Principal, HR Technology & Automation in Berlin at sennder Technologies GmbH

sennder is Europe's Leading Digital Freight Forwarder. In a traditional industry, we're moving fast and focusing on the digitalization and automation of road logistics. By leveraging our proprietary technology, we're building an ecosystem that is leading the industry into the 21st century.
We are a growing team looking for a Principal, HR Technology & Automation, in the People department to help us on our journey to revolutionize road freight logistics. The role is based in our Berlin or Amsterdam office.
WHAT YOU WILL DO …
As Principal, HR Technology & Automation, you will own the configuration, evolution, and operational excellence of sennder's People technology ecosystem. This is a senior individual contributor role sitting at the intersection of HR, product thinking, and automation.
You'll define how our People team works by building the systems, automations, and data foundations that power every stage of the employee lifecycle. You'll partner closely with People Leadership Team, People Ops, PBPs and IT to turn manual, fragmented processes into scalable automated workflows, while also driving the analytics and reporting that help leadership make better decisions about our people.
In this role you will ...

• Drive AI adoption and automation. Enable team members to build and automate their own processes and agents, and oversee the People team's agent infrastructure and token budget

• Partner closely with People Ops, People Business Partners and our People Leadership team to spot where automation can make the biggest difference, sitting alongside the teams to understand their pain points and find the right solutions

• Build self-service capabilities for managers and employees: dashboards, automated workflows, and guided experiences that reduce the team's toil and improve the employee experience

• Develop and maintain People metrics across the full employee lifecycle: attraction, onboarding, development, retention, rewards, engagement, etc.

• Own the day-to-day management and continuous improvement of our core tech stack: Bob (HRIS), Gem (ATS), Sana (LMS), and Culture Amp (engagement & performance), ensuring systems are well-configured, integrated, and fit for our organization

• Lead system enhancements and rollouts end-to-end: requirements gathering, configuration, testing, and adoption, in close partnership with People Ops and IT

• Act as the internal product owner for People systems: translate team needs into technical requirements, manage backlogs, and drive delivery

• Identify and eliminate manual, high-effort processes through automation and AI: from onboarding and offboarding flows to approval chains, compliance checks and employee queries

• Maintain data governance standards across all People platforms: data integrity, access controls, audit trails, and system hygiene
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• Build monthly and quarterly reporting for the People leadership team, business leaders, compensation committee, and board, turning data into clear, compelling insights

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR …

• 5+ years of experience in HR Technology, HRIS management, or a People Operations role with significant systems ownership

• Experience partnering closely with different HR functions like People Ops, PBPs, etc. Siting along side the teams to understand their processes and identify where automation can be applied

• Experience designing and delivering workflow automations using no-code/low-code platforms (e.g. n8n, Power Automate, Workato, Zapier) as well as hands-on experience working directly with REST APIs for custom integrations

• Understanding of data modelling and BI semantic layers (e.g. Power BI datasets, dbt), able to own not just the report but the underlying data model

• Excellent stakeholder management. You can translate ambiguous business needs into clear technical requirements and communicate complex topics to non-technical audiences

• Product mindset: you think in systems, prioritize ruthlessly, and drive outcomes rather than just shipping features

• Curious about the responsible use of AI and LLMs in automation. You knows where AI adds value and where it doesn't, with awareness of compliance and human-in-the-loop design

• Fluent in English

WHY CHOOSE SENNDER… We believe in empowering our people to grow beyond their limits, embrace challenges, and create solutions that drive our collective success. Our culture thrives on entrepreneurial spirit, resilience, and collaboration. Dynamic Scale-Up sennder is at a pivotal stage – transitioning from a scale-up to a sustainably growing company. This means we move fast and constantly push ourselves to improve. Joining us means being part of an ambitious, international team of talented individuals who value teamwork as much as bold thinking. Face-to-face connections across our offices remain central – it's not uncommon to travel to our offices across Europe to collaborate as we tackle challenges and celebrate wins, together. Put Your Stamp on the Industry We operate in a complex and ever-changing industry where your ideas and efforts have tangible, transformative impact. This is your chance to be hands-on in creating sustainable, meaningful solutions that help businesses thrive. Employee Well-Being We make mental wellbeing and engagement a priority through initiatives like our sennCare program, a partnership with nilo (global wellbeing platform), and regular satisfaction surveys via Culture Amp. And most importantly, work alongside people who truly care about you as a person. There is something special about the people at sennder that goes beyond just ‘work’. Your Growth, Rewarded We believe in rewarding our team for their commitment and contributions to our long-term success. Our compensation package may include performance bonuses, referral rewards, or equity that align with our goal of building a thriving company together. We're excited to grow with you! Vibrant Workspaces Our offices are equipped with healthy snacks, focus zones, and social areas to keep you energized and connected. When you walk into a sennder office, you immediately feel the sennder spirit: our shared culture paired with each location’s own unique character. Highlights include a slide in our Wroclaw office and a sunny rooftop terrace in Berlin, Amsterdam, and Milan! We also enjoy coming together regularly, from monthly aperitivos to spontaneous team moments. We celebrate diversity and value your character just as much as your skills. If you don’t meet every requirement, don’t worry, we still encourage you to take a chance and apply. Bring your authentic self and help us shape the future of logistics in Europe. Please read our Privacy Policy before submitting your application. Learn more about us on our career website.