Role Purpose 

This is a dual-focus role sitting within Unybrands' global People & Culture team. You will own the full early-stage recruitment lifecycle for roles across our international organisation, acting as a key partner to hiring managers worldwide. Alongside this global TA remit, you will serve as the dedicated HR Coordinator for our Berlin office, ensuring all German employment compliance, payroll administration, employee lifecycle processes, and Works Council obligations are managed accurately and in line with German law. 

This role is ideal for someone with a strong interest in building a Talent Acquisition career who also brings — or is eager to develop — solid knowledge of German HR operations. The split is approximately 70% TA and 30% German HR Coordination. 

Key Responsibilities 

Part 1: Global Talent Acquisition (70%) 

Recruitment Delivery 

• Own and manage the early stages of the recruitment process for entry-level and selected professional roles across all Unybrands locations 

• Review applications and conduct initial candidate screenings to assess qualifications, experience, and role fit 

• Conduct structured phone and video screening interviews and provide hiring managers with clear candidate summaries and recommendations 

• Coordinate interview scheduling across candidates and interview panels globally, ensuring a smooth and timely hiring process across time zones 

• Serve as the primary candidate contact throughout the early recruiting lifecycle, delivering a high-quality and consistent candidate experience 

Sourcing & Pipeline 

• Source candidates proactively using LinkedIn Recruiter, job boards, talent databases, referrals, and other sourcing tools 

• Build and maintain active talent pipelines for current and anticipated hiring needs across the business 

• Conduct proactive outreach and maintain ongoing engagement with prospective talent 

• Support employer branding activities including job postings, career fairs, and early talent initiatives 

TA Operations & Reporting 

• Maintain accurate candidate records and all hiring activity within the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) 

• Track recruiting metrics including pipeline progression, screening-to-interview ratios, and time-to-fill 

• Ensure all job advertisements meet local legal requirements — including AGG compliance (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz) for Germany-based roles 

• Identify opportunities to improve screening efficiency, sourcing strategies, and overall recruiting workflow 

• Partner closely with hiring managers and People & Culture stakeholders globally to understand role requirements and hiring priorities 

• Coordinate work permit and visa processes with external immigration support where required 

Part 2: Germany HR Coordination (30%) 

German Employment & Compliance 

• Ensure all employment contracts, amendments, and correspondence are compliant with German employment law (Arbeitsrecht) and maintained up to date 

• Manage Works Council (Betriebsrat) relations, including consultation processes, co-determination obligations, and timely notification for all relevant HR matters 

• Monitor changes to German labour legislation and advise the wider People team on any impact to Unybrands policy or practice 

• Liaise with external German employment lawyers as needed for complex or novel legal queries 

Payroll & Social Security 

• Work together with our Global Payroll Manager in all things related to German payroll 

• Manage Sozialversicherung (social security) registrations, de-registrations, and ongoing employer reporting (Krankenkasse, Rentenversicherung, Arbeitslosenversicherung) 

• Coordinate with the global payroll team to ensure German data flows are accurate, including salary changes, bonuses, and benefit deductions 

Employee Lifecycle Administration 

• Manage onboarding and offboarding for all Berlin-based employees, including employment contracts, Arbeitszeugnis (references), and all required documentation 

• Administer probationary periods (Probezeit), Elternzeit, Mutterschutz, Krankheitsanmeldung, and Urlaub processes 

• Maintain accurate and compliant employee records (digital and physical) in accordance with DSGVO / BDSG 

• Issue all required employee documentation including income confirmations, Bescheinigungen, and employment letters 

• Support disciplinary and grievance processes in line with German law and Unybrands standards 

HR Operations & HRIS 

• Respond to general HR queries from Berlin-based employees and line managers and route more complex issues appropriately 

• Maintain and update the HRIS with accurate data for all Germany-based employees 

• Liaise with IT and Finance to support employee lifecycle processes such as system access and payroll inputs 

• Maintain HR ticketing systems and ensure timely resolution of employee requests 

• Work together with our Global Payroll Manager to administer German employee benefits including occupational pension (bAV), health insurance options, and any other locally relevant benefits 

• Produce regular HR reporting for the Germany population — headcount, attrition, absence, and key people metrics 

Qualifications & Experience 

Essential 

• 2+ years of experience in Talent Acquisition, recruiting, HR coordination, or related work (internships considered) 

• Strong interest in — and some hands-on experience of — end-to-end recruiting and candidate-facing work 

• Working knowledge of German employment law, including Arbeitsrecht, Kündigungsschutzgesetz, and Betriebsverfassungsgesetz 

• Familiarity with German payroll processes, Sozialversicherung, and statutory leave types 

• Experience managing or supporting Works Council (Betriebsrat) relationships, or strong awareness of the obligations involved 

• Fluent German (native or C2) and English (business proficient) — written and spoken 

• High attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously 

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, SharePoint) and comfort with HRIS and ATS platforms 

• Ability to handle confidential employee and candidate data appropriately, in line with DSGVO 

Desirable 

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, or a related field 

• Experience with tools such as Greenhouse, LinkedIn Recruiter, or similar platforms 

• CIPD qualification or equivalent German HR certification (e.g., geprüfte/r Personalfachkauffrau/mann) 

• Previous experience in an e-commerce, tech, or high-growth scale-up environment 

• Experience supporting HR across multiple European jurisdictions 

About the role: 

The Global Payroll Manager will report to the Chief People Office and will oversee all aspects of payroll operations for our international workforce. This role focuses on ensuring accuracy, compliance, and efficiency across regions. The ideal candidate will have comprehensive knowledge of multi-country payroll regulations and practices, along with strong analytical skills.  

Responsibilities include - but not limited to: 

Global Payroll Operations 

• Fully own payroll processing cycles for US, Germany, UK regions and China regions in collaboration with external partners (ADP, Rippling, etc.) 

• Manage and audit payroll data, including new hires, terminations, promotions, transfers, compensation changes, timekeeping data, commissions, bonuses, and employee deductions. 

• Oversee complex U.S. multi-state payroll operations across weekly, bi-weekly, and semi-monthly cycles, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local requirements related to payroll taxes, wage and hour laws, overtime, garnishments, paid leave, ACA, and year-end reporting 

• Review and approve payroll results, reconciliations, funding reports, payroll tax filings, W-2s, P60s, P11Ds, PSA, ERS, and other statutory reporting before finalization. 

• Maintain accurate payroll records, employee data, tax forms, audit trails, and supporting documentation while serving as the primary point of contact for employee payroll inquiries and issue resolution 

 Compliance, Systems, & Accounting 

• Ensure compliance with payroll regulations across all jurisdictions, including U.S. federal, state, and local payroll tax requirements, FLSA, FMLA, ACA, garnishment orders, multi-state tax withholding, HMRC requirements in the UK, PAYE, P60/P11D reporting, German social insurance and wage tax regulations, and China individual income tax and social security requirements. Stay current on legal and regulatory changes and recommend updates to policies, procedures, and controls as needed. 

• Act as the primary point of contact for internal, external, and statutory audits, including preparation of payroll documentation and support for SOX and other internal control requirements. 

• Process payroll accounting entries in NetSuite ERP, perform payroll-related general ledger reconciliations and variance analysis, and support month-end close activities. 

• Partner with HR, Finance, and external vendors to manage pension, insurance, benefit deductions, system integrations, testing, reporting, and employee mobility matters. 

• Identify and implement process improvements, automation opportunities, reporting dashboards, and system enhancements to improve payroll accuracy, efficiency, and scalability. 

HR Operations 

• Support HR Business Partners with the administration of the employee lifecycle, including new hire onboarding, contract amendments, and offboarding across all regions. 

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date employee records within the HRIS, owning data integrity and leading regular audits and reconciliations across all geographies. 

• Administer employee benefits programmes across all jurisdictions, including pension auto-enrolment (UK), 401(k) contributions (US), betriebliche Altersvorsorge (Germany), and housing provident fund and social insurance (China). 

• Partner with the Reward team and HR Business Partners to process compensation review cycles, bonus payments, commission calculations, and ad-hoc salary adjustments in line with company policy. 

• Produce regular HR and payroll management information reports for HR leadership, Finance, and where required, the Board, providing data-driven insight to support business decisions. 

• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of HR policies, processes, and systems, identifying opportunities to automate and streamline operations at scale. 

• Support global mobility processes where applicable, including the administration of international assignments, shadow payrolls, and tax equalisation arrangements. 

A successful team member will have: 

• Minimum 6-8+ years of relevant payroll management or accounting experience, ideally in an international, high-growth, e-commerce or multinational environment. 

• At least 2+ years of hands-on global payroll experience across multiple countries and/or regions. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field. 

• Demonstrated knowledge of U.S. federal, state, and local payroll regulations, payroll taxes, wage and hour requirements, and year-end reporting. 

• Familiarity with US, German, British or Chinese payroll is preferred. 

• Experience with Rippling or with other payroll systems is a plus. 

• Strong accounting knowledge, including payroll journal entries, reconciliations, and general ledger analysis, is a strong plus. 

• Prior experience with NetSuite ERP is not required but highly valued. 

• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills. 

• Excellent communication skills both verbal and written and wants to work on a team to collaborate effectively.  

• Fluent in English, German is a significant plus