HR Generalist

Job Description

HR Generalist – Global Business Services (Finance BSC)

Role Overview

The HR Generalist supports the Global Business Services (GBS) Finance organization by delivering a balanced mix of operational and strategic HR support in a fast-paced shared services environment. The role partners closely with managers and employees across the Finance Business Services Center in Costa Rica while collaborating with peer hubs in Kuala Lumpur and Prague to ensure alignment of people practices across global operations.

While the position includes a strong operational component, the HR Generalist is also expected to contribute to organizational initiatives such as transformations, workforce planning, change management, and leadership support. The role requires the ability to operate in a matrixed global environment, supporting a diverse employee population and partnering with senior stakeholders located outside Costa Rica.

Key Responsibilities:

HR Partnership & Employee Support

• Provide day-to-day HR support to managers and employees within the Finance Business Services organization.

• Serve as a trusted HR advisor to leaders on people matters including employee engagement, performance management, talent development, and workforce planning.

• Support leaders in managing team dynamics, organizational changes, and people-related challenges in a complex shared service environment.

Operational HR & Employee Lifecycle Management

• Manage key HR processes across the employee lifecycle including onboarding, employee transitions, performance processes, promotions, and exits.

• Partner with HR Centers of Excellence (Talent, Compensation, Learning, Employee Relations) and HR shared services to ensure smooth execution of HR programs.

• Support employee relations matters, ensuring compliance with company policies and local labor legislation.

Transformation & Organizational Change

• Support organizational initiatives such as business transformations, process optimization, and operating model evolution within the GBS environment.

• Assist leaders in implementing organizational changes, including team restructuring, role redesign, and workforce adjustments.

• Contribute to change management efforts to ensure smooth adoption of new processes and organizational models.

Global Stakeholder Engagement

• Partner with managers across multiple geographies, including leadership teams in Costa Rica and counterparts in Kuala Lumpur and Prague.

• Facilitate alignment across hubs to ensure consistency in HR practices, workforce management, and employee experience.

• Build strong working relationships with senior leaders and provide guidance on people strategy execution.

Data-Driven HR Insights

• Leverage HR metrics and workforce analytics to support decision-making on topics such as attrition, engagement, headcount planning, and talent pipelines.

• Identify trends and recommend actions to improve workforce effectiveness and employee experience.

Shared Services Environment Enablement

• Support the continuous evolution of the GBS model by helping leaders navigate a highly operational, service-driven environment.

• Contribute to initiatives aimed at improving efficiency, standardization, and service delivery across the global finance hubs.

Qualifications & Experience

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, or a related field.

Experience

• 2 to 5 years of experience in Human Resources, preferably within shared services, global business services, or multinational environments.

• Advanced level of English.

• Experience supporting large and diverse employee populations in operational or services-based organizations.

• Exposure to organizational transformations, change management, or operating model shifts is strongly preferred.

• Experience working with global stakeholders and geographically dispersed teams.

Key Competencies

• Ability to balance operational HR execution with strategic thinking.

• Strong stakeholder management skills, including comfort interacting with senior leaders and global teams.

• Experience operating in complex, matrixed organizations.

• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills with a data-driven mindset.

• Excellent communication and influencing skills in at least English and Spanish.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced shared service environment.

• High level of cultural awareness and ability to collaborate across regions.

Working Relationships

• Finance Business Services leadership team

• Global Business Services HR partners

• HR Business Partners

• HR Centers of Excellence (Talent, Total Rewards, ER/LR, Learning)

• Global hub counterparts (Kuala Lumpur and Prague)

Required Skills:

Accountability, Adaptability, Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), Employee Relationship Management, HR Analytics, HR Automation, HR Best Practices, HR Documentation, HR Reporting, HR Systems Implementation, Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS), Human Resources (HR) Auditing, Human Resources (HR) Technology, Human Resources Analytics, Human Resources Processes, Legal Regulatory Compliance, Recruiting Processes, Talent Management

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

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Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

No Travel Required

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

no

Job Posting End Date:

04/22/2026

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.