HR Generalist

Harmattan AI; Lausanne; Hybrid; CHF 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Harmattan AI is seeking an HR Generalist to act as the go-to HR contact for managers and teams in Crissier and Zurich. You will handle contract administration, onboarding, development, employee relations and compliance with Swiss employment law.

You will work closely with R&D leadership, manage payroll cycles, and ensure accurate social declarations while maintaining local policy alignment with Paris HR. Fluency in French and English is required; Swiss German is a plus for Zurich.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or equivalent in HR, law, management or related field.
• HR Manager certificate (Certificat de Gestionnaire RH, HRSE).
• 10+ years in generalist HR or HR Business Partner roles, ideally in an SME or scale-up.
• Strong knowledge of Swiss employment law and social insurance; experience with work permits (G, B, L) is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Partner with R&D and management to design organization
• Be the Swiss HR contact for Crissier and Zurich with regular visits
• Provide managers with operational HR answers grounded in Swiss law
• Communicate with teams to explain organizational changes and policies
• Ensure Swiss compliance across employee lifecycle (contracts, probation, leave, termination)
• Manage relations with cantonal authorities (Vaud and Zurich) and filings
• Oversee payroll coordination with provider and Finance
• Ensure timely social and tax declarations and manage benefits
• Handle onboarding, offboarding, and mobility for Crissier and Zurich
• Run HR metrics and maintain HRIS (HiBob)
• Oversee work permit applications (G, B, L) and related formalities
• Coordinate with Talent Acquisition on contracts and onboarding

Skills

HR leadership

Swiss law

Contract admin

Payroll coordination

HiBob

French

English

Swiss German (asset)

Education

Master's degree in HR/law/management

HR Manager certificate

Tools

HiBob

Reporting tools

Job description

About Us

Harmattan AI is a next-generation defense prime building autonomous and scalable defense systems. Following the close of a $200M Series B, valuing the company at $1.4 billion, we are expanding our teams and capabilities to deliver mission-critical systems to allied forces.

Our work is guided by clear values: building technologies with real-world impact, pursuing excellence in everything we do, setting ambitious goals, and taking on the hardest technical challenges. We operate in a demanding environment where rigor, ownership, and execution are expected.

About the Role

As HR Generalist, you are the go-to HR contact for managers and teams in Crissier and Zurich. You turn company priorities into concrete HR actions: contract administration, onboarding, development, employee relations and compliance with Swiss employment law.

Responsibilities

Manager & Employee Partnership

• Work in close collaboration with R&D management to support them in the design of the organization

• Act as the single HR contact for Switzerland: present daily in Crissier, and a reliable remote partner for Zurich with regular visits

• Give managers concrete, operational HR answers grounded in Swiss law, and address employee concerns promptly

• Communicate with the teams with pedagogy to support and explain the organization

Stay aligned with the Paris HR team and group policy while remaining locally compliant

Local Compliance & Employment Law

• Own compliance with Swiss employment law across the employee lifecycle (contracts, probation, working time, leave, termination) and adapt group contracts and HR policies to Swiss requirements

• Manage relations with cantonal labor and migration authorities (Vaud and Zurich): filings, registrations, inspections

• Handle employee representation obligations as headcount grows and keep leadership ahead of regulatory change

Payroll & Social Declarations

• Own the monthly payroll cycle with our provider and Finance: validate variable inputs (absences, overtime, bonuses, joiners, leavers) and cross-check payslips

• Ensure timely social and tax declarations and manage benefits (health, accident, pension)

HR Operations & Personnel Administration

• Manage individual employee situations end to end: disciplinary procedures, conflict resolution, sensitive cases

• Handle personnel administration (contracts, amendments, files, certificates), run absences in HiBob and produce HR metrics

• Own work permit applications (G, B,L) for foreign nationals joining Crissier and Zurich: file with the DGEM, follow up until approval, and handle related cantonal and residence formalities

Onboarding, Offboarding & Mobility

• Work with Talent Acquisition, who own recruitment: take over once an offer is accepted and run contracts, administration and onboarding for both sites

• Handle offboarding with correct Swiss formalities and clear handover

Candidate Requirements

• Master's degree or equivalent in HR, law, management or a related field

• HR Manager certificate (Certificat de Gestionnaire RH, HRSE)

• 10+ years in generalist HR or HR Business Partner roles, ideally in an SME or scale-up

• Strong knowledge of Swiss employment law and social insurance; experience with work permits (G, B, L) is a plus

Skills

• Credibility with managers and engineers; able to advise and decide

• Rigor, confidentiality, autonomy and a taste for building processes

• Comfort with an HRIS (HiBob) and reporting tools

Languages

• Fluent French and English; Swiss-German is an asset for Zurich

Nice to have

• Experience in defense, aerospace or deeptech, and with multi-site teams

We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at Harmattan AI.