German HR Operations Lead: Payroll & Compliance

The People Services & Solutions team delivers consistent and compliant HR services across multiple countries. Working closely with Global HR and regional teams, we support employees and managers while continuously improving HR processes and systems.

In this role, you will support our German legal entity and contribute to HR services across the EMEA region. You will be the primary contact for all HR administration and employee lifecycle matters and will coordinate outsourced payroll processing for Germany. The role requires strong knowledge of German labour law and payroll compliance, as well as the ability to work independently in an international environment.

This role can be based in Germany or Edinburgh (UK). While the primary focus remains on Germany, we are open to candidates based in Edinburgh who bring strong German HR expertise and fluency in the German language.

• Act as the primary contact for all HR administration matters, working with internal stakeholders and external counterparts including authorities and service providers
• Manage HR administration across the full employee lifecycle (onboarding to offboarding)
• Prepare and manage employee documentation and maintain compliant personnel files
• Maintain accurate, legally compliant employee data in our HRIS, ensuring data integrity, confidentiality, and compliance with GDPR and applicable German labour and statutory requirements
• Coordinate and oversee end-to-end payroll processing, including preparation, validation, and reconciliation activities, in close cooperation with external payroll providers, ensuring accuracy and compliance with all German statutory requirements
• Ensure compliance with German labour law, payroll regulations, statutory deadlines, and internal HR policies
• Serve as a first point of contact for employees, providing HR advisory and support through the HR ticketing system to ensure consistent and timely solutions
• Manage relationships with external vendors (e.g., payroll providers, benefits partners) and coordinate with statutory authorities to ensure compliance and timely service delivery.
• Lead process optimization efforts and support HR projects and initiatives that enhance operational efficiency and the employee experience
• Liaise with the regional HR operations contact for alignment, escalation management, and consistent delivery across the region
• Collaborate with HR colleagues across EMEA and globally to deliver consistent and compliant HR support