Nick Schäfer-Fractional People Leader
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Experience
Interim HR Manager & HR AI Consultant
Nick's Advisory
I founded Nick's Advisory to make HR management, HR project delivery, and AI expertise available to companies on a temporary basis when internal capacity or experience is lacking.
Services:
- HR interim management: taking over the HR business partner or HR manager role during restructuring, growth, or a vacant leadership position, on a daily or hourly basis
- HR consulting: projects around reorganization, talent acquisition, separation processes, and building HR structures
- AI consulting for HR teams: selection, introduction, and use of AI tools in HR processes
Head of People (interim)
Rail-Flow
- 180 employees in three countries (Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey), three international direct reports. The task: carry out a major restructuring operationally without stopping the organization.
- Advised the CEO and leadership team on organizational design and personnel decisions across three jurisdictions, in full compliance with local labor law and local co-determination.
- Implemented the restructuring operationally and kept the leadership team able to act throughout the entire period.
HR Manager Central Europe & Nordics
SharkNinja
Regional HR infrastructure & executive realignment
- A region with €650m in annual revenue, but no internal HR presence on site, while scaling fast and needing a cultural reset.
- Built the first local HR role: reset top management across 5 VP and GM roles, set up new legal entities in Norway and Poland with 8 headcount each, introduced quarterly talent assessments, and scaled headcount from 70 to 130 while managing 25 separations.
- Lean, performance-driven structure. The assessment process is now the EMEA-wide standard.
- Built the German HR function from scratch for a region with €650m in revenue.
Senior HR Generalist EMEA
Liferay
Digital transformation & reorganization
- Over 120 employees in revenue and technical teams, 30 hours of manual HR processes per week, plus an EMEA-wide reorganization.
- Digitized local workflows, managed the reorganization across 9 countries as a project (more than 150 separations and over 30 transfers in 3 months), rolled out career paths and total rewards globally, and redesigned the VP level in favor of a leaner director model.
- 85% less admin work, double-digit revenue growth with a lower cost base.
- Managed the EMEA reorganization across 9 countries.
HR Generalist DACH, BeNeLux & Nordics
Liferay
Advised sales and technical teams (up to VP/GM level) strategically on HR topics for over 120 employees while also being responsible for operational HR for Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and Finland.
- Optimized operational HR within 6 months and reduced the time needed from 30 to 5 hours per week.
- Led a major EMEA reorganization as project owner: over 150 terminations and more than 30 strategic transfers in 9 countries within 3 months.
- Led the global rollout of career paths and a related total rewards initiative, including benefit harmonization and a new bonus model.
- Worked with EMEA sales leadership to implement a content-based team restructuring (focus: SDRs qualify less, but generate more leads)
HR Business Partner
Procter & Gamble
Strategic talent acquisition & cost optimization
- Filled 10 medical and pharmaceutical specialist roles without an external recruiting budget.
- Set up an internal talent acquisition campaign and managed the full recruiting lifecycle for niche roles myself. At the same time, supported three complex exits of long-term employees in close coordination with the works council.
- Filled 8 of 10 roles in 4 months, zero agency costs, up to €300,000 in savings.
- €300,000 recruiting savings, proven separation processes with the works council.
Trainee HR International
DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale
HR generalist and business partner for the leadership team in asset management. End-to-end operational HR in 10 countries, work-from-abroad framework for 4,400 employees.
Junior HR Manager
ALD Vacuum Technologies GmbH
HR generalist at AMG Engineering (ALD Vacuum Technologies). Managed HR for a subsidiary with 50 employees, introduced work safety SaaS for 200 travelers.
German Apprenticeship (Industriekaufmann) - HR Focus
ALD Vacuum Technologies GmbH
Industry Experience
See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time.
Experienced in Manufacturing, Information Technology, Banking and Finance, Retail, and Professional Services.
Business Area Experience
See which departments and functions this freelancer has contributed to most.
Experienced in Human Resources, Project Management, Strategy, and Information Technology.
Summary
I take on HR responsibility for a limited time: during restructurings, in growth phases, and to bridge vacancies, as HR Business Partner or HR Manager.
I specialize in the interface between global centers of excellence and local execution: where headquarters standards meet reality on the ground.
I have been responsible for People Operations for a region with €650m in revenue and ensured compliance in more than 12 jurisdictions. Companies bring me in when rapid expansion needs steady hands: as HR leadership on a temporary basis, with a clear mandate and a clean handover.
Skills
- Over 7 Years Of Hr Experience, Including More Than 4 Years As Hr Lead
- Engagements: Up To 5 Days Per Week, On-Site In The Rhine-Main Area Or Remote
- Contract Type: As A Sole Proprietor On A Daily Or Hourly Basis
- Strong Knowledge Of German Labor Law, Co-Determination, And Works Council Work
- Hr Systems: Ukg, Workday, Sap Successfactors, Lattice, Jira/Confluence
- Ai In Daily Work: Custom Gpts, Claude Skills, Hr Process Automations, Copilot/M365
Languages
Education
FOM University of Applied Sciences for Economics & Management
Business and Psychology B.Sc. · Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General
Kaufmännische Schulen Hanau
Apprenticeship · Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General
Statistics
Experience
Global Experience
Expertise
Profile
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Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
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