Director of People Experience (Europe)

JOB SUMMARY

As a Director of People Experience at Storyblok, you lead a lean, high-trust team of three - two senior HRBPs and one People Operations Specialist - supporting a fully remote organisation of ~320 people across 40+ countries.

From a business partnering perspective, our senior HRBPs own their divisions end-to-end, from executive level to individual contributor. Your role is to enable and support that model: develop and coach the team, act as their senior escalation point on complex ER and high-stakes people situations, and step in as a hands-on Business Partner when needed. Alongside the partnering dimension, you own the operational backbone of the pillar - HR Operations, process improvement and automation, EOR relationships, and HR policy in close collaboration with Legal.

You'll be a key member of the People Leadership Team, partnering closely with the VP of People & Organisation, the Director of Talent & Total Rewards, and the Director of Talent Management & Development.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Lead, manage and develop a team of three - two Senior HRBPs and one People Operations Specialist - across multiple time zones and geographies
• Define and maintain the HRBP operating model, ways of working, and quality standards - ensuring both HRBPs operate with consistency, proactivity, and full end-to-end division ownership
• Coach and develop the HRBPs to build their business partnering capability, their confidence in complex situations, and their ability to operate autonomously at Senior Leadership level within their divisions
• Act as backup Business Partner for either division when HRBPs are unavailable, on leave, or facing a particularly complex or sensitive situation
• Set clear expectations, provide regular feedback, and create development plans for each team member
• Foster a team culture of curiosity, operational excellence, and continuous improvement

• Own the HR Operations function - ensuring the employee lifecycle (onboarding, offboarding, employee changes, parental leave, contract amendments) is delivered in a scalable, compliant, and high-quality way globally
• Oversee the People Operations Specialist and ensure Tier 1 queries, employee events, and process documentation are handled to a high standard
• Define and monitor HR Ops SLAs, and track operational health metrics - including process compliance, HRIS accuracy, and employee lifecycle quality
• Lead quarterly process audits across onboarding, offboarding, HRIS data, SOC2 and ISO requirements
• Act as primary point of contact for cross-divisional collaboration with Payroll, Tech Ops, Finance, and Legal on operational HR matters

• Own the People Ops process improvement roadmap - identifying and streamlining manual, inefficient, or duplicated workflows across the employee lifecycle
• Partner with HR Infrastructure team to identify and implement automation opportunities in onboarding, offboarding, employee changes, and HR Ops workflows
• Translate operational challenges into requirements for workflow automation and AI-enabled processes - ensuring automation enhances the employee experience without removing necessary human judgment
• Maintain and evolve process documentation across the People Experience team (Notion pages, SOPs, playbooks)

• Own the drafting, operationalizing, and maintenance of HR policies across the organisation
• Work in close collaboration with Legal (ESG & Compliance Manager) to ensure policies are legally sound, up to date with relevant legislation, and aligned with the agreed People-Legal scope boundary
• Ensure HR policies are accessible, clearly communicated, and embedded into day-to-day people processes
• Partner with Legal when legislation changes (EU directives, local employment law updates) to update HR policies and processes accordingly
• Bring org-wide HR policies to the VP of People & Organisation and Legal for joint review and approval before rollout

• Own and manage relationships with Employers of Record (EORs) - ensuring compliant, cost-effective, and high-quality employment operations across 40+ countries
• Ensure employment documentation, contracts, and contractual relationship records are maintained accurately and in line with local labor law requirements
• Oversee the execution of employee events within EOR frameworks - onboarding, offboarding, changes - in close partnership with the People Ops Specialist
• Stay current on global employment law changes that affect EOR operations, and proactively flag risks or updates to the VP of People and Legal

• Provide senior oversight and direction on complex, sensitive, or high-risk employee relations matters raised by HRBPs
• Escalate to the VP of People & Organisation where litigation risk, senior leader involvement, or cross-border complexity requires VP-level intervention
• Partner with Legal on ER cases involving terminations for infringement, following agreed escalation paths and SOPs owned by Legal
• Ensure HRBPs are equipped to handle ER cases within their divisions, with clear escalation guidance and coaching from the Director

• Represent People Experience in People Leadership Team (PLT) syncs and contribute to shared People & Org priorities
• Collaborate with the Director of Talent & Total Rewards to ensure a seamless employee experience - from offer to onboarding, and through any compensation or role changes
• Partner with the Director of Talent Management & Development to ensure cyclical HR processes (performance, promotions, development) are well-executed within divisions
• Lead or contribute to global People projects with company-wide impact, as agreed with the VP of People & Organisation

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• 8–12+ years of progressive HR experience, with a track record in both HR Operations and HR Business Partnering
• Proven experience leading and developing small, high-performing HR teams in a fast-paced, remote-first environment
• Strong operational grounding - you understand how to design, document, and improve HR processes at scale
• Experience managing EOR relationships and navigating multi-country employment compliance
• Comfortable owning HR policy drafting and working in close partnership with Legal to ensure compliance
• Experience working with HRIS platforms (BambooHR, HiBob, or similar) and driving automation or workflow improvements in collaboration with HR Systems teams
• Strong coaching orientation — focused on developing people's capability and confidence
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills - you can operate across all levels with credibility and clarity
• Comfortable operating in a lean, fast-moving environment
• Familiarity with EU labor law, global employment compliance, and cross-border HR operations is a strong plus
• Demonstrates AI literacy, with the ability to leverage AI tools to enhance productivity, decision-making, and quality of work while applying sound judgment and critical thinking.