Working Student – HR Administrator (12 hours per week)

About the role

This working-student role is based in Cologne and offers flexible working hours of 12 to 20 hours per week supporting the location HR Business Partner.

The position provides hands-on exposure to operational and strategic HR topics including German labour law, HR processes, documentation and internal communication, and is suited to someone who enjoys independent work and process optimisation.

Responsibilities

• Develop and structure informational materials on German labour regulations for managers, employees and the HR SSC.
• Support preparation of HR training sessions (for example sick leave and reintegration, termination processes, disciplinary procedures, vacation rules).
• Temporarily take on local HR administrative tasks such as issuing certificates/Arbeitszeugnisse and managing maternity leave processes, and support a smooth handover to the HR SSC.
• Monitor and follow up on HR service tickets while working closely with SSC colleagues in Manchester.
• Assist in preparing key site meetings including Townhalls, Site Leadership Team meetings and Works Council sessions.
• Support onboarding for new employees at the Cologne site.
• Create and maintain internal communication content such as Teams posts and intranet/CoLab pages.
• Contribute to Health & Safety initiatives, for example flu vaccination campaigns.
• Manage physical mail, scanning, archiving and general HR document administration.

Requirements

• Currently enrolled at a German university with at least one year remaining in your studies.
• Strong knowledge of using Microsoft office.
• Native-level German and business-fluent English.
• Comfortable using digital tools, online resources and AI-based solutions.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.

Skills

• Microsoft Office proficiency.
• Familiarity with digital tools, online resources and AI-based solutions.
• Languages: native-level German and business-fluent English.

Work arrangement

Flexible working hours: 12 to 20 hours per week; role involves onsite support and collaboration with the HR SSC in Manchester.

Compensation

Lonza offers an agile career and dynamic working culture, an inclusive and ethical workplace, performance-recognising compensation programs, and a variety of benefits dependent on role and location; full benefits listed at the company website.

Benefits

An agile career and dynamic working culture; an inclusive and ethical workplace; compensation programmes that recognise high performance; role- and location-dependent benefits; full benefits on the Lonza careers page.

Company context

Lonza is a global life-sciences company with 30+ sites across five continents; the company emphasises its core values Collaboration, Accountability, Excellence, Passion and Integrity, and states a commitment to diversity and an inclusive environment.