Senior Employee Relations Professional

Employee Relations Manager – Germany

Preferred location: Philippsburg, Germany

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We offer As Employee Relations Manager Germany, you will play a key role in strengthening Employee and Labour Relations across our growing Contract Logistics operations in Germany.

This is a role for someone who is equally comfortable discussing labour relations strategy with senior leaders and working directly with operational and People teams in a fast-paced frontline environment.

You will provide specialist advice on German employment and labour law, employee relations, Works Council matters, union engagement and collective bargaining, while helping our operations navigate growth, organisational change and increasingly complex workforce relations.

You will work closely with site leadership, People Partners, Operations, Legal and the wider Employee Relations team, combining strong technical expertise with a practical and commercially minded approach.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide expert advice to business leaders, People Partners and operational stakeholders on complex German employment law, labour relations and employee relations matters.

• Lead and support Employee and Labour Relations activities across German Contract Logistics operations, acting as a specialist partner to operational and People teams.

• Build and maintain constructive relationships with Works Councils, trade unions and other employee representatives, supporting consultation and negotiation processes.

• Lead and support union engagement and collective bargaining negotiations, including the interpretation and practical implementation of collective agreements.

• Advise managers and People Partners on complex employee relations matters, including grievances, investigations, disciplinary matters, disputes and conflict resolution.

• Develop pragmatic ER/LR solutions that work within warehousing, logistics, distribution, shift-based and other frontline operational environments.

• Partner closely with site leaders to understand workforce challenges and proactively identify and mitigate employee and labour relations risks before they affect operations.

• Support business growth, new-site activity, organisational change, restructuring and workforce transformation, ensuring employee and labour relations considerations are incorporated effectively.

• Strengthen leadership capability by coaching operational leaders and People Partners on employee relations, labour relations, conflict resolution and constructive employee engagement.

• Contribute to development of Employee and Labour Relations strategy for Contract Logistics in Germany.

• Work closely with Operations, People, Legal and other stakeholders to ensure ER/LR approaches are legally compliant, operationally practical and aligned with business priorities.

• Monitor labour relations developments and workforce trends to identify emerging risks and recommend appropriate actions.

• Collaborate with regional and global Employee Relations colleagues on broader initiatives, policy development and cross-border topics.

The successful candidate will have Strong Employee or Labour Relations experience, which combines strong knowledge of the German labour relations landscape with the credibility and pragmatism required to operate successfully within a large frontline workforce.

Ideally, you bring:

• Significant experience in Employee Relations, Labour Relations, Employment Law or Industrial Relations in Germany.

• Deep knowledge of German employment and labour law and German labour relations structures.

• Strong practical experience working directly with Works Councils, trade unions and employee representatives.

• Demonstrable experience of union engagement and collective bargaining negotiations.

• Experience working within Contract Logistics, warehousing, distribution, transportation, supply chain, manufacturing or another large-scale labour-intensive operational environment.

• Strong understanding of the realities of blue-collar/frontline and shift-based workforces, coupled with the ability to translate legal and ER requirements into practical solutions for operational leaders.

• Experience managing complex or sensitive employee relations matters, including grievances, investigations, disciplinary cases and disputes.

• Experience supporting organisational change, restructuring, workforce transformation or business expansion.

• Strong stakeholder-management capability and the confidence to build credibility with both frontline leadership and senior management, constructively challenging stakeholders where appropriate.

• Strong commercial judgement and the ability to balance legal, employee and operational considerations.

• Excellent negotiation, influencing, problem-solving and relationship-building skills.

Your background A legal background, particularly in employment or labour law, is highly desirable, although you do not necessarily need to be a practising lawyer.

We are particularly interested in candidates who have combined legal or technical ER expertise with practical in-house experience and understand how to apply that knowledge in an operational business environment.

Experience gained within Contract Logistics or comparable logistics operations would be particularly relevant

Maersk is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we embrace different styles of thinking. Maersk is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applicants without regard to race, colour, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy or parental leave, veteran status, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with all legal requirements.

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