People Operations Manager DACH (m/w/d)

GoStudent; Town of Vienna (WI); Hybrid; USD 67,000 - 101,000; Full time

Job summary

GoStudent is seeking a People Operations Manager DACH to own HR operations for Austria and Germany across multiple legal entities. You will manage onboarding, contracts, payroll inputs, and employee data in Deel while ensuring compliance and a proactive employee experience.

You will partner with the Head of People Operations and P&O colleagues to drive automation, culture, and process improvements, including relocation and work-permit coordination.

Qualifications

• 2–3 years of HR operations experience in Austria.
• Knowledge of Austrian labour law and KV agreements.
• Payroll experience in Austria, with Deel knowledge a plus.
• Experience with Deel or a comparable HRIS; strong Excel/Sheets skills.
• German and English communication, written and spoken.
• Hands-on partner to managers with sound day-to-day judgment.
• Experience leading HR projects across stakeholder groups.

Responsibilities

• Own HR operations for Austria and Germany across multiple legal entities.
• Manage contracts, payroll inputs, and employee data in Deel.
• Advise Talent Acquisition on local hiring, relocation, and work permits.
• Lead HR projects from concept to go-live with stakeholders.
• Partner with Works Council and ensure labour-law compliance.

Skills

German language

English language

Data-driven

Tools

Deel

Excel/Google Sheets

Job description

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 elevate.
• 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.

Our Commitment to full Openness:

We value your unique skills and your passion. We do not hire based on age, gender, nationality, or political views - what matters to us is your talent and your motivation. Even if you're a unicorn - just like GoStudent - if you believe you can make a positive impact, we encourage you to apply, even if you don't meet every single requirement.

Diversity makes us more creative, innovative, and stronger.

Want to learn more? Visit our careers page and check out Wer wir sind.

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