Senior Director, People & Performance

Tiger Recruitment; Helsinki; On-site; EUR 115,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Tiger Recruitment partners with a rapid growth international critical infrastructure business seeking a Senior Director, People & Performance to lead the people agenda in Finland. Location is Helsinki, Finland, with a salary range of €115k - €130k.

As the first senior HR leader on the ground, you will shape people strategy, culture, and organisational structure from the outset, partnering with executive leadership to build a high-performance function that supports rapid growth in a technically

Qualifications

• 12+ years of progressive HR experience with senior leadership exposure.
• Proven track record building HR functions in high-growth environments.
• Strong strategic business partnering, organisational design, and workforce planning.
• Experience with Finland/European employment legislation.

Responsibilities

• Advise senior leadership translating business objectives into people and organisational strategies.
• Lead workforce planning to support rapid growth across functions.
• Design and implement scalable organisational structures aligned to expansion plans.
• Own performance management frameworks including talent reviews and succession planning.
• Develop leadership and development programs to support growth and retention.
• Build local HR function to scale with the business.

Job description

Senior Director, People & Performance - Full Time

Location: Helsinki, Finland Salary: €115k - €130k

I am partnering with a rapidly growing international critical infrastructure business that is expanding its footprint across Europe and other global markets. They are seeking an experienced, commercially focused, and strategic Senior Director, People & Performance to lead the people agenda for a newly established operation in Finland. This is a unique opportunity to become the first senior HR leader on the ground, shaping the people strategy, culture, and organisational structure from the outset. Working closely with executive leadership, you will play a pivotal role in building a high-performance organisation capable of supporting significant growth within a fast-paced, highly technical environment. Perfect for an experienced HR leader who enjoys building functions from scratch, partnering with senior stakeholders, and driving people strategy within infrastructure, engineering, technology, data centre, or industrial businesses.

What you'll do:

• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, translating business objectives into people and organisational strategies


• Lead workforce planning initiatives to support rapid growth across technical, engineering, operations, and corporate functions


• Design and implement an effective organisational structure aligned to business priorities and future expansion plans


• Own and enhance performance management frameworks, including goal setting, talent reviews, succession planning, and organisational capability assessments


• Develop leadership, technical, and professional development programmes to support employee growth and retention


• Create career pathways and talent development initiatives that encourage internal mobility and long-term succession planning


• Champion a high-performance, collaborative, and safety-focused culture across the organisation


• Lead employee engagement, wellbeing, and internal communications initiatives


• Provide guidance on employee relations matters, ensuring compliance with local employment legislation and best practice


• Develop people metrics and dashboards, enabling data-driven decision making across the leadership team


• Partner with global stakeholders to ensure alignment between local and international HR practices, policies, and governance frameworks


• Build and develop the local HR function as the organisation continues to scale

Who you are:

• 12+ years of progressive HR experience, including significant leadership experience within a senior HR Director or Head of HR capacity


• Demonstrated success building or transforming HR functions within high-growth or scaling organisations


• Strong background in strategic business partnering, organisational design, and workforce planning


• Experience leading performance management, talent management, succession planning, and employee engagement initiatives


• Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence at executive and leadership team level


• Commercially minded with a strong understanding of how people strategy supports business growth and operational performance


• Strong knowledge of employment legislation and HR best practice within Finland and/or wider European markets


• Comfortable using people analytics and workforce data to drive decision making


• Experience within data centres, technology, engineering, infrastructure, telecommunications, construction, manufacturing, or other asset-intensive environments would be highly advantageous


• Resilient, adaptable, and comfortable operating within a fast-paced and evolving business environment

This is an exceptional opportunity to join an ambitious international organisation during a significant growth phase. You'll have the chance to shape the people function from the ground up, influence strategic decision-making, and play a key role in the success of a rapidly expanding business. If you're a senior HR leader who thrives on building, scaling, and driving organisational performance, we'd love to hear from you.

Ref: SP208535