HR Operations Lead

Location: Poland office (on site) | Occasional travel to other group entities

The Opportunity

Our client is an international group seeking an HR Operations Lead to own the full employee lifecycle in its Poland office and coordinate HR operations across Cyprus, the UK, Dubai and other group entities. The role reports to the Group Head of HR.

You will be the on-site HR contact in Poland, responsible for onboarding, employment documents, Polish labour-law compliance, payroll inputs, benefits and employee support. Across the wider group, you will work with local HR contacts and external providers to keep processes, records and service delivery consistent and reliable.

This role suits a hands-on, self-directed builder who can improve HR operations, use digital tools and automation with appropriate oversight, and work independently as the sole HR presence on site.

Key Responsibilities

Poland HR Operations

Act as the on-site HR point of contact for employees and managers in Poland, owning the full employee lifecycle — onboarding, contract changes, and offboarding.

Run onboarding end-to-end: employment contracts, pre-employment occupational medical exams, initial health & safety (BHP) training, ZUS registration, PPK enrolment or opt-out, and Day 1 readiness.

Maintain Polish personnel files in the required structure, including collection and verification of all prior employment certificates.

Administer annual leave, sickness absence, and other statutory entitlements in line with the Polish Labor Code.

Prepare and validate monthly payroll inputs for Poland, including documentation supporting authorial-rights (50% tax-deductible cost) arrangements where applicable.

Manage external payroll, legal/HR, and health & safety providers in Poland; track scope, deliverables, and service levels, and escalate gaps.

Handle first-line employee queries and employee relations matters on site; escalate complex cases to the Group Head of HR.

Group Coordination and Service Delivery

Coordinate HR operations across Cyprus, the UK, Dubai, and other Group entities with local HR contacts and providers, ensuring consistent execution of the Group’s ways of working; own specific processes or entities directly where needed.

Establish clear service delivery standards, ownership, and escalation paths across the function.

Report on operational status, risks, resourcing gaps, and data quality issues across the Group to the Group Head of HR on a regular cadence.

Documentation and Compliance

Own the full paperwork lifecycle across all entities and employment types — full-time employees, contractors, and other engagement models — from drafting through signature and storage.

Support compliance activities, audits, background checks, and data security reviews; maintain policy documentation in line with local labor law in each entity, including internal work regulations and GDPR requirements in Poland, in coordination with Legal.

Data Integrity and Benefits

Own high standards for employee data and document accuracy and completeness across the HRIS, including a single contract and document warehouse with complete, audit-ready employee files.

Set up, administer and maintain benefits programmes in each entity, liaising with local HR, providers and brokers.

Process Improvement and HRIS

Own the HRIS as the Group's system of record: configuration, workflows, access rights, and data quality across all entities.

Standardize and automate HR workflows, documentation, and employee self-service, while maintaining privacy, governance, and human oversight.

Prepare and validate payroll inputs across entities (new hires, leavers, changes, leave) ahead of each payroll cycle.

Partner with Payroll, Benefits, and Finance on payroll exceptions and special HR projects.

Experience Required

6+ years of progressive experience in HR Operations, People Operations, or a related HR function, including at least 3 years running HR operations in Poland; multi-entity or international experience is a must.

Strong, practical knowledge of Polish labor law and HR administration: Labor Code, personnel files, working-time records, ZUS, PPK, occupational medicine, and BHP requirements.

Solid knowledge of EU GDPR and its application to employee data, together with HR compliance and policy administration.

Tech-savvy: confident with HRIS and digital tools, advanced Excel, and a genuine interest in automation and AI.

Experience with process design, workflow optimization, documentation, and continuous improvement within HR Operations.

Fluent Polish and English, written and spoken.

Self-starter, comfortable working autonomously as the sole HR presence on site, with occasional travel to other Group offices.

Why Consider This Role

This is an opportunity to take ownership of the operational HR function in Poland while improving service delivery across an international group. You will help shape how the group manages its people data, documentation, employee support and HR systems.