Head of People Operations and Payroll (D/M/W)

Your Challenge As Head of People Operations and Payroll, you will play a key role in delivering a seamless, compliant and employee-focused experience across our international workforce. You will help ensure that our people processes, payroll operations and HR systems run accurately, efficiently and consistently—giving our employees the support they need to do their best work for the business. Working closely with People & Culture, Finance, Legal and leaders across the business, you will contribute to improving and scaling the way we work. From automating operational processes and ensuring reliable payroll delivery to using data to identify improvements, your work will have a direct impact on the employee experience and on Blacklane’s continued growth. This is an opportunity to join an international team where operational excellence matters, collaboration is highly valued and your expertise can help shape people's practices for the future. • Lead and develop the People Operations and Payroll team, setting clear priorities, service standards and ways of working that enable consistently high-quality support for employees and the business. • Own the operational delivery of the employee lifecycle together with your team, including contracts, onboarding, employee data changes, mobility, leave administration and offboarding. • Hold the team accountable for accurate, timely and compliant monthly payroll delivery, ensuring that employee data and payroll inputs are prepared, validated and submitted on time in close partnership with Payroll and Finance. Chip in by handling 2 countries yourself and maintaining a good relationship with our payroll vendor Deel. • Establish robust payroll governance, controls and escalation processes, ensuring clear ownership, effective issue resolution and continuous improvement across the payroll cycle. • Ensure compliance with local employment, payroll and statutory requirements across relevant countries, working closely with Legal, local experts, external providers and EOR partners. • Define and drive the standardisation and continuous improvement of People Operations and payroll processes, policies, documentation and service delivery across regions. • Ensure employee records and HR data are accurate, complete and maintained to a high standard, with systems, workflows and documentation that are reliable, secure and audit-ready. • Lead the effective use and development of People systems, leveraging state-of-the-art technology, automation and data flows to simplify processes, improve controls and scale operations. • Establish meaningful People Operations and Payroll reporting, translating data into clear insights, risk indicators and practical recommendations for senior leadership. • Lead and sponsor cross-functional People projects, including systems implementations, process redesign, process standardisation and organisational change. • Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders and the wider business on complex People Operations and payroll matters, providing clear, pragmatic and commercially aware guidance. • Identify operational risks proactively and ensure that appropriate controls, documentation, escalation routes and follow-up actions are in place and consistently applied. • Build strong, collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders, across regions, representing Blacklane with professionalism and accountability. About You • Significant experience leading People Operations, HR Operations, Payroll or a similar function within an international organisation. • Proven experience managing, developing and motivating high-performing teams, with the ability to create clarity, accountability and a strong service culture. • Strong knowledge of employee lifecycle processes, HR systems, payroll interfaces, employee data and operational governance. • Experience overseeing payroll operations across multiple countries, with a solid understanding of local employment, payroll, tax, social security and compliance requirements. • A track record of simplifying, standardising and automating People Operations and payroll processes to improve quality, efficiency and scalability. • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to turn People and payroll data into clear insights, risks and practical recommendations. • Excellent stakeholder-management and communication skills, including the confidence to influence senior leaders and collaborate effectively with Finance, Legal, Technology and external partners. • A structured, pragmatic and hands-on leadership approach, combined with strong attention to detail and a clear focus on operational excellence. • The ability to balance global consistency with local requirements, business priorities and the needs of employees and managers. • The judgement to manage sensitive and complex People Operations and payroll matters with discretion, resilience and sound decision-making. • Fluency in English; German or other languages are a plus. What success looks like In your first three months • Build trusted relationships across People & Culture and key business functions. • Understand the current People Operations and Payroll teams, landscape, risks, systems and priorities. • Identify quick wins that improve service quality, process clarity or operational efficiency. • Identify bottlenecks and make adjustments to avoid single points of failures Within six months • Establish clear ownership, standards and performance measures for People Operations and Payroll. • Deliver improvements to priority employee lifecycle processes and reporting. • Strengthen governance, documentation and collaboration with external providers. Within twelve months • People Operations is recognised as a trusted, scalable and data-informed business partner. • Core processes are consistent, efficient and appropriately adapted to local requirements. • Employees and leaders experience clear, timely and reliable People support. About Blacklane Our mission is simple but powerful: to become the world’s leading premium, global chauffeur service. Operating in 50+ countries, we reimagine chauffeur-driven rides by prioritizing reliability, innovation, and first-class service at every step. Blacklane is also at the forefront of sustainable mobility efforts, continuously working to reduce our operational impact on the planet. Our Company Culture & Values Blacklane has grown from a two-person startup in Berlin to a global team of over 300 people representing 54+ nationalities. Our culture is powered by our commitment to three core values: Care, Drive and Excellence. • Care - We are invested in each other's well-being and professional growth. • Drive - We act with pace and determination. We are ambitious, committed to a growth mindset, and champion ownership and delivery. • Excellence - We understand our customers so we can exceed expectations. We support our people through initiatives like Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), mentorship programs that bring our values to life. We welcome—and actively support—employees to create or join the communities that are important to them. Why you should join Blacklane in the fast lane? 🚉 Monthly BVG / Deutschlandticket subsidy to support your commute 🏦 Private pension plan with 20% employer contribution up to a monthly cap 🍲 Subsidised healthy meals via BellaBona 🌴 28 vacation days per year, increasing with tenure 💪 Your Mental and Physical Health → No compromise with Nilo and Wellhub 🏢 Hybrid setup: 3 days a week in our Berlin HQ, right in the heart of Schöneberg 🎓 Continuous learning through LinkedIn learning and L&D budget 🚀Fair pay and benefits tailored to local markets 🏆 Long-term incentive scheme 🚘 Mystery Rides: Quarterly Voucher to enjoy personal trips around the world with Blacklane and experience our service from a guest’s perspective. At Blacklane, we believe transparency builds trust. Selected candidates will receive salary information for this role before the interview stage, as part of our commitment to fair rewards and a clear, respectful candidate experience. Do you have any questions or want to know more about our way of working? Feel free to contact us. We’re happy to connect! We place great value on equal opportunities. Therefore, we welcome everyone to apply! Blacklane will never ask you to pay money towards any job application. Do not make payment to anyone pretending to be from Blacklane during your recruitment process. If you suspect any scam-relevant activity, please talk to us as soon as possible. We're here to take care of you throughout the recruitment process.