Head of People (all genders)

Kooku Recruiting GmbH; Berlin; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

ctrl QS in the United Kingdom is seeking a Head of People to scale our people and leadership agenda as a strategic growth driver. The role requires translating strategy into practical standards, guiding principles, and guardrails across HR functions to support delivery, growth, and client impact.

You will partner with the CEO and leadership team to transition from founder-led to management-led governance, embedding clear systems, performance processes, and a pragmatic operating model.

Qualifications

• Proven HR leadership experience in a people-based services context
• Strong track record of running performance and people processes
• Open-minded, listens deeply, and builds on what works rather than copying past playbooks
• Confident operating close to the business with delivery and account awareness
• Pragmatic operating model mindset translating strategy into standards and routines
• Excellent communication skills and solution orientation in ambiguous environments
• Balances performance orientation with a people-centered approach
• Very good English; German a plus, not a blocker

Responsibilities

• Own and lead the people and culture agenda as a strategic growth driver
• Partner with the CEO, C-level and management on people priorities
• Help steer the transition from founder-led to management-led by building leadership clarity
• Build on HR framework (performance, salary, role descriptions) with high quality
• Define and embed People Management standards and guardrails
• Enable leaders with pragmatic guidance, coaching and tools
• Oversee workforce planning and staffing with the business
• Lead change with proactive planning, engagement and execution
• Ensure labour law compliance and pragmatic risk management
• Lead the People Team (HR Operations, Staffing, Workplace Experience)

Skills

HR leadership

People management

Change management

Stakeholder management

Job description

Head of People (all genders)

Ctrl-QS makes digital experience operations work: hands-on, people-first, ready for AI.

The opportunity behind this role

ctrl QS is entering its next phase with a clear strategic direction: we are sharpening our positioning around scalable, repeatable solution offerings and deliberately weaving AI and automation into day-to-day digital operations where it creates measurable impact. At the same time, we double down on what made ctrl QS successful in the first place: hands-on execution, high delivery standards, and a people-first approach that helps clients’ teams adopt change so technology investments translate into results.

As Head of People , your role is to make this direction scalable through people and leadership. You translate strategy into practical People Management standards, guiding principles, and clear guardrails that fit our services model, values and culture. You build on the established HR frameworks (performance, roles, compensation, core HR processes etc.) with consistency and sense for optimization and enable leaders to lead well in a high-expectation, delivery-driven environment. This requires someone who listens first, understands our DNA and success factors, and evolves what works with care and pragmatism.

In parallel, ctrl QS is undergoing a mission-critical transition from founder-led leadership (after 17 years) to a management-led setup. Helping the organisation navigate this shift successfully, in close collaboration with the CEO and leadership team, is a core part of the mandate.

What you’ll do

You own and lead ctrl QS’s people and culture agenda as a strategic growth driver, and you make it real through hands-on execution close to the business.

Key responsibilities include:

• Partner with the CEO, C-level and management team on people priorities that support our strategic direction and value creation plan
• Help steer the transition from founder-led to management-led by building leadership clarity, consistent ways of working, and strong decision routines
• Build on our established HR framework (performance management, salary processes, role descriptions and core HR ops) and run it with high quality and reliability
• Define and embed People Management standards, guiding principles and guardrails that fit our delivery-driven services model, ourcultureand our values
• Enable leaders to lead well:providepragmatic guidance,coachingand tools, especially in performance,feedbackand team development
• Own workforce and staffing steering together with the business, ensuring we can deliver athigh standardswhile staying economically disciplined
• Lead change through proactive planning,engagementand execution, with clear communication in an international environment
• Ensurelaborlaw compliance and pragmatic risk management, without turning HR into a “policy function”
• You will lead the People Team with the sub-functions HR Operations, Staffing and Workplace Experience

What you can offer

You bring substance, judgement and the ability to operate in a high-expectation, delivery-driven services environment.

We think this role fits you if you have:

• Proven HR leadership experience in a people-based services context (agency, consultancy, tech-services, platform-services or similar)
• A strongtrack recordof running performance and people processes that are fair,clearand taken seriously by leaders and teams
• You are truly open-minded and canlisten deeply, understand anorganisation’sDNA, and build on what works rather than “copy-pasting” past playbooks
• Confidenceoperatingclose to the business, including delivery and account reality, not at arm’s length
• A pragmatic operating model mindset: you can translate strategy into standards, routines and execution thatactually stick
• Excellent communicationskillsand solution orientation: diplomatic, clear, and comfortable guiding through ambiguity
• The ability to balance performance orientation (quality and speed) with a supportive, collaborative, people-centeredapproach
• Very goodEnglish, German is a plus – not a blocker

Nice to have:

• exposure to PE-backed environments, value creation planning, or M&A integration work.

What we offer

• A mission-critical role with real impact on how ctrl QS scales into its next phase
• A company that already works well, with high delivery standards, long-term enterprise client relationships, and a committed team
• Close collaboration with CEO, C-level and management team, with clear expectations and meaningful decision space within aligned guardrails
• A hybrid working setup with Berlin as home base (regular in-person presence expected for collaboration and connection)
• An international, people-centred environment that values clarity, quality and getting things done