Group Talent Management Lead

XD Connects B.V.; Rijswijk; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Chance to build across Europe

Impact at executive level

Growth opportunities

European cross-country work

Ambitious pace

Job summary

XD Connects B.V. is looking for a senior Talent Management leader to shape a future-ready organization across Europe. You will own performance management, talent reviews, succession planning and leadership development, and build functional academies that grow the business.

You will lead employer branding, campus recruitment, internships and trainee programs, partnering with the executive team to decide hiring priorities and how to hire, develop, automate or redesign as needed.

Qualifications

• Built talent management frameworks (performance, succession, leadership development) in multi-entity or post-merger environments.
• Owned recruitment at scale in growing or recently merged organizations.
• Able to start hands-on and later build/lead a team as the function grows.
• Collaborates effectively with executive leadership and aligns stakeholders.
• Uses AI tools as part of talent reviews, mapping succession, sourcing and screening candidates.

Responsibilities

• Lead the talent management engine across the organization.
• Own performance reviews, succession planning and leadership development; integrate into one strategy.
• Build functional academies to grow core business capability.
• Develop employer brand and drive campus recruitment, internships and trainee programs.

Skills

Talent management frameworks

Recruitment at scale

Leadership development

Stakeholder management

AI tools usage

Building employer brand

Campus recruitment & internships

Change management

Job description

Solo is building Europe’s leading one-stop shop for custom branded merchandise. By bringing together Solo, midocean and XD Connects, three strong, well-established companies, we are creating one European powerhouse. And powerhouses are built by people.

That is where you come in. A high-performing, engaged team is one of the key enablers of our strategy, and you will lay its foundation. You will grow performance, secure succession, build functional academies and develop the leaders who will take us forward. You will also own the talent acquisition engine that brings in the people our growth demands.

We DARE to rethink how talent is found and grown. We CARE about people reaching their full potential. And we GO FAST, because our ambition doesn’t wait.

Why this role exists

You make sure Solo always has the talent, leaders and capabilities to outperform the market and deliver on our growth ambition. You shape a high-performance culture where expectations are clear, performance is differentiated, leaders grow, and top talent is spotted, kept and moved forward.

Talent management: building a future-ready organization

This is not about running talent processes. It is about building an organization that never stands still. Markets, customers, technology and AI keep changing the game, and you make sure we keep up by constantly challenging whether we have the right structure, skills, leaders and people in place.

You own performance management, talent reviews, succession planning and leadership development, and bring them together into one integrated talent strategy. You build functional academies that grow the expertise our business runs on. You use data and business insight to help leaders see their talent today and the capabilities they will need tomorrow, including how automation and AI will reshape roles and teams.

You lead the engine that brings exceptional people into Solo. You build a strong employer brand and open the door to new talent through campus recruitment, internships and trainee programs. You also challenge every hiring need: should we hire, develop, automate or redesign? Every hiring decision serves the bigger picture.

What success looks like

Not the number of programs, but real results: stronger leadership pipelines, successful succession, better retention of critical talent, capabilities in place faster, and an organization that adapts as the business changes.

You are the architect of our talent ecosystem. You DARE to challenge the status quo, CARE about every person’s growth, and GO FAST to keep Solo ahead.

What we are looking for:

Who you are?

• You have built talent management frameworks (performance, succession, leadership development) in a multi-entity or post-merger environment
• You have owned recruitment at scale, ideally in a growing or newly merged organization
• You are happy to roll up your sleeves as an individual contributor first, and ready to build and lead a team as the function grows
• You work confidently with executive leadership and know how to bring stakeholders along
• You use AI tools as a natural part of your work, from preparing talent reviews and mapping succession to sourcing and screening candidates
• You thrive across cultures and languages, working with both our French and Dutch teams
• You are a builder, not a maintainer

What we offer:

• A rare chance to build. Three companies are becoming one, and you get to shape how talent works in the new Solo from the ground up.
• Real impact, close to the top. You work directly with the executive team, and your work shows up in how the business performs.
• Room to grow with the function. Start hands-on, then build and lead your own team as we scale.
• A truly European playground. Work across France, the Netherlands and our other countries, with colleagues who bring different cultures, languages and perspectives.
• Pace and ambition. A company on a clear growth path that DAREs, CAREs and GOes FAST.

About us

Solo is building Europe’s leading one-stop shop for custom branded merchandise. Solo, midocean and XD Connects, three well-established names in our industry, are coming together as one European company, with sales offices across Europe, design and sourcing in Asia, and our own production and printing facilities.

We help businesses connect with their employees and customers through products people actually want to keep, while working hard to reduce our impact on the environment. We DARE to challenge the way things have always been done. We CARE about our people, our customers and our planet. And we GO FAST, working together across borders to turn ambition into results.

Joining Solo now means joining a company in the middle of building something big. You will be challenged, you will be inspired, and you will be proud of what we create together. 2500+ colleagues across Europe are looking forward to welcoming you.