HR Manager – Germany

You're the person the local management team turns to when the organisation needs to steady, grow, and get its people processes right. This role sits on the German management team and carries real ownership of the local people agenda — while acting as the on-the-ground execution partner for Yokogawa Europe's HR strategy.

The role

As HR Manager, you are the senior HR presence for our German entity, a full member of the local management team and a trusted advisor to the Managing Director. You hold end-to-end responsibility for HR in Germany: from recruitment and compensation to employee relations, performance management, and works council engagement, all delivered within the framework set by Yokogawa Europe. You operate in a matrix: a solid reporting line into our European HQ, and a close, dotted-line partnership with the German Managing Director. In practice, this means balancing the delivery of global and European HR projects (currently the larger share of the role) with steadily growing local, strategic ownership of the German people agenda as those projects mature. You lead a small, established local HR team — one HR Business Partner and two HR administrators, plus front-desk staff — and are the primary point of contact for the German Betriebsrat (works council), where trust, discretion, and steady negotiation matter as much as technical know-how.

What you'll do

• Serve as the HR member of the German management team, advising on people strategy while also owning day-to-day HR execution

• Manage the full recruitment and selection cycle for German roles, from sourcing through onboarding

• Administer compensation and benefits in line with German employment law, internal policy, and the local collective agreement framework

• Own employee relations end to end — conflict resolution, disciplinary processes, and grievance handling

• Act as the primary management-side contact for the works council (Betriebsrat), including negotiations and works agreements

• Ensure full compliance with German employment law and internal governance requirements

• Lead performance management for the German entity, including appraisals and development planning

• Translate and localise Yokogawa Europe's HR projects and initiatives for the German organisation, leading the local change management that comes with them

• Identify training needs and develop and roll out local training programmes

• Lead, prioritise, and develop the local HR team

• Foster a positive, inclusive culture within a multicultural, matrixed organisation
  

What you bring

You have at least 5 years of progressive HR experience, including a minimum of 2 years in a management or senior HR generalist role, ideally within a multinational or matrix organisation. You're comfortable holding your own with senior stakeholders and know how to translate group-level strategy into something that lands well locally. You bring strong, current knowledge of German employment law and hands-on experience working with a Betriebsrat, you know how to build trust with employee representatives while still protecting the business's interests. Experience navigating a matrixed or multinational reporting structure is a strong plus; prior exposure to a Japanese or other Asian-parented company is a nice-to-have, not a requirement, though an appreciation that decision-making can move more deliberately in that kind of environment will serve you well here.

You're fluent in German and English, and comfortable using German for sensitive conversations where colleagues are more at ease in their first language. A degree in HR, Business Administration, or a related field is expected; an HR certification (e.g. SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR) is a plus.

Above all, you're a steady, credible presence who can moderate between different stakeholders, management, employees, and the works council — and find workable agreements even on complex or sensitive topics.

What we offer

• A genuine seat on the local management team, with real ownership over the German people agenda

• A competitive, market-benchmarked fixed salary (Germany, management-team level)

• Flexible working, with an in-office presence expectation of 3–4 days per week reflecting the visibility this role needs with employees, managers, and the works council

• The backing of a European HR network and Centre of Excellence, plus exposure to European and global HR projects

• Development opportunities through internal programmes and cross-border collaboration

Ready to be the steady hand behind how our German team works, grows, and navigates change? Apply now

Not just a job, but a career

Yokogawa, award winner for ‘Best Asset Monitoring Technology’ and ‘Best Digital Twin Technology’ at the HP Awards, is a leading provider of industrial automation, test and measurement, information systems and industrial services in several industries.

Our aim is to shape a better future for our planet through supporting the energy transition, (bio)technology, artificial intelligence, industrial cybersecurity, etc. We are committed to the United Nations sustainable development goals by utilizing our ability to measure and connect.

About the Team
Our 18,000 employees work in over 60 countries with one corporate mission, to "co-innovate tomorrow". We are looking for dynamic colleagues who share our passion for technology and care for our planet. In return, we offer you great career opportunities to grow yourself in a truly global culture where respect, value creation, collaboration, integrity, and gratitude are highly valued and exhibited in everything we do.

Diverse, Equitable & Inclusive culture

Yokogawa is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Yokogawa wants a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture. We will actively recruit, develop, and promote people from a variety of backgrounds who differ in terms of experience, knowledge, thinking styles, perspective, cultural background, and socioeconomic status. We will not discriminate based on race, skin color, age, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, belief, political opinion, nationality, ethnicity, place of origin, disability, family relations or any other circumstances. Yokogawa values differences and enables everyone to belong, contribute, succeed, and demonstrate their full potential.

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