People Business Partner

The Espresso House; Finland; On-site; EUR 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Espresso House Finland Oy, part of the Nordics’ largest coffee shop group, is seeking a People Business Partner to lead HR strategy and partner with leaders across Finland and the Nordics. You will manage two People Coordinators and drive initiatives that align HR with business goals, culture, and employee engagement.

The role combines strategic planning with hands-on execution in a fast-paced retail environment, requiring fluency in Finnish and English and a strong HR background.

Qualifications

• Strong business acumen and ability to translate priorities into practical HR solutions.
• Experience leading HR initiatives and projects from planning to implementation.
• Fluency in Finnish and English, both written and spoken, is essential.

Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted advisor to leaders, supporting organisational development, leadership and change management.
• Use HR data and insights to challenge perspectives and support sound decisions.
• Contribute to development and implementation of Nordic People strategy.
• Strengthen leadership, culture and employee engagement across markets.
• Ensure compliance with local employment law and relationships with employee reps.
• Own collective bargaining matters and related issues.
• Collaborate with external HR partners to ensure compliant employee support.
• Lead Nordic HR projects and local market initiatives.

Skills

HR business partner experience

Leadership

Communication

Education

Higher education in HR / organisational development / leadership / employment law or related field

Job description

Would you like to help develop people, culture and business in the Nordics’ largest coffee shop chain?

As our People Business Partner, you will be a trusted partner to leaders and the organisation, while playing a key role in developing and implementing HR initiatives across our Nordic markets. You will be part of our Nordic People Team, working closely with talented HR colleagues across Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. You will lead a team of two People Coordinators.

Location: Helsinki

Espresso House is part of JAB Holding B.V., one of the world’s leading coffee and consumer goods groups, and has grown to become the leading coffee shop brand in the Nordics, with 500 coffee shops across Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Germany.

Across our five markets, dedicated teams of professionals work behind the scenes at our Support Offices, ensuring that our coffee shops run smoothly and that our guests enjoy the best possible experience. From operations to innovation, our Support Office teams provide the foundation that helps our coffee shops thrive.

In this role, you will combine strategic thinking with hands‑on execution. You will, together with your team, help ensure that our People strategy supports Espresso House’s overall business objectives, while staying close to the organisation and supporting leaders in addressing day‑to‑day challenges.

You will work closely with People Business Partners across the Nordic countries.

Your responsibilities

• Business-focused HR partnership
• Act as a trusted advisor to leaders, particularly the Operations Director and Operation Managers, supporting organisational development, leadership, employee development and change management.
• Use HR data and insights to challenge perspectives, set priorities and support sound business decisions.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of our Nordic People strategy.
• Help strengthen leadership, culture and employee engagement.
• Employment law, employee relations and compliance
• Ensure compliance with applicable local legislation, while fostering positive relationships with employees and their representatives.
• Take ownership of collective bargaining matters, collective agreements and other employment‑ and compensation‑related issues.
• Collaborate with employee representatives and relevant employer organisations.
• Provide employment law guidance and manage employee relations cases, operational HR matters and other employee‑related issues.
• Support matters relating to the working environment and employee consultation.
• Collaborate with external HR partners and service providers, including occupational healthcare, pension and insurance providers, to ensure effective employee support and compliance with local requirements.
• People Operations, initiatives and projects
• Ensure effective implementation of HR initiatives and contribute to the continuous development of the HR function togeter with your team.
• Lead and participate in Nordic HR projects and local market initiatives, helping to continuously improve and professionalise HR across the organisation.
• Collaborate closely with you closest team, HR colleagues and other key functions, both locally and across the Nordics.

What we are looking for

• Relevant higher education in HR, organisational development, leadership, employment law or a related field.
• Several years of relevant experience in a broad HR role, preferably as an HR Business Partner.

You have strong business acumen and understand how HR can support business performance, combining a strategic mindset with the ability to translate priorities into practical solutions. You are a confident and trusted advisor to leaders, with strong communication and interpersonal skills that enable you to build relationships, challenge perspectives and support sound decision‑making.

You have a solid understanding of Finnish employment law and HR processes, and experience in leading HR initiatives and projects from planning to implementation. Experience from retail, service or another business with a large operational workforce is particularly valuable, as it helps you understand the realities of the business and the needs of its leaders and employees.

You work in a structured, independent and results‑oriented way, while recognising the importance of collaboration in achieving shared goals. As the role involves working closely with your closest team, stakeholders across the Finnish organisation and the wider Nordic People Team, fluency in both Finnish and English, written and spoken, is essential and results‑oriented approach, combined with a collaborative mindset.

What we offer

At Espresso House Group, you will become part of a warm, ambitious and international team that cares about both people and results. We offer a strong and welcoming culture with a collaborative working environment with opportunities for professional growth and development.

This is an exciting role with significant responsibility and the opportunity to shape and influence the HR function. If you are ready to make a real difference across the organisation, we would love to hear from you!

Start date: As soon as possible

Type of employment: Permanent, with 6 months probation period

Reporting to: People Operations Manager

We review applications on an ongoing basis and will begin interviewing immediately. Please note that the position may be filled before the application deadline.