Employee Relations Manager, Germany (m/w/d)

UNIQLO is a leading brand of the Fast Retailing Group, one of the largest apparel retailers in the world.

UNIQLO respects the individuality and lifestyle of all customers and takes pride in creating high quality, long-lasting, innovative clothing at an affordable price.

We are currently recruiting for an Employee Relations Manager (m/w/d) to join our HR Team in Germany, based in our Berlin office.

You will be reporting into the HR Manager for Germany, working closely with local Store Operations, Talent Acquisition, Learning and Development (FRMIC) and Sustainability to shape and align the local strategy for your stores at a country level.

This is an opportunity for someone who enjoys bringing clarity to complex Employee Relations and Works Council matters.

You will use your expertise to guide stakeholders towards fair, legally sound and business-oriented decisions, while helping shape the governance and standards that support UNIQLO Germany’s continued growth.

What you will be responsible for

• Leading and managing complex employee relations cases across all German stores and the SSC.
• Advising HR, Store Leadership, Area Management and SSC leaders on disciplinary, conflict, complaint and performance-related matters.
• Preparing and supporting warnings, performance improvement plans, separation processes and other legally sensitive people decisions.
• Leading and documenting internal investigations, including complaints, theft, compliance concerns, and other sensitive matters.
• Taking the lead on complex Works Council topics, including negotiations with Works Councils and preparation of collective agreements.
• Supporting HR-relevant IT system implementations and organisational changes with a focus on co-determination, communication, and labour-law risk.
• Building a structured case-management approach, including triage, escalation logic, documentation standards, templates, and governance.
• Partnering closely with Legal, Compliance, Loss Prevention, Payroll, HRIS and HR Operations.
• Coaching HR Business Partners and leaders on balanced decision-making that consider employee perspectives, company interests, culture, and UNIQLO values.
• Identify recurring risks and translate them into preventive actions, manager training, or process improvements.

Skills, Experience and Attributes

• Several years of relevant experience as a Senior HR Business Partner, Employee Relations Lead, HR Manager or in a comparable HR role with strong labour-law exposure in Germany
• Strong knowledge of German labour law and proven practical experience applying it to complex employee cases.
• Proven experience working and negotiating with Works Councils is essential, ideally including collective agreements, IT systems or organisational change.
• Experience in internal investigations, complaint management, disciplinary processes, and performance management.
• Ability to analyse complex facts precisely, document them clearly and communicate them effectively to different stakeholder groups.
• Strong judgement, integrity, confidentiality and a high level of risk and fairness awareness.
• Strong business orientation with the ability to balance employee perspective, legal requirements, and company interests.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills in German and English.
• You bring clarity to complex situations and guide cases towards legally sound and business-oriented decisions.
• You anticipate risks early and communicate in a way that considers all relevant perspectives.
• You strengthen the HR organisation through standards, coaching and professional governance without becoming the default owner of routine store matters.
• You help UNIQLO Germany scale further without employee relations, Works Council topics and case management becoming a bottleneck.

What we offer

• 30 days holiday allowance
• Bi-annual bonus potential
• Profit share scheme
• Meal allowance/month
• Mobility allowance/month
• Wellbeing (Fitness & Health) Benefit 30%
• Staff Discount
• Central Location of stores and office
• Hybrid Working potential
• Volunteer days - twice a year
• Employer-funded pension scheme
• Commitment to Inclusion and Data Protection

UNIQLO is an inclusive employer and welcomes applications from all backgrounds regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or other protected characteristics.

We are committed to safeguarding your privacy and personal information; please refer to our privacy policy for details on our recruitment process.

UNIQLO is the largest of eight brands in the Fast Retailing Group.

With global sales of approximately US $20.2 billion, for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2024, Fast Retailing is one of top three leading apparel retail companies in the world.

UNIQLO has more than 2,300 stores in 25 markets around the world and continues to expand its footprint.

UNIQLO’s Life Wear philosophy consist of offering clothing that comes from the Japanese values of simplicity, quality and longevity, constantly being innovated to bring more warmth, more lightness, better design, and better comfort to people’s lives.

For more information about UNIQLO and Fast Retailing, please visit www. uniqlo. com and www. fastretailing. com.

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