URBN HR Advisor, Retail - German Speaking

URBN UK Limited is part of the URBN Group, a global retailer, with its European Head Office located in London. Its retail offering in Europe takes the form of three brands.

With stores in more than 10 European countries and a strong e-commerce presence, we’re driven by the same core values as our customers, and we approach our work with a sense of community and purpose that sets our brands apart. We love what we do.

Due to store and team expansion we are looking for a German Speaking HR Advisor to join our us.  This role sits in URBN, our shared service function within the HR & Talent Department. URBN supports and works across all business areas across our three brands.

This is a pivotal role within the Retail HR team, supporting our retail populations across our German Stores. The role reports to the HR Manager for the EU and works closely with the retail Talent team. Building strong relationships with stakeholders will be critical to the success of this role.

The ideal candidate will be German speaking and already be working at HR Advisor level, ideally for a retailer. Personality and approach will be as important as your experience. You need to be resilient, driven and focused on achieving results. Building strong relationships with the store teams will be critical to the success of this role.

Employee Relations

• Act as a point of contact for all retail HR-related queries
• Provide Employee Relations advice to employees and line managers, ensuring a best practice approach
• Ensure all issues are dealt with following Company policy
• Work closely with other HR colleagues to monitor, review and update all policies, ensuring they reflect the commercial needs of the business
• Ensure URBN is compliant with all UK and European employment law and proactively seek updates
• Prepare and issue correspondence in relation to ER cases
• Communicate all ER case information to the HR Coordinator to ensure all trackers are kept up-to-date

Learning & Development

• Support the HR and L&D team in the preparation and the delivery of all training courses
• Conduct training-needs-analysis for retail employees and suggesting training opportunities to match business needs
• Support co-ordination and roll-out of annual HR processes, driving improvements to the appraisal process and providing support to line managers
• Proactively identify performance issues with line managers and recommending a best practice approach, providing support as appropriate
• Partner with the HR Coordinator to manage the induction and onboarding process for new starters 

Reward & Engagement

• Support with the annual Engagement Survey process and use the findings to inform your relationship building and actions
• Understand and be knowledgeable on reward and benefits for UK and EU retail populations, leading communication to employees in a pro-active and engaging manner
• Build a comprehensive knowledge of the pay and benefits structures internally and benchmark against competitors, reporting findings on a quarterly basis
• Manage employee wellbeing initiatives for Retail

Adhoc

• Review the monthly payroll spreadsheets to ensure accuracy and timeliness of communication to the Payroll department
• In collaboration with the HR Coordinator and HR Advisor’s, conduct exit interviews for retail management employees, flagging issues and reporting findings on a quarterly basis to the HR Manager’s
• Analysis of HR KPI’s and reporting of data – monthly, bi-annually and annually
• Support the HR Manager to ensure compliance with sponsor license requirements and right to work processes
• Participating in adhoc HR projects with the team

 #URBN #LI-JM2

• Experience as a HR Advisor in fast-paced, creative business
• Good knowledge of the German employment law and employer requirements
• Works council relationship management for Germany, preferred but not essential
• Knowledge of the local German HR policies and processes
• Written and verbal German & English communication skills
• Flexibility to travel to Germany on a regular basis
• Ability to build strong, credible relationships quickly and to be trusted at all levels
• Robust enough to combine a creative, innovative approach with commercial ideas
• High attention to detail and quick at identifying priorities
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Excellent Microsoft office skills (PowerPoint, Word, Excel)

LI-JM2

• Work-life balance:
  • Flexible start and finish times
  • Bring your dog to work
• Wellbeing:
  • Employees Assistance program to support with mental, physical and financial health
  • Fully equipped free gym and on-site wellness room in Brick Lane and 50% discount off external gym memberships
  • Private Medical Insurance
• Employee Discount:
  • Up to 40% off at all URBN Brands (Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People and more!)
• Community:
  • One paid day to either volunteer or fundraise for a charity of your choice
• Travel:
  • Cycle to work scheme, season ticket loan
• Continued Development:
  • We offer structured support within the business alongside continued learning and development

URBN is an Equal Opportunities Employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We provide equal employment opportunities regardless of age, sexual orientation, sex, gender reassignment, pregnancy, marital status, religion, race, or disability. We base all our employment decisions on merit, job requirements and business needs.