of Berlin

Teaching and honorary roles Lecturer at the Chair of Work and Organizational Psychology, TU Dresden (2015–2022) · Honorary labor court judge (2008–2022) · Collective bargaining committee VSME (2013–2015)

Languages German (native, preferred working language), English (fluent)

Network

Good work rarely happens alone.

These people and organizations are connected to me through shared work and an exchange I can rely on.

Project partners

Wais Management ConsultingProvider for interim management and executive search; joint assignments and trusted exchange
ProFiBuPartner for payroll outsourcing; joint implementation projects and professional exchange
ShyftplanPartner for digital shift planning; joint implementation projects in manufacturing

Exchange partners

JORRA, Stephan JorraInterim Executive; partner and close professional exchange
Christoph SimmPartner in personal exchange and in our joint podcast
Sonja KraußCoaching and consulting; partner for coaching and leadership development, personal exchange
Simone ElsnerSystemic business coaching; partner for coaching in change processes, personal exchange

Let’s talk.

Are you facing a challenge and need experienced support at short notice in HR leadership or other HR topics? Call me or write to me. An initial conversation is non-binding.

+49 163 54 81 847 andre.emmermacher@eta-quadrat.de LinkedIn profile

Available immediately · on site, hybrid or remote · assignments in the DACH region · based in Mühlenbeck near Berlin