Fractional People Operations Specialist

People Operations Specialist (Contract)

Location: Berlin, Germany
Employment Type: Freelance / Contract (12-month fixed-term)
Department: HR

Role Overview

As People Operations Specialist for Germany & Eastern Europe, you will play a critical role in stabilizing and elevating People Operations across the Eastern Europe and DACH cluster during an upcoming maternity leave period. You will work hand-in-hand with the Senior People Operations Specialist, owning and executing the day-to-day operational lifecycle of employees in Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. This is a high-trust, high-autonomy role for someone who thrives in multi-country complexity, partners credibly with People Business Partners and external providers, and brings discipline and care to every contract, payslip and HRIS record.

Key Responsibilities

Employee Lifecycle Management (DE, AT, BG, PL, HU, RO, CZ, NL)

• Manage day-to-day employee lifecycle activities across Germany and Eastern European countries, including onboarding, contract changes, leave administration, and offboarding
• Draft and review local-language and English employment contracts, contract amendments and supplementary agreements, partnering with external legal/tax providers where applicable
• Maintain accurate employee records and HRIS data, ensuring a high standard of data integrity and employee experience
• Support employees and managers with HR-related inquiries, policies, documentation, and operational processes

Payroll & Vendor Coordination

• Partner with external payroll providers to support accurate and timely payroll processing across assigned countries
• For Germany and Austria: critically review test payslips, apply the four-eyes principle with the Senior People Operations Specialist, and ensure full accuracy before sign-off, including variable compensation, statutory deductions and benefits-in-kind
• Prepare and validate payroll inputs, including new hires, terminations, compensation changes, bonuses, and leave-related updates
• Support payroll-related employee inquiries and collaborate closely with Finance and external vendors

Compliance & Reporting

• Support compliance with local labor laws, policies, and employment documentation requirements, particularly within Germany
• Assist with audits, statutory reporting, and required employee documentation
• Help maintain compliant and scalable People Operations processes across the region

HRIS Data & Administration

• Maintain accurate employee data and documentation within the HRIS system, ensuring records remain current and audit-ready
• Support HRIS transactions and employee lifecycle updates, including hires, job changes, leave management, and terminations
• Monitor data quality and resolve discrepancies related to employee records, time-off balances, and payroll inputs
• Generate and support reporting requests for People, Finance, and leadership stakeholders as needed

Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve People Operations processes, workflows, and documentation across the region
• Contribute to the development of scalable and efficient operational practices that enhance the employee experience
• Support process standardization and knowledge-sharing initiatives across the EU People Operations team

Required Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in People / HR Operations, ideally with multi-country EU exposure and a strong focus on Germany
• Solid hands-on experience with German labor law, contract drafting and German payroll preparation/verification; familiarity with Austrian payroll and labor law strongly preferred
• Working knowledge of at least two of: Polish, Hungarian, Romanian, Czech or Dutch HR/payroll requirements (typically via external providers)
• Experience managing external payroll, tax and legal providers (e.g., DATEV, Rödl, Vetax, Crowe, Libraconsult, DEEL) and/or operating an EOR relationship
• Proficiency with HRIS platforms; direct experience with HiBob (Bob) is strongly preferred
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills, with the ability to manage many concurrent priorities across countries and time zones without losing accuracy
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills in both English and German (written and verbal); additional EU languages are a plus

Additional Notes

Resumes/CVs should be submitted in English, as it is the primary business language across teams and regions. This is a 12-month fixed-term contract role. The company values diversity and encourages applications from candidates who may not tick every box but are excited about the role and believe they could grow into it.