HR Generalist and Finance Accountant

Location:

(HEU) Zurich

Job ID:

R0127793

Date Posted:

2026-04-29

Company Name:

HITACHI EUROPE LTD.

Profession (Job Category):

Finance

Job Schedule: 

Full time

Remote:

No

Job Description:

Our Company

Through its Social Innovation Business that brings together IT, OT(Operational Technology) and products, Hitachi contributes to a harmonized society where the environment, wellbeing, and economic growth are in balance. Hitachi operates globally in four sectors – Digital Systems & Services, Energy, Mobility, and Connective Industries – and the Strategic SIB Business Unit for new growth businesses. With Lumada at its core, Hitachi generates value from integrating data, technology and domain knowledge to solve customer and social challenges. Revenues for FY2024 (ended March 31, 2025) totaled 9,783.3 billion yen, with 618 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 280,000 employees worldwide. Visit us at www.hitachi.com.

We are a climate change innovator partnering with cities, governments, and companies to reduce carbon emissions. By connecting solutions through Green Energy and Mobility, both physically and digitally, we aim to deliver net-zero.

Hitachi in EMEA comprises 122 companies and 45,000 employees, managing the European operations of the global Group. The Regional HQ (RHQ), based near Slough, England, leads the unified regional strategy, driving One-Hitachi growth across countries, accounts, and adjacencies. It also manages talent mobility, branding, government relations, and risk assessment, employing over 400 people to serve key business areas.

The RHQ oversees five legal entities in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, with total revenue around £150 million. It partners with Shared Services to provide innovative support in HR, IT, Finance, Communications, and Business Development, fostering lean processes and growth.

The RHQ is made up of 5 legal entities in Europe (UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain). The total revenue for Hitachi Europe is approximately £150 million.

What you’ll be doing

Role Overview

We are looking for a HR Generalist and Finance Accountant in Switzerland who will hold end-to-end responsibility for both financial reporting and HR operations. This dual-role ensures holds end-to-end responsibility for financial reporting, statutory accounting and regulatory compliance for Hitachi Europe Ltd in Switzerland. The role ensures full compliance with IFRS and Swiss local GAAP, delivers high-quality statutory reporting, and acts as a subject-matter expert for accounting and reporting matters in Switzerland.

 Simultaneously, the role oversees HR operations, ensuring smooth personnel administration, accurate payroll coordination, and a high-quality employee experience.

Reporting to the EMEA Head of Controlling, this position requires a high level of technical expertise, autonomy and precision, and close collaboration with regional corporate finance functions (FP&A, Treasury, Tax, Internal Audit, Central Shared Services) as well as Internal Business groups, other Corporate functions (HR, IT, Legal, CP&F) as well as external stakeholders/third parties.

You will work in a modern, digital HR environment (Workday) and collaborate closely with internal stakeholders and external partners. This is an excellent opportunity to build strong operational expertise while gaining exposure to compensation, compliance, and HR processes in a Swiss regulatory context. This role will have a solid line reporting to Finance and a dotted line reporting to HR.

The role will also be responsible for:

HR Responsibilities:

HR Operations & Administration

• Manage end-to-end personnel administration using Workday, ensuring high data quality and compliance

• Maintain accurate employee records in line with Swiss labour law and internal policies

• Coordinate onboarding and offboarding processes, delivering a seamless employee experience

• Ensure Day 1 readiness in collaboration with IT and Facilities (system access, equipment, workspace)

• Deliver HR onboarding sessions and act as a trusted point of contact for employees

• Prepare HR reports and dashboards (e.g. headcount, absenteeism, training metrics)

• Support daily HR operations in close collaboration with HR colleagues and business stakeholders

Payroll Coordination

• Support monthly payroll processes by collecting, validating, and consolidating input data

• Act as the key interface to external payroll providers, ensuring accuracy and adherence to deadlines

• Serve as the primary contact for payroll-related questions, ensuring timely and professional resolution

• Collaborate with Total Rewards, HR Business Partners, and vendors to ensure smooth payroll delivery

• Ensure payroll processes comply with Swiss legal and regulatory requirements

Compensation & Benefits

• Support the administration of local compensation and benefits programs

• Coordinate with external providers and ensure timely and accurate data handling

• Respond to employee inquiries related to benefits and compensation

• Ensure compliance with Swiss statutory requirements and company policies

Compliance & HR Governance

• Ensure HR practices are fully compliant with Swiss labor law and internal standards

• Maintain audit-ready HR documentation and records

• Support internal and external audits

• Update and communicate the local employee handbook in line with regulatory and policy changes

Finance Responsibilities:

Financial Accounting & Month-End Close

• Take full ownership of financial accounting and reporting activities for Swiss entities, ensuring compliance with IFRS and group policies.

• Manage the month-end closing process for Switzerland, including journal entries, accruals, intercompany transactions and balance sheet reconciliations.

• Prepare and analyze monthly P&L, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow with clear explanations of variances.

• Ensure accuracy, completeness and audit-readiness of financial records.

Statutory Reporting & Regulatory Compliance

• Prepare and deliver statutory financial statements under Swiss GAAP, including supporting documentation.

• Act as the main contact for external auditors, ensuring efficient and timely statutory audits.

• Coordinate with Internal Audit to ensure compliance with JSOX / internal control requirements.

• Manage statutory filings and financial disclosures with Swiss authorities, ensuring deadlines and compliance are met.

• Monitor and respond to changes in Swiss accounting, regulatory and compliance requirements.

Group Reporting & Cross-functional Collaboration

• Support quarterly group consolidation and reporting activities.

• Work closely with Controlling, FP&A, Tax, Treasury and Shared Service teams

• Support the Tax team in Swiss tax filings, transfer pricing documentation and other local tax obligations.

• Provide technical accounting guidance to internal stakeholders when required.

Process Improvement & Continuous Enhancement

• Identify opportunities to improve, standardize and automate accounting and reporting processes.

• Contribute to finance transformation initiatives and ad hoc projects.

• Ensure strong documentation, knowledge transfer and adherence to best practices.

What you bring to the team

We’re looking for a team player, who is motivated by delivering great work and the Hitachi vision. The role will be a mixture of remote-hybrid work with 2-3 days in the Hitachi Office (Brown-Boveri Strasse 5, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland).

The ideal candidate will possess the following skills and background:

Professional Background:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Economics, or a related field.

• Hands-on experience in HR administration or HR operations (including internships or traineeships) and financial accounting and reporting within Switzerland.

• Strong exposure to statutory reporting, audits, and regulatory environments.

• Knowledge of Swiss labor law is an advantage.

Technical Expertise:

• In-depth knowledge of IFRS and Swiss statutory reporting requirements.

• Experience working in multi-entity and multi-currency environments.

• Proficient in HR systems (Workday is a plus) and ERP systems such as SAP S/4HANA or comparable platforms.

• Advanced skills in Microsoft Office, especially Excel.

• Experience with SOX/JSOX frameworks is considered a strong asset.

Language Skills:

• Fluent in English with solid proficiency.

• Fluency in German with solid proficiency.

• Fluency in French is a strong advantage.

Personal Qualities:

• Finance-driven and service-oriented team player with a strong solution-focused mindset.

• High level of ownership and accountability, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and reliability in financial analyses, reporting, and HR operations.

• Analytical and methodical working style with strong attention to detail and data integrity.

• Ability to work independently in complex environments.

• Clear, precise, and professional communicator, capable of translating complex financial and HR data into actionable insights for non-specialist audiences.

• Strong organizational skills and the ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion. 

Our Values

We are proud to say we are an equal opportunity employer and welcome all applicants for employment without attention to any factor that doesn’t impact your ability to do the job, including race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.  We are proud of Japanese heritage, with our values expressed through the Hitachi Spirit:

Wa – Harmony, Trust, Respect

Makoto – Sincerity, Fairness, Honesty, Integrity

Kaitakusha-Seishin – Pioneering Spirit, Challenge