Find the perfect Heads of HR in Germany in minutes from over 15,000 CVs with AI-driven matching.
Bring in senior HR leadership for org design, employee relations, talent strategy, and change programs. Whether you need an interim HR Director, a Head of People, or support across multiple business units, get fast, precise matches with vetted, available freelancers.
About the role
What they lead
A Head of HR sets the people agenda and turns business goals into clear HR action. They define policies, steer day-to-day HR operations, and align leaders on hiring, development, retention, and workforce planning. In many companies, this role also acts as HR Director or Head of People, depending on the structure.
Typical deliverables
- HR strategy and annual people priorities
- Org design and role clarity across teams
- Recruitment process improvement and hiring support
- Employee relations guidance and manager coaching
- Performance, compensation, and development frameworks
- Change support during growth, restructuring, or integration
Skills that matter
Strong Heads of HR combine business judgment with calm execution. They need a solid grasp of labor relations, leadership coaching, HR operations, and communication. They should be confident with HRIS, ATS, performance tools, and common collaboration stacks, while knowing when to step into sensitive conversations and when to build scalable process.
- Strategic thinking with hands-on delivery
- Clear communication with executives and line managers
- Practical knowledge of talent, payroll coordination, and compliance topics
- Experience working with HR teams, Finance, Legal, and Operations
- Ability to shape policy without creating unnecessary complexity
When companies bring them in
Companies often hire a freelance Head of HR when they need senior support without a long internal search. This is common during rapid growth, leadership change, restructuring, international expansion, or when an existing HR team needs direction. In Germany, clients also look for local HR leadership that can work well with German-language employee communication and local stakeholder expectations.
What strong professionals do
A strong HR Director does more than keep processes running. They spot people risks early, improve manager quality, and make HR decisions that support the business instead of slowing it down. They can work as an interim leader, steady an overloaded team, and bring structure to messy HR topics without losing trust.
Fit for the role
The best freelancers in this role know how to enter fast, assess the situation quickly, and set priorities without creating noise. They are credible with executives and practical with employees. For complex environments, look for people who have led HR through transformation, handled sensitive employee relations, and built clear operating rhythms for the HR function.
Meet FRATCH Heads of HR
Stefan Stallmann
Digital Transformation & AI Strategy | Business Owner | Project, Program & Portfolio Manager
Last position:
Digital & AI Transformation, Agile Culture & Business Management Consultant & Project Manager at Freelance
- Freelance work as a consultant (workshops and coaching for small to midsize companies in the areas of lean startup methodology, digital & AI transformation strategy, agile culture, design thinking)
- AI training & certification
- Project Management
Rosalina Loclair
Interim & freelance HR/ Culture and Transformation Consultant
Last position:
Interim & freelance HR/ Culture and Transformation Consultant at Rosalina Loclair Business Advisory
Act as a senior People & Transformation advisor to startups and mid-sized companies, leading restructuring, HR operating model redesign, and digital HR initiatives end-to-end.
Drive HRIS/ATS selection and implementation (incl. Personio, Greenhouse, etc.), process design, stakeholder alignment, and internal communication to ensure adoption and measurable operational impact.
Advise executives on workforce planning, labour law considerations, organisational structure, and decision-making mechanisms during change and growth phases.
Build pragmatic recruiting strategies for critical roles (incl. AI/Tech), improving sourcing approach, funnel quality, and hiring velocity.
Selected projects:
Marley Spoon SE: supported a major restructuring process, advising on labor law and workforce planning.
Promedio GmbH/Osteopro: HR digitalisation, HRIS implementation, and launch of a modern corporate website (cross-functional transformation).
Journee GmbH: advised on tech recruiting and talent strategy for senior AI profiles.
PTW Europa GmbH: first HRIS implementation, process design, and internal comms.
Focus areas: HR Strategy, Digital HR Transformation, HRIS/ATS implementation, Change Management, Restructuring, Recruiting, and Future Skills (AI in HR).
Simon Kentsch
Product Teamlead HR Transformation
Last position:
Product Teamlead HR Transformation at Enercity
- Lead several HR units within the HR department
- Focus areas: stakeholder management, leading a team of over 15 direct reports, HR and IT process optimization, IT project management (SAP/Workday), transformation of three HR teams
- Digitalization and leadership
- Tools: SAP, Workday
Antje Maier
HR Business Partner & Head of HR
Last position:
Director HR at CT IT Consulting
- HR consulting for the 'Digitization of the German Federal Financial Administration' project
- Conducting a project-based personnel requirements analysis
- Designing the introduction of agile project management & SCRUM in HR
- Recruiting for required positions
Sebastian Krammer
Senior HR Leader Transforming Businesses International Operations & Strategy
Last position:
Group Head of HR Operations at Universal Investment
- Built and led global HR operations including payroll across EU & Singapore (team of 21 across three countries), supporting a workforce of 1,800 employees
- Reduced operational costs by EUR 5M through redesigning HR IT landscape (one group-wide HRIS, Workday implementation)
- Acted as trusted HR advisor for executive team on data driven decision making
- Transformed operations from legal entity focused to scalable group procedures to reduce headcount and transfer positions to best-cost country Poland
- Standardised end-to-end lifecycle processes (employees & external workers), enabling scalable international delivery and sustainable compliant operations
- Led HR programs and projects, including M&A initiatives enabling further international growth
- Defined strategy for payroll services including provider management, integrations built to Workday to ensure sustainable high-quality and compliant delivery
- Created structures to ensure global alignment and continuous improvement of various teams and stakeholder processes and IT tool management
Nina Hellmann
Interim HR I CHRO I HR Strategy
Last position:
HRIS implementation at manufacturing company
data management: importing historical data during system migrations (20–230 employees), Personio, Recruitee, Softgarden, etc.
Greta Dirzyte
HR Director of Group / Interim Head of HR
Last position:
HR Director of Group / Interim Head of HR at Rodopi Group
- Optimize HR processes
- Design and implement HR IT systems
- Manage HR teams in Germany, Bulgaria, and Portugal
- Oversee global mobility
- Develop the HR department
- Monitor HR metrics
- Work on the performance management system
- Optimize the HR IT system and create new features
- Coordinate the HR implementation project
- Lead a team of 8 direct reports across Germany, Portugal, Greece, and Bulgaria
- Integrate new strategies and policies across regions and support headquarters and local managers on people-related matters
- Establish and develop HR departments in all regions
- Handle internal communication
- Develop strategies for talent acquisition and development
- Ensure compliance with all local and in-country regulations
- Create job descriptions and recruitment requirements to match expectations
- Drive change management across the group
- Design HR strategy
- Optimize HR processes and services
- Collaborate with CEOs on new business strategies
- Analyze business operations and needs
- Design and integrate training for management
- Sector: Renewable energy
- Staff: 900 employees
- Revenue: 55 million EUR
- IT: In-house developed HR system
Martin Fiedler
Head of People & Culture (ad interim)
Last position:
Head of People & Culture (ad interim) at ALLPLAN GmbH
- Restructuring project (AI and offshoring driven)
- Leading the function in the absence of the CHRO
- Transformation
- Driving the change
Alessa Eleftheriadis
Founder
Last position:
Founder at PT – People Topics UG
- Advising companies and individuals throughout the entire people lifecycle
Adél Carnero-Orosz
People & Culture Advisor
Last position:
People & Culture Advisor – Founder of ACO at ACO
- Interim HR Management
- Management consulting in the field of HR
- Currently 2 clients:
- Interim HR
- High performance team development
- From August 2026 full time freelance
Lucia Papa
Head of HR
Last position:
Head of HR at M-A-U-S Seminare gGmbH
- Building, developing, and leading the HR department
- Advising the management and introducing new role models
- Employee development and introduction of internal HR processes
René König
Head of HR Division
Last position:
TRiANDO people & culture
HR process consulting, GDPR, direct sourcing, performance recruiting, social media recruiting, effective job postings, employer marketing, HR training, HR processes
Jörg Hensel
ad interim – Head of HR Operations
Last position:
ad interim – Head of HR Operations at Constructor University Bremen
- Optimization of payroll
- Structuring the HR budget process
- Further integration of Workday and payroll interface
- Realignment of the HR team
- Substitution for the HR VP
Martina Kostro
Head of Human Resources; Chief Human Resources Officer & Authorized Signatory
Last position:
Head of Human Resources; Chief Human Resources Officer & Authorized Signatory at Clarius Group
- Established and led the Human Resources department for Clarius Group and its subsidiaries
- Supported the founding and development of Clarius Services GmbH (Managed Services Provider in Legal Tech, Compliance and Finance Operations), coached the team and provided strategic guidance
- Led change processes, set up new structures and standards, and integrated company acquisitions including cultural integration and team onboarding
- Built the HR team and took responsibility for HR strategy, recruiting, employee retention, employer branding and performance management
- Supported negotiations with large works council bodies
- Guided the digital transformation and implemented AI solutions in Legal Tech
- Developed and executed growth and scaling strategies, conducted market analysis and aligned the organization for sustainable growth
- Coached teams and leaders, promoted talent and established a new corporate culture
Mareike Noll
Co-Founder | People, Culture & Workplace Consultant
Last position:
Co-Founder | People, Culture & Workplace Consultant at vianu GmbH
We are experts in people and culture, advising clients on designing their future organizations and work environments across the entire employee lifecycle.
Core areas: Development & coaching; Interim support & sparring; Digitization of HR processes.
Passionate about developing people and value-based organizations.
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
Heads of HR statistics
Typical experience
21 years
Average project duration
3.4 years
Certifications per freelancer
2
Top business areas
Human Resources, Project Management, Operations
Top industries
Professional Services, Information Technology, Manufacturing
Most common languages
German, English, French
Bachelor's degree or higher
87%
Master's degree or higher
59%
Doctorate
5%
Salary / Daily Rate Distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of freelancers in this role are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows how many freelancers charge within that range. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Average rates for Heads of HR & Seniority distribution
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions? See our quick guide to FRATCH
A Head of HR sets direction for the people function and helps leadership turn business needs into HR actions. That usually includes workforce planning, hiring priorities, employee relations, manager support, and the shape of HR processes. In many companies, the role also covers policy work, org changes, and coordination with Finance and Legal.
A freelance HR Director is a strong choice when you need senior leadership fast, but the role is not yet stable enough for a long internal search. It also works well for interim cover, restructuring, growth phases, or a stalled HR setup that needs structure before a permanent appointment. Companies often use this option to keep momentum while they define the long-term shape of the function.
A strong Head of People combines strategic thinking with hands-on HR execution. Look for experience in employee relations, leadership coaching, org design, performance processes, and change support. They should also communicate clearly with executives and be comfortable working across HR systems and core operational topics.
An HR Manager usually focuses more on day-to-day HR delivery and team coordination, while this role owns the broader people agenda. A People Operations lead is often more process and tooling oriented, with less scope for executive-level decision-making. The Head of HR sits closer to business leadership and is expected to shape priorities, not just run processes.
Yes, a Head of HR can work in all three setups, but the right mix depends on the topic. Sensitive employee relations, leadership alignment, and restructuring often benefit from on-site presence, while policy work, planning, and process design can be handled remotely. In Germany, many clients prefer some in-person time for trust-building with managers and works councils where relevant.
If managers handle people issues differently, hiring feels reactive, or HR work is spread across too many people, you likely need a Head of HR. Other signs are weak role clarity, unclear policies, poor onboarding, or a change program that has no clear people owner. The role is especially useful when the business is growing faster than its HR structure.
Look at how a Head of HR thinks, not just the list of tasks they have done. Good signs are structured priorities, clear stakeholder management, and examples of improving team performance or solving sensitive issues without conflict. Strong professionals can explain what they changed, why they changed it, and how the business benefited.
For a Head of HR assignment in Germany, clarity on scope, decision rights, and key stakeholders matters from day one. You should also check whether the company expects local language support, works council interaction, or support for cross-border HR topics. The best assignments give you enough authority to move the function forward, not just keep it afloat.
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Philipp Thomaschewski
FRATCH CEO
