HR Business Partner - Germany & Netherlands

People Partner - Germany & Netherlands

€65,000 - 75,000 + Benefits

Remote with travel to Berlin/Leipzig, Germany

Permanent

Our client is a global provider of pathway programmes, international education and student recruitment solutions in partnership with leading universities. The business operates in a multi-site, highly complex environment, with diverse employee populations and varied contractual arrangements. Germany and the Netherlands represent one of the fastest-growing areas of the business, with multiple campuses already established and further expansion planned over the coming years.

The role

This is a high-impact, standalone People Partner role that will join at a pivotal stage of growth. You'll take ownership of HR across Germany (primary focus) and the Netherlands, working closely with senior stakeholders to stabilise, build and evolve the people function. This is not a "business-as-usual" HR role. Instead, you'll step into an environment that has scaled quickly and now requires someone to:

• Assess what's in place
• Identify risks and gaps
• Build robust, compliant HR foundations
• Bring structure, governance and consistency

Over time, the role will evolve into a more strategic partnership, influencing workforce planning, engagement, and organisational development.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the lead People Partner for Germany and the Netherlands
• Build trusted relationships with Directors and senior leaders
• Provide expert guidance across the full employee lifecycle
• Review and "reset" HR frameworks, policies and processes
• Establish scalable, compliant HR operations across multiple campuses
• Ensure consistency across contracts, onboarding, performance and exits
• Partner closely with payroll and external providers
• Identify and mitigate risk in payroll and data processes
• Ensure alignment between HR data, payroll inputs and local regulations
• Provide expert guidance on German employment law (Arbeitsrecht)
• Handle complex ER cases with confidence and autonomy
• Proactively manage compliance risks (including works council considerations)
• Support rapid hiring and workforce planning
• Strengthen leadership capability and people management
• Drive initiatives that improve engagement and retention

Candidate profile

We're looking for a hands-on, resilient and highly credible HR professional who thrives in complexity and ambiguity.

You’ll likely bring:

• Strong experience as an HR Business Partner / People Partner in Germany
• Deep knowledge of German employment law and compliance
• Experience working in scaling, evolving or underdeveloped HR environments
• Exposure to payroll processes and working with external providers
• Confidence handling complex employee relations independently
• Experience in international or multi-site organisations
• Fluency in German and English

Highly desirable:

• Exposure to the Netherlands
• Experience with works councils (Betriebsrat)
• Backgrounds in sectors with complexity (e.g. healthcare, education, multi-site commercial environments)
• Dutch language

Ready to apply?

If you would like to be considered for this opportunity or have any questions, please apply or reach out to for more information.