People Operations Manager (m/f/d)

Polarise; Düsseldorf; Hybrid; EUR 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Polarise is seeking an experienced HR/People Operations professional to partner across the employee lifecycle, from onboarding to offboarding. You will prepare contracts, amendments, references, and other employment documents while maintaining personnel files and HR systems.

You will handle payroll interfaces, coordinate absences, international assignments, and support audits. Fluency in German (C2) and strong English, plus at least two years in a similar role, are required.

Qualifications

• At least two years in an operational HR or People Operations role.
• Experience creating and managing employment-related documentation.
• Knowledge of payroll preparation and payroll-related processes.
• Strong understanding of German employment law.
• Structured, detail-oriented and self-driven.
• Proficient with HR systems, ideally Personio.
• Fluent German (C2) and strong English skills.
• Willing to travel to Düsseldorf 1–3 times per quarter for 1–2 days and reside in Germany.

Responsibilities

• Support employees through onboarding to offboarding.
• Prepare employment contracts, amendments, certificates, and references.
• Maintain and manage personnel files and HR systems.
• Prepare payroll data and interface with external payroll provider.
• Coordinate absences, parental leave and other employee topics.
• Organise international assignments and secondments.
• Support audits, HR reporting, and process improvement.
• Act as a point of contact for administrative HR questions.
• Optionally support recruiting activities and applicant management.

Skills

German employment law

German language (C2)

English language (strong)

Structured, detail-oriented

HR systems experience

Tools

Personio

Job description

Your mission

• You support employees throughout the entire employee lifecycle, from onboarding to offboarding.
• You prepare employment contracts, contract amendments, certificates, employment references and other employment-related documentation.
• You maintain and manage personnel files and HR systems.
• You prepare payroll-related data and act as the interface to our external payroll provider.
• You coordinate and manage absences, parental leave, maternity protection matters, and other employee-related topics.
• You organize and administer international assignments and secondments.
• You support audits, HR reporting, and the continuous improvement of operational HR processes.
• You serve as a point of contact for employees regarding administrative and employment-related questions.
• Optionally, you support recruiting activities and applicant management.

Your profile

• You have at least two years of experience in an operational HR or People Operations role.
• You have experience creating and managing employment-related documentation.
• You possess knowledge of payroll preparation and payroll-related processes.
• You have a strong understanding of German employment law.
• You work in a structured, detail-oriented, and self-driven manner.
• You are confident using HR systems, ideally Personio.
• You are fluent in German (C2 level) and have strong English language skills.
• You are willing to travel to Düsseldorf one to three times per quarter for one to two days at a time and maintain a primary residence in Germany to facilitate regular on-site collaboration.

Ideally, you also bring

• Experience supporting international employees and a solid understanding of international assignments and secondments.
• Experience working with international payroll providers.
• Previous experience in a fast-growing, international company environment.
• An interest in digitalization, process optimization, and modern HR technologies.
• Experience optimizing, standardizing, or improving HR processes.
• Initial experience with HR analytics, reporting, or the automation of HR processes.

Why us?

• Meaningful Impact: Help shape the story of one of Europe’s most exciting AI infrastructure companies from an early stage and contribute to strengthening Europe’s technological independence in the field of AI.
• Build, Don’t Just Maintain: Join a fast-growing organization and actively contribute your ideas to the development of our People and Recruiting processes. You will help build modern, scalable HR structures that have a lasting impact on our company culture and employee experience.
• Remote-First Working Model: Work in a way that helps you truly balance your professional, family, and personal life.
• Thoughtful Onboarding: Benefit from a structured onboarding plan, a welcome package, and all the equipment you need to be successful in your role from day one.
• Scaling team: Join a growing People&Culture team that values collaboration, trust, and continuous learning. Together, we establish clear responsibilities, implement best practices, and continuously improve how we work as a team and support the wider organization.
• Learning and Development Opportunities: We support your professional and personal growth through regular feedback, new challenges, and tailored learning and development opportunities. This enables you continuously expand your expertise while growing alongside the company.
• Attractive Benefits: Enjoy employee discounts and exclusive offers with a wide range of brands and providers, JobRad bike leasing, contributions to your company pension plan and Germany ticket, as well as the opportunity to work temporarily from other EU countries. As a growing scale-up, we continuously evolve and expand our benefits offering.