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.