Badger Meter - Where Every Drop Counts and So Do You
At Badger Meter, we're more than a leading global water technology company - we're innovators with a mission: to preserve and protect the world's most precious resource. For over
120 years, our trusted solutions have enabled our customers to optimize the delivery and use of water, maximize revenue and reduce waste.
Every employee at Badger Meter is an important part of our success. Here, your work doesn't just move a business forward - it shapes a more sustainable future. We are committed to building a workplace where we celebrate differences, empower voices, and encourage fresh ideas that drive innovation.
When you join us, you'll find:
- Purpose-driven work that makes a real difference in communities around the globe.
- Career growth and development opportunities designed to help you achieve your potential.
- A supportive, inclusive culture where collaboration and creativity thrive.
Be part of something bigger. At Badger Meter, your contributions will ripple far beyond the workplace - creating lasting change for people and the planet.
What You Will Contribute:
The Global Human Resources Director provides strategic HR leadership for Badger Meter’s international business across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia as well as the SaaS function. This role serves as a key business partner to international and SaaS leadership, aligning people strategy with business priorities to strengthen organizational capability, leadership effectiveness, workforce planning, and employee engagement across a diverse, multi-country employee population.
Reporting to the
Executive Vice President, SaaS, Global Commercial & International Utility, this leader is responsible for shaping and executing an integrated international people strategy that supports growth, operational excellence, and a consistent
One Badger Meter employee experience. The role leads the international HR team and partners closely with business leaders to drive talent planning, succession, organizational design, employee engagement, leadership development, and culture initiatives, while ensuring compliance with local labor laws and company policies.
This position requires a leader who can operate as both a strategic advisor and a practical operator—balancing long-term talent and organizational priorities with day-to-day HR leadership across the international business.
Reports To: Executive Vice President, SaaS, Global Commercial & International Utility
Matrix Reporting: Dotted-line reporting to General Manager, Water Quality
Full-time, Exempt
Location: Milwaukee, WI (On-site)
Travel: 25%
Supervisory Responsibilities
This position has leadership responsibility for the international HR team.
Direct Reports:
- HR Manager, UK
- HR Manager, Austria
- HR Manager, Germany
Strategic Responsibilities
- Serve as the senior HR partner to international business leadership, ensuring people strategies are directly aligned with business objectives, growth priorities, and operational needs.
- Develop and execute a forward-looking international talent strategy that supports business performance, strengthens organizational capability, and prepares the organization for future growth.
- Lead workforce planning efforts in partnership with international leaders to anticipate talent needs, assess organizational capacity, identify capability gaps, and build action plans to address current and future business requirements.
- Drive robust succession planning and talent review processes across the international organization, ensuring strong leadership pipelines and readiness for key roles.
- Partner with leaders and HR Managers to identify and develop high-potential talent, create targeted development plans, and strengthen bench strength across functions and geographies.
- Assess organizational structure and team effectiveness, and provide recommendations on organizational design, role clarity, and capability alignment to improve performance and scalability.
- Use employee data, workforce metrics, and business insights to guide decision-making, track organizational health, and inform talent-related strategies and priorities.
- Champion a consistent One Badger Meter culture across international regions while thoughtfully balancing regional business needs and local market practices.
- Act as a change leader by supporting organizational transformations, leadership transitions, integration efforts, and evolving business strategies through proactive people planning and communication.
Key Responsibilities
Talent Acquisition and Workforce Strategy
- Partner with business leaders and regional HR managers to develop and execute recruiting strategies that attract, select, and retain high-caliber talent aligned to current and future business needs.
- Ensure recruitment, selection, and onboarding processes are effective, consistent, and aligned with Badger Meter’s standards and employer brand.
- Oversee strategic hiring plans for key and critical roles, including talent market considerations, internal mobility opportunities, and succession implications.
Talent Management and Leadership Development
- Execute talent review processes to assess performance, potential, readiness, and development needs across the international workforce.
- Partner with leaders and the Talent Development team to build development strategies for leaders and employees, including targeted learning, coaching, and capability-building initiatives.
- Coach international and SaaS leaders on performance management, leadership effectiveness, team development, and navigating complex people matters.
- Support creation of individual development plans for key talent and ensure follow-through on development actions.
Employee Engagement and Culture
- Lead the development and execution of employee engagement strategies and action plans across international locations, using survey results, employee feedback, and local insights to strengthen retention, morale, and organizational commitment.
- Partner with HR Managers and regional leaders to translate engagement findings into meaningful local action plans with clear ownership, accountability, and measurable outcomes.
- Foster a culture of inclusion, accountability, communication, and high performance that supports both employee experience and business results.
- Monitor organizational climate and proactively identify trends, risks, and opportunities related to engagement, retention, and culture.
Business Partnership and HR Leadership
- Provide strategic counsel to international and SaaS leaders on employee relations, change management, leadership challenges, organizational effectiveness, and workforce risks.
- Lead, develop, and align the international HR team to ensure consistent, high-quality HR support across all locations.
- Ensure HR practices across regions reflect both global consistency and local effectiveness, while maintaining compliance with country-specific employment laws and regulations.
Compensation, Policies, And Operational Excellence
- Partner with the Director of Total Rewards to support competitive and compliant compensation strategies, including pay positioning, incentives, and other reward elements.
- Collaborate with HR Managers to improve HR processes, leverage HR technology, and enhance operational efficiency across the international organization.
- Ensure regional HR policies and procedures are aligned with corporate standards while meeting local legal and regulatory requirements.
Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in Human Resources, Business, Psychology, or a related field
- Advanced degree or relevant HR certification preferred
Experience
- Minimum of 8–10 years of progressive HR experience in a global role, including significant strategic business partnership responsibility
- Demonstrated experience leading HR in a global or multi-country environment
- Prior experience leading HR teams required
- Experience in manufacturing or other operationally complex environments preferred
- Proven experience in talent planning, succession planning, organization design, employee engagement, and leadership coaching
Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities
- Strong business acumen with the ability to align HR strategy to business objectives
- Deep knowledge of HR practices and employment laws across Germany, Austria, the UK, and other European countries
- Experience with Workday or other HRIS platforms
- Strong executive presence and ability to influence senior leaders
- Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
- Demonstrated ability to lead through change and drive organizational effectiveness
- Strong coaching, facilitation, and relationship-building skills
- Analytical mindset with the ability to use data and insights to shape decisions
- Strong problem-solving, judgment, and conflict resolution skills
Success Profile
The ideal candidate is a strategic, globally minded HR leader who brings strong business partnership, organizational insight, and leadership credibility. This individual can translate business priorities into actionable people strategies, build strong leadership and talent pipelines, and create engagement and workforce plans that strengthen performance across international markets. They are equally comfortable influencing at the leadership table, leading a regional HR team, and driving disciplined execution across a complex international organization.
Competitive Total Rewards at Badger Meter:
- Competitive Pay
- Annual Bonus
- Eligible for Annual Pay Increases
- Comprehensive Health, Vision, and Dental Coverage
- 15 days Paid Time Off + 11 Paid Holidays
- Two Ways to Save for Retirement: Badger Meter contributes 25 cents for every dollar you contribute to the plan, up to 7% of your eligible compensation. In addition to the match, the company will also contribute 5% of your eligible compensation to your Defined Contribution account on an annual basis. Additional access to a certified financial planner to help ensure your money is working for you, at no cost!
- Employer Paid benefits including: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Basic Group Life Insurance, Short Term Disability, and more
- Educational Assistance – Tuition Reimbursement up to $5,250
- Voluntary benefits including: Additional Life Insurance, Long Term Disability, Accident and Critical Illness coverage
- Health Savings Account (HSA) & Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. This company considers candidates regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status. Applicants can learn more about their rights regarding equal opportunity in employment by viewing the federal "EEO is the Law" poster and the “EEO is the Law” poster supplement at http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/ofccpost.htm
Badger Meter complies with all aspects of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended by the ADA Amendments Act, and all applicable state or local disability laws. This means that we will reasonably accommodate qualified employees with a disability if accommodation would allow them to perform the essential functions of their job, unless doing so would create an undue hardship.
Privacy Statement
The Employee and Applicant Privacy Statement describes how we collect, use, share, retain, and safeguard applicant information. Please see the privacy statement on our website here.
