Director, People Operations – Europe

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United Kingdom.

📋 Description

• Act as the chief advisor on people and employment matters for European executive leadership.

• Provide counsel to senior management on issues related to employment law, organizational transformations, workforce planning, employee relations, performance management, and risk mitigation.

• Simplify intricate employment and labor relations challenges into actionable business recommendations.

• Collaborate with both internal and external legal counsel concerning employment-related issues.

• Assist business leaders during organizational changes, restructures, and growth initiatives.

• Lead employee relations initiatives throughout Europe.

• Offer guidance on disciplinary actions, grievances, investigations, performance challenges, and employment-related risks.

• Create practical solutions that align legal compliance with business goals.

• Oversee daily HR operations across Germany, the UK, and Bulgaria.

• Ensure that employment documentation and employee lifecycle processes comply with legal standards.

• Maintain HR policies and procedures that are in line with local legal requirements.

• Facilitate onboarding, offboarding, and organizational changes.

• Act as the primary escalation point for complex HR issues.

• Supervise payroll operations across European entities.

• Manage relationships with external payroll service providers and internal finance teams.

• Ensure payroll accuracy, compliance, controls, and timely processing.

• Coordinate statutory reporting and compliance requirements related to payroll.

• Drive enhancements in payroll and people operations processes.

• Monitor legislative changes and advise leadership on new employment risks and obligations.

• Ensure adherence to local employment regulations across various jurisdictions.

• Support audits, reporting obligations, and regulatory inquiries.

• Develop actionable frameworks for managing employment risks while facilitating business growth.

⛳️ Requirements

• Over 8 years of progressive HR leadership experience.

• Extensive experience supporting operations in multiple European countries.

• Strong knowledge of German employment law and practices.

• Experience in managing payroll directly or overseeing external payroll providers.

• Proven track record in dealing with complex employee relations issues.

• Experience advising senior executives and business leaders.

• Excellent judgment, discretion, and problem-solving abilities.

• Proficient in English communication skills, both written and verbal.

• Experience supporting US-based leadership teams (preferred).

• Experience in handling UK employment matters (preferred).

• Experience in technology, software, consumer electronics, manufacturing, media, or other international organizations (preferred).

• Proficiency in the German language (preferred).

• Experience in supporting post-acquisition integration or organizational transformation initiatives (preferred).

🏝️ Benefits

• Comfortable working independently with a high degree of autonomy.

• Ability to balance legal compliance with commercial realities.

• Skilled at influencing senior stakeholders through expertise and sound judgment.

• Proficient in building effective relationships across diverse cultures and jurisdictions.

• Composed and effective in managing complex employee relations situations.

• Equally adept at discussing strategic workforce challenges and reviewing payroll reports.