Team Lead HR Operations (f/m/d)

As our Team Lead HR Operations , you are the operational anchor and execution driver of our People engine across German and global entities. You balance empathetic team leadership with ultimate end-to-end accountability for operational delivery, adherence to service SLAs, high data quality standards, and continuous process evolution. You lead a team of currently three (2 HR Operations Specialists, 1 HR Coordinator), with a focus split across Team Leadership & Governance (40%) , Hands-On HR Operational Execution (40%) , and Process Optimization & AI Adoption (20%) . This role is designed for someone with the ambition to elevate HR Operations toward a modern, global-first, and zero-backlog setup. You lead by working alongside your team in daily operations (payroll runs, legal contract architecture, onboarding & offboarding best practices) while enforcing robust SOPs, always keeping the internal knowledge base up-to-date, setting clear performance expectations, and navigating constructive change discussions. In close collaboration with your team, cross-functional partners (IT, Finance, Office, Legal, Business), and internal SMEs, you operationalize automated workflows and AI implementations to ensure our process infrastructure scales smoothly as the company grows further. What you will do: Team Leadership & Operational Oversight (40%) End-to-End Ownership: Hold ultimate accountability for the accuracy, timeliness, and legal compliance of all HR Operations workflows across all global entities, tailoring according to the differentiating needs of companies in startup vs. scaleup mode. Define, monitor, and enforce clear response times and resolution SLAs for employee inquiries and internal requests, fostering a fast, solution-oriented, and reliable service culture. Set and maintain high standards for the team. Workload & Performance Management: Actively oversee task distribution, monitor team capacity, and manage individual performance. Coach and mentor direct reports, encouraging them to question the status quo and grow their technical and operational capabilities. Address skill gaps, provide direct feedback, and support development. Knowledge Architecture: Oversee the creation and continuous maintenance of operating procedures and internal documentation across all operational routines to eliminate single points of failure and ensure seamless knowledge transfer. Global-First Execution: Ensure international HR lifecycle processes are executed with the same quality, accuracy, and premium employee experience as German operations. Escalation & Change Navigation: Act as the primary escalation point for team or employee issues, while constructively managing resistance during process changes. Core Hands-On HR Operations (40%) Cross-Functional Work: Drive tight operational alignment with group-intern (TA, IT, Finance, …) and Business stakeholders, to execute frictionless "click-to-xx" workflows, e.g. "Day-1-ready" hardware/system access