Head of People (m/f/d), Maternity Cover 12 - 18 months

For our location in Freiburg im Breisgau, we are looking for a Head of People (f/m/d) as maternity cover for 12 - 18 months.

At NexWafe, we are developing a pioneering process to produce silicon wafers with fewer process steps, resulting in significant savings in production costs, energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. As an HR Business Partner (f/m/d) you have the unique opportunity to actively contribute to the commercialisation of this breakthrough technology. Join our global team, shape the future of renewable energy and discover your career opportunities at NexWafe.
As part of a maternity cover the position is temporary. However, our company is growing and in a rapidly changing market and business environment anything can happen.

Aufgaben

• In this role, you will be responsible for all elements of People & HR globally, which includes developing and implementing strategic and tactical decisions in partnership with senior management for our offices in Germany and North America.
• Lead the people team of 5 talented specialists, based in Freiburg, Germany.
• Act as a business partner to the exective team, particularly CEO and CFO and support the wider management team.
• Responsible for all end-to-end people processes along the employee lifecycle, including budgeting and outsourced payroll - together with the team
• Anticipate, implement and continuously align Nexwafe's people programmes with the company's culture, ensuring an effective, engaging & inclusive team environment for people from all backgrounds.
• Implement strategy and plans related to organisational development, optimal utilisation, redeployment and best allocation of people resources.
• Use HR analytics data to understand key organisational dynamics, trends and issues. Leverage findings to define and implement appropriate actions.
• Build strong relationships with relevant stakeholders and local works councils, providing support and guidance on HR matters.
• Motivate, retain and develop the team and provide advice and coaching on leadership, people development and employee relations.
• Be a neutral point of contact for all employees to discuss and resolve sensitive issues.
• Together with the local team in Bitterfeld, Germany, prepare the organization for a production start in 2025 (incl. organization design, hiring strategy and implementation)

This role reports directly to the CEO and is part of NexWafe's management team.

Qualifikation

• You are a passionate HR professional with at least 8 years' experience as an HR Business Partner, who enjoys working with management to build a dynamic, thoughtful and inclusive working culture.
• Prior experience working in a fast-growing environment, with some first-hand experience in leading/coaching.
• Degree in Business Studies, Psychology or similar or equivalent with relevant work experience.
• Ability to translate corporate/departmental strategy into people strategy and concrete roadmap/projects/initiatives.
• Demonstrated care for people and high empathy to quickly build trust throughout your area of responsibility.
• Mastery of balancing all levels of stakeholders, especially C-level and senior leadership.
• Previous experience in performance management, compensation, talent management, workforce planning, and employee engagement.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in both German and English.

Benefits

• A diverse team: Short decision-making processes, flat hierarchies and collaboration with experts from different areas await you.
• A diverse and exciting job: A company that contributes to the commercialisation of environmentally friendly solar energy with a low carbon footprint.
• Stability with a certain degree of flexibility: A permanent position with flexible working hours
• Attractive remuneration programme: An attractive salary, a company pension scheme and profit-sharing for employees.
• Healthy balance: Take your physical and mental health to the next level with an annual health budget and a HanseFit membership!
• Expand your language skills: Optimise your career prospects with the English and German courses offered.

We are a culturally colourful team with individual and ambitious minds who are passionate about innovation, technology and our planet.

And what inspires you?