People Operations Specialist (initial 6 month contract)

Navan; Berlin; On-site; EUR 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Navan in Berlin seeks a People Operations Specialist for the EMEA region focusing on the German market. You will own end-to-end HR lifecycle documentation, data integrity in Workday, and cross-functional governance to ensure compliance.

This is a 6-month contract with potential for extension. You will collaborate with Payroll, Legal, IT, and Security, triaging queries via Jira and maintaining regional templates and approvals.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years in HR Operations or shared services
• Fluent in English and German (written and spoken)
• Knowledge of German labor law and regional HR compliance
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent HR administration experience

Responsibilities

• First-Line Employee Support via Jira for EMEA queries with triage to experts
• Lifecycle Administration: contracts, addenda, reference letters, terminations with audit readiness
• Data & Systems Management: ensure data integrity in Workday across onboarding, changes and offboarding
• Operational Compliance: enforce guardrails with cross-functional approvals before system changes
• Cross-Functional Interface: coordinate with Payroll, IT, Legal, Security
• Continuous Improvement: update knowledge bases and policies based on trends

Skills

English-German bilingual

Data governance

HR systems (Workday)

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s in HR/BA

Tools

Jira

Workday

Job description

People Operations Specialist, EMEA delivers high-quality, consistent People support and operational governance across multiple countries within the EMEA region - focused on the German Market. This role acts as the central gatekeeper for the employee lifecycle, ensuring absolute data accuracy, rigorous documentation standards, and strict operational compliance.

The role focuses on efficient query management, comprehensive lifecycle documentation, and seamless cross-functional workflows. Working in close collaboration with the People Success Team. The Specialist acts as the dedicated operational shield, managing technical workflows so that Generalists and PSBPs can remain focused on strategic initiatives. The Specialist owns the maintenance of regional document templates, ensures proper approval chains are executed, and serves as the primary operational point of contact for critical stakeholders such as Payroll, Legal, Security, and IT.

This role adheres to established policies and processes and supports their consistent application, the Specialist actively ensures internal processes and compliance guardrails are strictly met.

Note on Contract Type: This is a temporary position on an initial 6-month contract. However, for the right candidate, there is a strong possibility for this role to be reviewed and transitioned into a permanent position based on performance and evolving business needs.

What You'll Do

• First-Line Employee Support: Act as the primary, solutions-focused point of contact for all EMEA People queries via Jira; triage and elevate complex issues to People Generalists or PBPs seamlessly.
• Lifecycle Administration: Draft, issue, and track all regional employee lifecycle documentation (contracts, addenda, reference letters, terminations) with 100% accuracy and strict audit readiness.
• Data & Systems Management: Own the end-to-end data integrity in Workday across the full employee lifecycle (onboarding, job changes, offboarding) and manage contingent worker administration and background checks.
• Operational Compliance & Governance: Enforce strict guardrails across HR workflows, ensuring all necessary cross-functional stakeholder approvals (Finance, Comp, Legal) are systematically secured before processing system changes.
• Cross-Functional Interface: Act as the primary operational pipeline to Payroll, IT, Legal, and Security, shielding Generalists and PBPs from routine administrative ticket-handling.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify recurring query trends or data gaps to optimize internal knowledge bases, updating policies and processes to elevate the overall employee experience.

What We’re Looking For

• Experience: 3–5 years of experience in HR Operations, People Coordination, or a similar shared-services role, ideally within a fast-paced, high-growth tech or multinational environment.
• Languages: Full professional fluency in both English and German (written and spoken) is required to effectively support our diverse regional workforce and external local authorities.
• Local Expertise: A strong, foundational understanding of German labor law and regional HR compliance compliance standards.
• Education & Background: A Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field; equivalent practical experience with a strong track record in regional HR administration will also be highly valued.
• Systems Savvy: Proven experience working with HRIS platforms (Workday proficiency is highly preferred) and ticketing systems (e.g., Jira) to manage workflows and maintain data integrity.
• Compliance & Accuracy: A compliance-driven mindset with a sharp attention to detail, a commitment to procedural governance, and a track record of delivering 100% accurate documentation.
• Customer-First Approach: Exceptional communication skills with a personalized, solutions-oriented approach to supporting employees.
• Execution & Ownership: A reliable self-starter who exercises strong judgment—knowing when to act independently to resolve routine queries and when to elevate complex issues.

Navan uses AI-assisted Automated Employment Decision Tool (Metaview) to assist with evaluating resumes against job qualifications for this role. All final decisions are made by human recruiters and hiring managers.

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