HR director recruitment agency and headhunters
your next HR director, in good hands.
We combine our data, our sector experts and our AI algorithms to identify the headhunter most relevant to your role, from an HR director in a mid-market company to a CHRO in a group.
- no setup fees, pay on hire
- guaranteed replacement
they hire their HR director with muzzo
how do you hire an HR director through a recruitment agency?
An HR director sits on the management board and owns HR strategy, employee relations and organisation transformation. Muzzo gives your role to the headhunters who hire the most HR directors: they check that employee relations work well before bringing you anyone. Fee of 5 to 30%, paid on hire. Leaves within 3 months: we restart the search free.
how it works
you only pay if you hire
01
you describe the role
Using the form above: the role, your company, the remit. The rest is scoped in your first talk with the Muzzo team.
02
our data chooses the headhunters
Our AI picks those who hire the most HR directors, from more than 2,500 selected headhunters.
03
you meet the best profiles
Approached and qualified by headhunters who are HR experts. You choose who you see.
04
you hire, then you pay
Not before. If the new hire leaves within 3 months, we restart the search at no cost.
they hired with muzzo
Muzzo's strength is the diversity of its recruiters: there is always someone listening to our needs.
With Muzzo, I get the reactivity of a marketplace and the quality of a search firm.
let's talk about your hire
Antoine and the Muzzo team help you scope your role and choose the right headhunters. Describe your role in the form: we'll call you back to discuss it.
Antoine GigomasCEO and co-founder of Muzzo
one last question?
With Muzzo, you set the fee between 5 and 30%, and you only pay it on hire: no deposit, no fixed fees. An HR director building a first function and a CHRO running multiple countries don't take the same search. The fee follows that difficulty, and the Muzzo team helps you set it.
You have double cover. If the new hire leaves within 3 months, say because the real remit doesn't match the brief, we restart the search at no cost. If we find no replacement within 4 months, we refund 50% of fees. On average, 94% of Muzzo hires are still in post after 3 months.
HR headhunters are ready to start
A hire signed in under 26 days, pay only when you hire.
the reality
an HR director is judged by the organisation they leave behind
a good HR director is on the management board, not on job boards
They own HR strategy, run works council meetings and advise the CEO. They aren't looking for a job. An HR headhunter knows when and how to approach them.
the title covers very different remits
An HR director in a mid-market company often builds the function alone, while an HR director in a group leads site or country HR managers and may become CHRO. The headhunter starts from the actual remit, not the title.
a hiring mistake shows up in employee relations
Failed negotiations, turnover rising, works council in conflict. The headhunter checks employee relations files and reorganisations already led before bringing anyone to you.
the roles
the HR director profiles our headhunters go after for you
From a first HR direction to CHRO of a group, each search goes to a headhunter who has already hired that profile.
HR director in a mid-market company
They build the HR function in a growing company: pay policy, recruitment, first employee agreements. Often the first HR director of the organisation.
group HR director
They lead HR managers across sites or subsidiaries, align policies and handle negotiations with central bodies.
employee relations director
They lead dialogue with the works council and unions, negotiate company agreements and manage tough situations.
HR director for transformation and organisation
They drive a reorganisation, team merger or HR tool change, alongside day-to-day management.
pay and benefits director
They build the pay scale, variable pay envelopes and benefits, and prepare management board budget trade-offs.
CHRO
They own HR strategy across a multi-country or multi-brand group, sit on the executive committee and lead multiple HR directors.
the method
an HR headhunter, not an agency that does everything
An HR director is hired for the organisation they must build or fix, not a skills list. The method starts from that remit.
we define the HR director's remit
Build a first HR function, fix employee relations, drive transformation: the brief describes the remit and to whom the HR director reports.
a headhunter who hires HR directors
From more than 2,500 selected headhunters, your role goes to those who hire the most in HR direction.
real employee relations files checked before interview
The headhunter asks the profile to detail a negotiation, reorganisation or pay plan they led, and checks with references what they actually owned.
the figures
an HR director's salary in figures
source: Apec, managerial pay in the private sector across 111 job families, 2025 edition, p. 106 (HR direction) (opens a new window), 2025 data
source: Apec, managerial pay in the private sector across 111 job families, 2025 edition, p. 106 (HR direction) (opens a new window), 2025 data
source: Apec, managerial pay in the private sector across 111 job families, 2025 edition, p. 106 (HR direction) (opens a new window), 2025 data
hiring an HR director: what you need to know
why use a headhunter to hire an HR director?
The HR director owns HR strategy, employee relations and often an organisation transformation: they sit on the management board and advise the CEO on matters that touch the whole company. Good profiles are in post, busy with a negotiation or project, and don't answer job ads.
An HR headhunter knows how to reach them and ask the right questions: what remit, what team, what employee relations cases already led. This page covers the HR director on the management board; for a more operational role, see our HR manager page.
HR director or HR manager: what's the difference?
The HR manager runs day-to-day recruitment, payroll and admin for a site or PME, often with a small team. The HR director owns HR strategy for the company, negotiates with the works council and joins management board decisions.
A growing company often moves from HR manager to HR director when employee relations become permanent or a reorganisation kicks in. Describe this move in the brief: it sets the profile level you're after.
how do you assess an HR director at interview?
The CV lists HR projects and qualifications. The interview needs to show something else: the ability to hold an unpopular decision before the works council, and build a compromise that lasts.
A real case works well: an agreement to renegotiate, a clash between two unions, the HR director argues their position. The headhunter does this first screen before bringing anyone, and checks with references the employee relations files they actually led.
which HR director to hire by company size and stage?
A mid-market company structuring HR for the first time needs an HR director who can lay down foundations: pay policy, first agreements, tools. A group needs an HR director who leads site or country HR managers and sometimes becomes CHRO.
Pay follows size: according to Apec, the median rises from €76k in companies below 250 employees to €94k above. Decide the level in the brief before you talk salary, not the other way round.
how do you hire an HR director to handle employee relations or transformation?
A tough negotiation or reorganisation changes what you want from an HR director: they must keep a negotiation timeline, manage team uncertainty and stay credible before representatives. Not all HR directors have been through this.
The headhunter checks if the profile has led a tough negotiation or organisation change, and how they handled the pressure of the bargaining calendar. According to Apec, an HR director in the Paris region earns €95k median, against €79k elsewhere: labour market size matters for this role too.
your questions about hiring an HR director
According to Apec, HR directors earn €60k gross median a year before 35, then €95k after 45 (2025 edition). Experience weighs heavily on this role.
Yes. According to Apec, HR directors earn €95k gross median a year in the Paris region, against €79k in other regions (2025 edition).
Very much. According to Apec, the median is €76k in companies below 250 employees, against €94k above that (2025 edition): the gap is close to the age effect.
The HR director owns HR strategy, employee relations and sits on the management board. The HR manager runs day-to-day recruitment, payroll and admin for a site or PME. For a more operational role, see our HR manager page.
Yes, it's a common remit. Set out the project in the brief: reorganisation, team merge, new HR tools. Our headhunters check with references that a similar project was already led.