People & Culture Manager (m/f/x)

As our People & Culture Manager based in Shanghai, you will take ownership of the local HR function and support the growth of our China organization.

As we are still building a small team, your initial focus will be on recruiting and onboarding. You will also manage the essential local HR processes and adapt existing frameworks from our German headquarters to the local requirements in China.

As the organization grows, the role will gradually expand across the full employee lifecycle.

You will report directly to the General Manager of our China Entity and work closely with the People Team in Germany. Talent Acquisition & Onboarding

• Own end-to-end recruiting for office, engineering and production roles, including job profiling, sourcing, interviewing, offer management, and hiring decisions.
• Manage job advertisements, and candidate pipelines across relevant Chinese recruiting platforms.
• Partner closely with hiring managers to design and execute structured, efficient, and consistent selection processes.
• Ensure an excellent candidate experience through professional, timely, and transparent communication throughout the recruitment process.
• Maintain recruiting systems and provide reporting on hiring progress, recruiting funnels, and key talent acquisition metrics.
• Coordinate preboarding and onboarding activities, including employment documentation, first-day preparation, and integration plans to ensure a successful start for new employees.

HR Operations & Compliance

• Develop, implement, and continuously improve local HR policies, processes, and guidelines in areas such as employment contracts, working hours, leave management, probation periods, and employee conduct.
• Ensure compliance with PRC labor law while aligning local HR practices with global People frameworks and standards where appropriate.
• Maintain accurate employee records, personnel files, HR systems, and HR data, ensuring confidentiality and data integrity.
• Manage relationships with external vendors and service providers, including payroll, insurance, and other employment-related partners.
  
  

Employee Support & People Programs

• Serve as a trusted HR partner and first point of contact for employees and managers on a broad range of HR topics, employee relations matters, and day-to-day people-related questions.
• Support and coordinate performance management, compensation review, bonus, and employee engagement initiatives in collaboration with the international People Team.
• Contribute to the development of a positive employee experience and an inclusive, high-performing workplace culture.
• Drive continuous improvement of HR processes, systems, and employee programs as the organization grows and evolves.
• Continuously improve local People processes as the organization grows and new requirements arise

• 3+ years of HR generalist experience, ideally in a manufacturing, engineering, or startup environment

• Demonstrated track record of independently managing full-cycle recruiting

• Working knowledge of PRC Labor Contract Law, employment contract requirements, probation rules, and social insurance/housing fund processes

• Experience designing or running structured onboarding programs, ideally including pre-boarding compliance steps

• Comfortable working cross-border with an international HQ team, including aligning local practices with global reporting formats and standards

• Comfortable working in a fast-moving, early-stage environment with evolving priorities and limited existing structure

• Able to communicate effectively with both office-based and production/shopfloor employees

• Fluent in Mandarin and English, both verbal and written