People Lead

Commonland; Amsterdam; Hybrid; EUR 67,000 - 78,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary between EUR 6,000 and EUR 7,000

Job summary

Commonland is seeking a People Lead to drive the strategic People agenda across an international NGO. You will partner with the Managing Director and senior leaders to strengthen leadership, culture and organisational effectiveness, while ensuring excellent people operations.

You will lead a small, multi-country team and build foundations to enable a distributed workforce to thrive and deliver lasting impact.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in a People/HR leadership role, preferably within NGO/scale-up culture.
• Experience with international employment models and HR frameworks across multiple countries.
• Fluent in English and Dutch; based in the Netherlands.
• Ability to navigate complexity and ambiguity.

Responsibilities

• Drive the strategic People agenda and ensure effective delivery across the organisation.
• Partner with the Managing Director and Leadership to strengthen leadership, culture and organisational effectiveness.
• Lead a team including two People Advisors, Office Manager and IT Coordinator (all part-time).
• Shape workforce strategy, people frameworks and operational foundations for an international team.
• Manage complex People cases and advise on employment-related risks.
• Deliver People projects with the right support and ownership.

Skills

People leadership

Strategic thinking

Feedback culture

Relationship building

Ownership & execution

Learning agility

Diversity & Inclusion

English fluency

Dutch fluency

NGO/scale-up experience

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in HR/People field

Job description

People Lead

32 hours | One-year contract, with the intention to continue permanently | Starting date: asap

Do you believe that strong teams and clear leadership are what turn ambition into impact? Are you energised by building an international organisation where people can thrive? Then we’d love to meet you, and we warmly invite you to apply for this position.

Your role

As People Lead, you drive the strategic People agenda and oversee its effective delivery across the organisation. You partner closely with the Managing Director and senior leadership to strengthen leadership, organisational effectiveness, and culture, while ensuring excellent people operations and support services. Leading a team of two People Advisors, the Office Manager and IT Coordinator (all part-time), you build the people, culture and organisational foundations that enable Commonland's international team to thrive and deliver lasting impact. Our international team has team members based in the Amsterdam office and around the world including in Africa, Europe, and the Asia Pacific.

Your impact

We are looking for someone who can help Commonland navigate its next phase of development, increasing its impact and effectiveness and making sure the Commonland team is fit for purpose for the big challenge of contributing towards restoring the world’s landscapes from the ground up in a highly complex context. We are seeking a People leader who can create meaningful impact in the following key areas:

1. People vision & strategy

• Shape and drive Commonland’s People vision and strategy.
• Translate priorities into a focused People roadmap.
• Act as a strategic and trusted partner to the Managing Director and Leadership team.

2. Feedback culture & leadership

• Help build a culture of feedback, ownership, and continuous learning.
• Support and challenge leaders in their role as people managers to take greater ownership of performance, development, and team leadership.
• Strengthen collaboration, accountability and systems thinking.

3. Building a globally connected organisation

• Help Commonland evolve into a globally connected team.
• Create the conditions for engagement, collaboration and belonging with a strong diversity and inclusion mindset.
• Shape the workforce strategy, people frameworks and operational foundations required to support an increasingly international organisation.

4. Other People topics

• Take ownership of complex People cases, employment-related risks and external legal advice, ensuring decisions align with Commonland's values and organisational goals.
• Take final responsibility for People projects and initiatives and make sure they are delivered with the right support from the team.

What you bring

• Mission-driven: you are familiar with what is at stake in mission-driven organisations and you have a strong People vision aiming to strengthen Commonland’s mission and impact.
• Strategic thinking: You translate organisational ambitions into a clear People strategy and roadmap, balancing long-term direction with tangible day-to-day results in a multidisciplinary and multi-cultural setting.
• Courageous feedback: You are a trusted advisor who provides strategic counsel, challenges existing ideas, and gives honest, constructive feedback to drive better decisions.
• People leadership: You lead with both care and accountability, creating trust, resilience and strong collaboration within the People team while balancing business and people needs.
• Relationship building: You build trusted relationships across the whole organisation, creating support for change and collaboration.
• Ownership & execution: You take initiative, lead projects end-to-end and turn ideas into action.
• Learning agility: You thrive in an international and evolving environment, quickly learning and applying new insights.
• Diversity & Inclusion: you understand diversity as a team’s asset and are keen to lead an inclusive workplace.

What you also bring

• Bachelor's or Master's degree (or equivalent level of thinking and working), with a proven track record in a People/HR leadership role, preferably within an NGO/ scale up culture.
• Strong experience in HR advice and organizational development, including team effectiveness, role clarity, ownership, leadership and feedback culture.
• Experience with international employment models, workforce structures and HR frameworks across multiple countries.
• Comfort with complexity, ambiguity, and the ability to navigate the unknown.
• Based in and authorised to work in the Netherlands.
• Fluent in English and Dutch.

We offer you

• The opportunity to contribute to meaningful work in a dynamic, international environment with passionate colleagues.
• The chance to shape and lead a newly positioned People team, with real influence on the future of the organisation.
• A salary between EUR 6,000 and EUR 7,000 gross per month based on a full-time contract (40 hours), based on your experience, leadership profile and proven ability to create organisational impact.
• A yearly learning budget of EUR 2000,-, holiday allowance of 8%, and a great pension scheme.
• Healthy Monday team lunches, monthly drinks, inspiration sessions and a great office with good coffee and a stunning view.

Commonland

Commonland is an international non-profit organisation that supports organisations in restoring landscapes and shaping a regenerative future for all. With our holistic approach - underpinned by the 4 Returns Framework - people and organisations worldwide are working with nature and their communities to restore landscapes.
Our core values are empowering each other, putting words into action and being compassionate & honest. These guiding principles help us to guide our actions, strengthen our culture and determine if we are on the right path in fulfilling our ambitious goals.

At Commonland, we believe diverse teams make better decisions and create greater impact. We are committed to building a People team that reflects a broad range of perspectives, experiences and leadership styles, and we particularly encourage applications from candidates who can help further strengthen that diversity. We welcome applicants of all genders, backgrounds and experiences.

If you have any questions about this position, feel free to contact Anouk Breukers (People Lead) at [e-mail].