Junior HR Systems & Operations Specialist (f/m/d)

At Holzkern, we believe that great products need a great operational engine behind them. We are one of the most successful D2C brands in DACH — selling watches, jewelry and accessories made from natural materials to over 2.500.000 customers worldwide. We have more than 170 people, and we are growing. 

For that to work, every internal system needs to run well.That is where you come in. We’re looking for a junior talent drawn to HR for the systems, not just the conversations: data, reliable workflows, and processes that you’ll improve month after month. We’re a scale-up, not a corporation. Our systems aren’t perfect, and fixing them is part of the job. You learn by figuring things out and owning the result, with context and clear feedback from the team. If that sounds exhausting, this isn’t your role. 

If it sounds like the fastest way to grow, let’s talk.

You will own the operational backbone of our HR function: the systems, the data, the processes, and the documentation that keeps everything running correctly. This is not a coaching or culture role. It is an operations role that happens to live inside HR.

HR Systems & Personio Administration

• Maintain employee master data: working time, absences, vacations, sick leave, role and contract information
• Monitor time tracking; follow up on missing or incorrect entries within defined deadlines
• Create and check employee accounts before each start date
• Identify and fix data errors; improve data quality continuously
• Support system imports, exports, recurring updates, and access management
• Handle all HR data with confidentiality and care

Preboarding & Offboarding

• Ensure every new employee is set up correctly and completely before day one. Check that all required documents are collected, complete, and filed
• Track preboarding task lists to 100% — no entry left incomplete
• Coordinate administrative exit: documents, time balances, certificates, access removals
• Improve checklists and process workflows with every cycle

Documents, Templates & Employee Files

• Prepare standard HR documents from templates
• Keep digital employee files complete and correctly structured
• Improve templates to reduce errors and manual effort
• Track and fix recurring documentation gaps

Reporting & Internal Communication Support

• Prepare accurate HR operations data for internal reporting
• Support slides for All Hands Calls and management updates - turn complex topics into clear visuals
• Ensure all numbers and data sources are verified before publication

Process Improvement & Workflow Optimization
This is a core ownership area. Every recurring manual process in HR is in scope — preboarding checklists, document workflows, recurring requests, data correction routines, and more.

• Identify recurring manual tasks and systematically reduce them
• Document how current workflows run before changing them; measure impact after
• Build templates, checklists, and automations so the same work is never started from scratch twice
• Suggest simpler or automated alternatives for repetitive admin work
• Turn common incoming HR requests into templates and self-service answers so they stop generating individual handling
• Flag systemic problems instead of solving the same issue repeatedly

Experience matters less than the right working style and the mindset to grow with us. 
A hands-on mentality is a must.

• At least two years of experience in HR
• Confident in English (B2); confident in German (B2) communication
• You are AI-native and constantly experiment with new AI models, tools, agents, and technologies
• You are highly structured and precise — errors matter in this role
• You are comfortable with detailed, recurring administrative work and understand its importance for a well-functioning HR setup
• You enjoy working with software, tools, data, and systems
• You spot what’s missing or wrong and would rather build a process once than repeat manual work
• You want to build structured systems, clear processes, and consistent follow-through, even where they don’t exist yet
• You handle confidential information with care and discretion
• You are motivated to build expertise step by step, embrace challenges, and thrive in imperfect systems

• Real ownership from day one: you build and improve HR systems and processes yourself, not just maintain them
• Steep learning curve: hands-on exposure to HR operations, systems, and data
• Direct impact: your work is visible and shapes how a ~200-person company runs
• Close collaboration with the Head of People & Culture and leaders across the company, with short decision paths and no corporate layers
• Future-proof skills: HR systems and process expertise is in high demand and hard to build in a corporate setting
• Modern AI toolset: you work with current AI tools to automate and speed up HR processes
• Health and Wellbeing: Free access to medical consultations, health checks, workshops and expert sessions - on site and online
• Generous employee discounts for you and your loved ones
• Regular team events with your team throughout the year
• Healthy and balanced meals from Schrankerl. Holzkern pays 20% of each meal
• State of the art technical equipment (MacBook)
• Fresh fruits, snacks, coffee, tea, milk (also vegan and lactose free) in the office on site
• Two legendary annual company events with the whole #TeamHolzkern - all inclusive :)

These and many other exciting benefits will await you at Holzkern. 
But most of all, you can expect a secure job, good vibes, teamwork, appreciation and trust - YOU are important to us!

• Start of employment: asap
• Working Hours: 38,5 hours / Full-Time
• Salary:The annual salary for this position starts at € 33.000, depending on your professional experience and qualifications. We are happy to offer more for the right fit
• Duration: We are looking for a long term addition to our motivated team
• Workplace: Our headquarters in Vienna, on a hybrid WFH basis

Do you want to take on responsibility and grow together with our company? Then send us your application including your CV and cover letter, show us why you are the right person for this job.