Employer of Record · Germany · Industry
Building an electronics, industrial automation or smart-manufacturing team in Germany means getting field service engineers, application engineers and technical project managers onto factory floors and your host customer's sites quickly and correctly. You choose the roles, the city or site and the candidates; PIO then confirms the exact German employment arrangement that applies to each hire. Once that's confirmed, we coordinate the agreed contract, payroll, statutory withholding, applicable social insurance, leave and offboarding.
Explore role-specific planning points for a Electronics, Industrial Automation & Smart Manufacturing Hiring in Germany team in Germany.
Here's what typically matters most when hiring in Electronics, Industrial Automation & Smart Manufacturing Hiring in Germany in Germany.
Decide which roles you need — field service engineers, application engineers, technical project managers, quality specialists, or key-account and technical-support staff — and which German region fits your customers, such as Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria or North Rhine-Westphalia. You define candidates and cities; PIO checks feasibility per case.
If your German hires take day-to-day instructions embedded in your host customer's organization rather than yours, the arrangement may qualify as temporary agency work (AÜG), so the exact setup needs confirming before work starts. Map out reporting lines and who issues work instructions before finalizing a role.
Field and commissioning roles often involve regional travel, irregular hours around production or install schedules, and possible on-call standby. Define expected travel radius, on-call frequency, and how these factor into base pay or allowances — these inputs shape the contract and payroll setup PIO coordinates once feasibility is confirmed.
Your company and your host customer agree site access, machinery use and workplace safety before work begins; your company keeps product certification and technical claims, customer relationships, engineering decisions, export controls and cybersecurity duties, plus on-site tools, equipment and training. Once the setup is confirmed, PIO coordinates the contract and payroll arrangement.
When you hire for your Electronics, Industrial Automation & Smart Manufacturing Hiring in Germany team in Germany through PIO, the responsibilities split clearly.
Once you've selected the candidates, roles and German city or site, share the compensation, workplace pattern, and how reporting and daily instructions will work; PIO confirms the exact available arrangement, then coordinates the agreed employment contract and payroll steps. An already-authorized local hire is handled differently from someone relocating or moving under an assignment or posting, so the applicable work route is confirmed separately for each candidate. Close day-to-day integration at your host customer's factory, warehouse or project site — with direct instructions from that host customer — can fall under German temporary-agency (AÜG) rules, so the exact setup is confirmed before the start date. Product certification and technical claims, customer relationships, engineering decisions, export controls, and data and cybersecurity duties remain with your company; your company and your host customer agree site access, workplace safety and daily direction before work begins. PIO does not recruit or provide legal or tax advice.
A practical starting point for the rules that shape a Germany hire. It is not legal advice, and your exact terms will depend on the role, sector and agreement.
Pay, hours and leave
Germany's general minimum wage is €13.90 gross per hour from 1 January 2026, rising to €14.60 from 1 January 2027; sector-specific rates can be higher. A working day is generally capped at 8 hours, extendable to 10 only under statutory averaging rules, and minimum leave is equivalent to 20 days for a regular five-day week.
Written terms and payroll
The essential terms of employment are documented and provided to the employee, and the exact salary due date is set in those terms for each hire rather than assumed. It is not the same single date across every role.
Notice and termination
The statutory baseline is four weeks' notice to the 15th or the end of a calendar month, and employer notice periods lengthen as service grows. An agreed probationary period of up to six months may carry a two-week notice, and termination must be in writing.
Work setup and authorization
Every hire starts by confirming the workplace, who directs the day-to-day work, the expected duration and the person's current German work authorization. A local EOR arrangement differs from relocating someone or extending a temporary assignment from China.
These are general reference points as of 2026 and can vary by sector, agreement and individual circumstances. Confirm the specifics for your hire before relying on them.
This practical guidance draws on the official sources below. Public requirements can change, so the details should be reconfirmed for each hire.
Here's what happens after you tell us who you want to hire.
Tell us the role, workplace, reporting line and target start date so we can confirm availability for this specific hire.
Once availability is confirmed, PIO coordinates the agreed employment terms, payroll setup and statutory registrations for the hire.
You direct the day-to-day work and outcomes; PIO coordinates ongoing payroll, statutory deductions, social-insurance administration, leave and offboarding.
It depends on the site access, reporting line and who gives day-to-day instructions once the engineer is on-site. If your host customer directly controls and integrates the work, that can trigger German temporary-agency treatment, so we confirm the exact pattern before the start date. Site safety and daily direction are agreed between your company and your host customer, while your company keeps the technical and business outcomes.
We need the roles and German cities or sites involved, the candidates you've selected, their current work authorization or the applicable relocation, assignment or posting route, and the planned workplace pattern with reporting and daily-instruction lines. Add the compensation and intended start date, and PIO confirms the available employment arrangement plus the next payroll and contract steps.
Share the details of your next Electronics, Industrial Automation & Smart Manufacturing Hiring in Germany hire and we'll confirm availability, then coordinate the agreed employment and payroll administration around it.
