HR Manager

Key Responsibilities

Strategic HR Partnership

• Act as a trusted advisor to plant leadership and management teams.
• Align HR strategies with business objectives, operational priorities, and workforce planning requirements.
• Support organizational design, restructuring, and workforce optimization initiatives.
• Provide coaching and guidance to managers on leadership, employee engagement, and performance management.

Employee & Labor Relations

• Manage complex employee relations matters, including disciplinary actions, grievances, performance issues, and investigations.
• Ensure compliance with German labour law and internal company policies.
• Develop and maintain constructive relationships with Works Councils (Betriebsrat) and employee representatives.
• Lead consultations and negotiations relating to organizational changes, restructuring, working time arrangements, and policy implementation.
• Coordinate external legal counsel where required.

Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning

• Lead end-to-end recruitment activities for salaried and production positions.
• Partner with hiring managers to identify workforce requirements and succession needs.
• Develop strategies to attract and retain skilled manufacturing talent.

Performance & Talent Management

• Drive the annual performance management process.
• Identify talent, succession planning, and development opportunities.
• Support leadership development and employee career progression initiatives.
• Facilitate training programs and organizational capability-building activities.

Compensation & Benefits

• In liaison with corporate, administer salary review, bonus, and incentive programs.
• Partner with corporate compensation and benefits on market benchmarking and compensation recommendations.
• Ensure internal equity and compliance with applicable regulations.
• Support implementation of pay transparency and equality initiatives.

HR Operations & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with German employment legislation, social security requirements, and company policies.
• Oversee employee lifecycle processes including hiring, onboarding, transfers, promotions, and separations.
• Maintain accurate HR records and data reporting in HRIS systems.
• Monitor and analyze HR metrics including turnover, absenteeism, productivity, and employee engagement.

Payroll Responsibilities

• Manage and coordinate the end-to-end monthly payroll process for employees in Germany, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with applicable tax, social security, labour, and statutory requirements.
• Act as the primary liaison with external payroll providers, finance teams, and relevant government authorities to ensure payroll is processed correctly and in accordance with legal requirements.
• Review and validate payroll data, including salary changes, bonuses, shift premiums, overtime, allowances, absences, and termination payments.
• Ensure statutory deductions, tax withholdings, social insurance contributions, and employee benefits are accurately calculated and administered.
• Support payroll audits and maintain payroll records, documentation, and reporting in compliance with company policies and data privacy requirements, including GDPR.
• Manage payroll-related employee inquiries and provide clear guidance on pay, deductions, benefits, and statutory entitlements.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory changes impacting payroll and recommend process updates to ensure ongoing compliance.
• Partner with Finance to support payroll reconciliations, accruals, budgeting, and workforce reporting requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance payroll accuracy, efficiency, controls, and employee experience.
• Ensure confidentiality and security of employee compensation and personal data at all times.

Change Management

• Support business transformation and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead HR aspects of reorganizations, and site changes when required.
• Develop communication and employee engagement plans during periods of change.

Health, Safety & Wellbeing

• Partner with EHS and operational leaders to promote a safe working environment.
• Support employee wellbeing initiatives and occupational health programs.
• Participate in return-to-work, accommodation, and absence management processes.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Law, Psychology, or related field.
• Master's degree or HR certification preferred.

Experience

• 7-10 years of progressive Human Resources experience.
• Minimum 3 years in a manufacturing, industrial, aerospace, automotive, chemicals, or engineering environment.
• Demonstrated experience working with German Works Councils.
• Experience managing employee relations and labor law matters in Germany.
• Experience supporting organizational change and restructuring programs.

Knowledge & Technical Skills

• Strong knowledge of German employment law and industrial relations.
• Understanding of collective bargaining agreements and co-determination requirements.
• Experience with HRIS systems.
• Knowledge of compensation and benefits practices.
• Strong project management and organizational skills.

Leadership Competencies

• Business acumen.
• Strong influencing and negotiation skills.
• Excellent stakeholder management capabilities.
• High level of integrity and professionalism.
• Ability to manage sensitive and confidential information.
• Results-oriented with strong problem-solving skills.

Language Requirements

• Fluent German and English required.
• Additional European languages are advantageous.

Key Success Measures

• Employee engagement and retention levels.
• Effective management of employee relations issues.
• Successful Works Council collaboration and negotiations.
• Recruitment and time-to-fill metrics.
• Compliance with labour legislation and company policies.
• Leadership capability development.
• Achievement of diversity, talent, and succession objectives.

Working Environment

• Manufacturing and office-based environment.
• Regular presence on the production floor.
• Occasional domestic and international travel.
• Ability to work effectively with both hourly and salaried employee populations.