Global Hr Operations Manager - German/Portuguese Expert

Adidas Group; Lisboa; Hybrid; EUR 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work policy

Workcation up to 60 days a year

Office snacks & beverages

Team events

Job summary

Usercentrics in Lisbon, Portugal is seeking an experienced HR Operations Manager to lead a multi-hub HR team. You will drive HRIS governance, payroll accuracy, and global compliance while mentoring staff and optimizing processes across hubs.

The role requires German or Portuguese language skills, strong analytics, and hands-on payroll management in a privacy-led, international environment. Hybrid work is available.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR management, business administration, or related field.
• Proven experience in global HR operations with team supervision.
• Strong knowledge of HRIS, payroll, and data analytics.
• Solid understanding of German labour law and compliance.
• Fluency in English; German or Portuguese language skills preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a small HR operations team with clear objectives and feedback.
• Oversee HRIS data integrity, reporting, and vendor coordination.
• Direct responsibility for German payroll and compliance for all hubs outside Germany.
• Ensure HR processes comply with German and international labour laws.
• Manage HR projects, tool upgrades, and policy rollouts.
• Support local HR topics in Germany or Portugal and liaise with Finance.
• Track HR metrics and provide regular management updates.

Skills

HRIS systems

Payroll

HR compliance

German labour law

Data analytics

Languages

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/BA

Tools

Personio

Workday

SAP

PeopleSoft

Job description

Usercentrics is a global leader in data privacy and privacy-led marketing solutions. We believe there is no need for a trade-off between growth and privacy compliance. Our vision is to unlock the potential of data privacy to empower a thriving digital ecosystem. We work with companies to create a healthy balance between data-driven business and privacy-led marketing for every size of enterprise.

Our customers build trust with their users through improved transparency and control to drastically improve marketing and monetization, while achieving full privacy compliance. We're now looking for an experienced Manager to lead our HR Operations team, someone who combines deep knowledge of German or Portugese and international labour law with hands-on HRIS and payroll expertise, and who can mentor a team while driving the compliance, automation, and process improvements that keep a global, multi-hub organization running smoothly. Your Tasks:

Team Management

Lead, mentor, and develop a small HR operations team, ensuring high performance and engagement. Set clear objectives, track progress, and provide regular feedback. Constant focus and required reviews on team deliveries as well as individual deliveries Identify lack of and implement market best-practices in HR Ops deliverables via self and team

HRIS & Data Management

Responsible for the organizational HRIS and is the first point of contact for the vendor Ensures regular connect with the HRIS vendor and brings in updates to the system as & when such updates are available, sometimes driving for change where required by the organization (where possible) Oversee the maintenance and accuracy of the HR Information System, ensuring data integrity and security. Manage employee records, process updates, and generate regular as well as ad-hoc reports. Use HR data and analytics to support decision-making and provide actionable insights to management.

Direct Responsible for German payroll and related compliances, including topics around labour and related legislations Supervise payroll processing, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with local regulations for all hubs (apart from Germany, which is under their direct responsibility) Coordinate with finance for budget, headcount, other reporting responsibilities Coordinate with external vendors such as Payroll, Insurance, Taxation/ Social Security-related, Government entities (in location as well as other Hubs) as necessary in ensuring compliances

Compliance & Audits

Ensure HR processes comply with German employment/ labour law. Ensure HR processes comply with international labor laws for the other Hubs relating to employment/ labour law. Audit existing policies, processes & guidelines and implement change where required Conduct regular internal HR audits to identify risks, gaps, and opportunities for improvement. Maintain up-to-date knowledge of relevant legislation and implement necessary changes throughout the organization, ensuring organization remains risk-free and compliant across all Hubs

HR Project Management

Lead and coordinate HR projects (e.G., evaluation of new tools/ systems, system upgrades, migration, process improvements, policy rollouts). Collaborate with stakeholders to design, implement, and monitor HR initiatives.

Local HR Management (Germany or Portugal)

Serve as the primary HR point of contact for German/Portugese employees, addressing queries and supporting local HR topics, following legal mandates and organizational policies, guidelines, etc Communicate HR policies and procedures, adapting global practices to fit German legal and cultural requirements - maintaining balance while retaining the required local legislative focus

Identify and implement process improvements, automation and market best practices to enhance HR operations efficiency Monitor HR metrics and KPIs, preparing regular reports for Management, Senior Leadership, etc.

Education:

Bachelor's degree ideally in Human Resources Management, Business Administration, or related field.

Experience:

5+ years in HR operations in a global environment, with at least 1–3 years in team supervision/ management Technical Skills: Thorough technical knowledge and experience with maintaining and managing HRIS (Personio/ Workday/ SAP/ Peoplesoft, etc), payroll systems and data analytics tools. Knowledge: Strong understanding of HR compliance, audits (e.G. TISAX, ISO, SOX), etc. at an international level and specifically on German labor law. Experience supporting HR operations, including Payroll, understanding of Labour Laws from a European context and related topics Demonstrated ability to manage HR projects and drive continuous improvement.

Soft Skills:

Excellent communication, analytical, and problem-solving abilities;
strong organizational and time management skills. Language: Fluency in English and German or Portugese Development budget for every employee Job-related language courses (English, German, Czech, Spanish, etc.) Hybrid working policy with the option to take a workcation (up to 60 days per year) Events: team buildings, happy hours, parties/get-togethers, and occasional company-covered breakfasts or lunches (in-office, across offices, online, and in person) Gifts: we celebrate life and work milestones at UC (work anniversaries, new baby arrivals, and similar occasions) Snacks, fruit, coffee, and drinks in the office