Job Posting – HR, Pay and Benefits Manager (DEU23.598) – Berlin

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow.

The British Embassy in Berlin is a large overseas mission in the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) network. We aim to be a diverse and inclusive employer, welcoming to people of all backgrounds. The senior leadership is committed to ensuring that we are a supportive and fair place to work. We are now looking for an HR, Pay and Benefits Manager.

Why should you apply?

Are you a team player who would like to work in a diverse team within a fast-moving and exciting environment? We offer an engaging and challenging work environment, dealing with interesting projects. Skills can be learned along the way, but the right attitude is what we are looking for.

The HR, Pay and Benefits Manager, together with the HR Manager, will lead the HR team to provide a professional service across the Germany network in line with German labour law, best practice and central Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) policy. Each will have their own responsibilities but will be expected to cover for each other across the whole range of local HR services, liaising with Corporate Services colleagues in the Consulates in relevant areas.

We are offering you the opportunity to be part of a friendly and supportive working environment with opportunities for personal growth.

Main purpose of job:

Reporting to the Deputy Head of Corporate Services and working closely with the HR Manager, Finance Manager and the outsourced payroll company, the HR, Pay and Benefits Manager will be responsible for providing a professional HR service across the Germany network and for delivering a consistent and high quality financial management of the payroll process, liaising with payroll provider and maintaining accurate payroll records.

Main Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Provide a professional HR and payroll service across the FCDO’s Germany network (British Embassy Berlin, Consulate-Generals Düsseldorf and Munich) by advising and supporting all staff in line with labour law and FCDO guidance; German labour law, best practice and central FCDO policy;
• Work closely with the Finance Manager to manage the overall payroll process including oversight of monthly payroll changes and checking accuracy before submitting to payroll provider;
• Respond to any payroll related questions from staff;
• Provide timely and reliable payroll reporting, forecasting and risk updates as well as ongoing monitoring of the Network’s pay budget. Complete relevant financial returns;
• Keep senior leadership informed on major pay budget headlines and support decisions to ensure Network viability and resilience whilst meeting workload demands;
• Ensure Bank signatory for payments, authorisation of credit and Government Procurement Card (GPC) card transactions;
• Provide statistical HR data and analysis as required;
• Line manage the Community Liaison Officers (CLOs); and deliver effective leadership, support and guidance to the extended HR Officers;
• Coordinate the Performance Management system;
• Coordinate the Induction process for new staff;
• Manage the relationship with the payroll provider;
• Deliver advice and support line managers with more complex HR matters;
• Support diversity and inclusion through all of the HR processes that you lead and, in particular, support the Community Liaison Officers as they work with the wider Embassy community in this respect;
• Any other duties that may reasonably be required and which are in accordance with the grading and core competencies of the job.

Our ideal Candidate shows:

• Fluent written and spoken German and English (minimum C1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages);
• A professional qualification in HR;
  Previous recent and relevant experience, minimum of 2-3 years in payroll processing;
  Budget management experience;
• Line management experience;
• Good knowledge of German labour law and social insurance regulations;
• Ability to deliver high quality work within deadlines;
• Customer focussed and the ability to empathise with other people’s circumstances;
• The ability to respect confidentiality at all times;
• The ability to work independently but also with colleagues and contacts in the immediate and wider teams as appropriate;
• Ability to occasionally undertake duty travel within Germany and elsewhere, if required;
• Excellent IT skills, especially standard MS Office applications (Word, Excel and Outlook).

This is a part-time, fixed-term 2 year contract with the possibility of a permanent contract subject to performance and funding.