People Operations Manager DACH (m/w/d)

Job title: People Operations Manager DACH (m/w/d)

Location: Vienna (Hybrid) | Reports to: Head of People Operations | Scope: Austria & Germany, multiple legal entities

The role in a snapshot

Love making things work better - and making work better for people? Then let’s talk.

We are a tech-first scale-up, and our People Operations team runs like one. As People Operations Manager DACH, you will own HR operations for Austria and Germany across multiple legal entities. You are the go-to person for employees and managers and the one who keeps contracts, payroll inputs and policies spot-on. Beyond the day-to-day, we are excited to see you implement your own ideas for automation and improvements, or join existing initiatives we run to streamline our day-to-day and drive operational excellence. You will team up with our Head of People Operations, our People Systems & Payroll Specialist and P&O colleagues across all our markets.

Employee relations & compliance

• Be the trusted voice on employee relations and labour-law compliance in Austria and Germany across multiple legal entities, pulling in internal and external legal counsel when it counts.
• Be the first stop for P&O questions from employees and managers across our Austrian and German entities - with answers people actually understand.
• Coach managers on P&O policies and procedures, so doing the right thing becomes the easy thing.
• Bring group P&O policies to life locally, create DACH-specific ones where needed, and be our partner to the Works Council.
• Be the DACH point of contact for internal and external audit

Employee lifecycle, contracts & payroll

• Own the full employee lifecycle - onboarding, contract changes, leave and offboarding - and make every step feel smooth.
• Own employment contracts, amendments and templates for our DACH entities, in line with the applicable collective agreements (KV).
• Own the monthly DACH payroll inputs: prepare and validate the variables (joiners and leavers, contract changes, absences, commissions), and get them into Deel before cut-off. You are also the payroll backup for our People Systems & Payroll Specialist.
• Keep time & attendance, leave data and local benefits in great shape.
• Keep DACH employee data in Deel accurate and complete - the foundation everything else runs on.

Talent, culture & engagement

• Advise our Talent Acquisition team on local hiring practice (contract types, KV classification, salary minimums) and steer relocation and work-permit cases with our external partners.
• Run exit interviews, find the patterns and turn them into action plans that keep great people with us.
• Help shape group P&O initiatives such as performance reviews, people development and compensation reviews.
• Be a Culture Ambassador: organize office events and engagement activities together with our Global Facilities Manager.

Process excellence & projects

• Make things run better: pick up automation and process-excellence projects - from smarter workflows to AI-supported tools - and bring your own ideas. We love new ones.
• Lead P&O projects from concept to go-live, bringing stakeholders from across the business along.

What you will bring

• At least 2-3 years of HR operations experience in Austria, including employee relations and working with a Works Council. Experience in Germany is a big plus.
• Solid knowledge of Austrian labour law and collective agreements (KV), plus working knowledge of German labour law.
• Hands-on preparatory payroll experience in Austria; Personalverrechnung know-how is a plus.
• Experience with Deel or a comparable HRIS, and you are at home in Excel / Google Sheets.
• Curious about tech: we are a tech-first startup, and you enjoy trying new (AI) tools - and building better ways of working yourself.
• A strong communicator in German and English, written and spoken.
• A trusted, pragmatic partner to managers: hands-on in day-to-day operations, with sound judgement on when to escalate.
• A passion for employee experience
• Experience leading HR projects from concept to implementation across different stakeholder groups, such as new tools or policy roll-outs.
• Comfortable working with group P&O colleagues to bring policies and programs to life locally.
• Committed to a positive and inclusive workplace, championing DEI and engagement.
• Data-literate: you use HR metrics like turnover and absence to spot issues early and propose improvements.

If that sounds like you, we are looking forward receiving your application incl. your CV.