Head of People

As a Head of People, based at our Amsterdam HQ, you lead the People & Culture function and are responsible for ensuring we have the right people, leadership capability, and people processes in place to perform well as we scale. This role is focused on execution, consistency, and leadership quality. You work closely with managers and senior leaders to raise performance standards, strengthen trust, and build a culture where people can do their best work. You translate business needs into practical people solutions, and ensure that our people processes are clear and scalable. Reporting to the COO, you act as a hands-on partner to leaders, balancing operational excellence with thoughtful people leadership. This role is about making things work in practice, every day.

What you'll do:

People Operations

• Own the full employee lifecycle: recruitment, onboarding, performance cycles, role changes, development, and offboarding.

• Ensure people policies, procedures, and compliance are applied consistently and pragmatically.

• Oversee HR systems, payroll inputs, benefits administration, and people data accuracy.

• Build and maintain predictable, well-documented people processes that create clarity and trust.

• Strengthen onboarding and transitions to ensure new hires and internal movers ramp up effectively.

Leadership and People Management

• Support and coach managers in setting clear expectations, addressing performance issues, and leading teams effectively.

• Raise the bar on leadership quality by defining what “good management” looks like.

• Facilitate performance review cycles, calibration discussions, and career conversations.

• Design and support leadership and learning initiatives that build practical management skills.

• Use people data to identify development needs and risks.

• Build clear development pathways and role clarity that support growth without over-engineering
  

Culture and Engagement

• Design rituals, feedback loops, and ways of working that reinforce psychological safety, inclusion, and trust.

• Act as a trusted advisor to managers and employees on workplace challenges.

• Translate engagement insights into practical, manager-led action.

• Support teams through growth-related change, helping people adapt to evolving structures and expectations.
  

People Team Leadership and Partnership

• Lead the People & Culture team, ensuring clarity of ownership, priorities, ways of working.

• Partner with the COO and senior leadership to align people initiatives with business priorities.

• Support organizational design and workforce planning in partnership with the COO and SLT.

• Prepare and share clear people insights and metrics - focusing on trends, risks, and actions.

• Continuously improve the effectiveness, focus, and credibility of the People function.

What you bring:

• Proven experience in a Head of People, People & Culture Manager, or Senior HR Business Partner role within a scaling tech or SaaS environment.

• Hands-on experience during the growth phase while maintaining performance, clarity, and trust.

• Strong operational HR skills, ability to design and run multiple people processes effectively.

• A track record of coaching managers and improving leadership capability.

• Confidence addressing performance and behavioural issues in a fair, direct, and humane way.

• Practical, solutions-oriented mindset — focusing on what works.

• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, grounded in clarity and empathy.

• Comfort in an environment where structure is continuously refined as the company evolves.

What you get:

• 25 paid holidays per year

• Hybrid work schedule (3 days onsite)

• A day off for your birthday

• Advantageous pension scheme

• 3 days of volunteering leave per year

• €550 Learning & Development budget per year as well as 3 days paid leave for learning purposes

• Travel allowance and Swapfiets subscription

• Free access to office gym

• Unlimited access to mental health support with OpenUp service (within the EU, US, and AUS)