People Operations Lead

Rotterdam Innovation City; Rotterdam; Hybrid; EUR 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Personal development budget

Gym/fitness discounts

Commuting covered

Job summary

Rotterdam Innovation City is seeking a Senior People Operations Lead to drive HR processes across the Netherlands and France, based in our Rotterdam HQ. You will own the employee lifecycle from onboarding to offboarding and coordinate the daily workload for a multinational People Ops team.

This role requires hands-on payroll expertise, strong data analytics, and cross-border program management. The role combines operations, governance, and strategic partnership with external experts.

Qualifications

• 5+ years hands-on experience in senior HR operations or HR generalist roles in the Netherlands.
• Strong Dutch payroll experience; knowledge of French payroll is a plus.
• Experience handling Dutch 30% ruling and visa/work permit procedures is preferred.
• Proficient with HiBOB, Lattice, and Google Workspace.
• Excellent HR analytics capability to guide operational decisions.

Responsibilities

• Oversee pre-onboarding, onboarding, and relocation for international hires.
• Lead payroll operations for Dutch and French entities with external partners.
• Provide manager advisory on performance cycles and PIPs.
• Maintain data integrity across HRIS, pensions, and salary systems.
• Develop HR analytics, eNPS, turnover, and survey insights.

Skills

HR operations

Payroll

HR analytics

Lattice

HiBOB

Google Workspace

English fluency

Tools

HiBOB

Lattice

Google Workspace

Job description

We're on a mission to become the go-to destination for students across Europe to find a trusted home away from home. We make every step of the rental journey simple and seamless, so students can focus on what really matters: studying, exploring, and growing.

With HousingAnywhere, Kamernet, and Studapart under our roof, we're Europe's largest student rental platform. You'll find us in Rotterdam, Paris, and Cergy, always guided by our four core values: Ownership, We are enablers, We are changemakers, and We are connectors.

Your role

We are looking for a People Operations Lead to become the operational backbone of our People Ops department, driving essential HR processes across our offices in the Netherlands and France. In this role, you will hold a helicopter view of all HR functions. By coordinating the daily workload distribution, you will ensure every step of the employee lifecycle—from onboarding to offboarding is executed seamlessly.

Based in our Rotterdam HQ, you will interact regularly with our French offices and collaborate with external partners to manage distinct HR legislative environments.

This is a unique role for a highly analytical, detail-oriented professional who thrives on international exposure and wants to own a broad scope of responsibilities.

Key responsibilities

Pre-Onboarding & Onboarding Leadership

• Overseeing pre-onboarding logistics: Review drafted employment agreements, onboarding programs, initiate and manage Employer of Record (EOR) setup and visa/work permit applications, and process 30% ruling applications prior to new hires' start dates.
• Onboarding program lead: Facilitate our structured, week-long HR onboarding program for all new team members to ensure a seamless joining experience.
• Logistics & relocation: Coordinate the relocation process for international hires and work on complex cases (escalated by peers), with the support of external experts, if necessary.

Employee Lifecycle & Performance Maintenance

• Performance cycles: Dispatch and manage the objective setting, the mid-year review, and year-end review cycles within Lattice.
• Data integrity: Maintain up-to-date employee records across our HRIS (HiBOB), pension schemes, and external salary systems.
• Manager advisory: Proactively inform and guide managers on cycle launches, timeline expectations, and best practices.
• Performance support: Provide operational assistance to managers navigating Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) and sensitive employee relations matters.

HR Analytics & Reporting

• Data & insights: Build, track, and analyze key HR metrics including eNPS, turnover trends, survey satisfaction rates, and performance cycle completion rates.
• Annual audit support: Submit requested data and documents and execute relevant action items regarding the HR processes, policies, and practices, in collaboration with internal stakeholders and external auditors.

Payroll & Operations Management

• Payroll execution: Oversee accurate and compliant monthly payroll runs for our Dutch and French entities alongside external payroll partners.
• Bonus calculation: Calculate the payable amount of bonus at the individual level based on the company’s Short-term Bonus Scheme conditions.
• Workflow coordination: Monitor daily workload distribution across the team to guarantee high standards of quality, accuracy, and legal compliance.
• Facilitate the Annual Salary Review process.

Offboarding Management

• End-to-end offboarding: Facilitate the full exit process, including drafting exit paperwork, coordinating exit interviews, dispatching equipment returns (laptops/assets), and executing payroll closeouts.

Your team

You will join the People Ops department, which is responsible for the employee experience of around 300 team members spread across 3 international locations and remote setups.

The department consists of 9 team members spanning HR, Recruitment, IT, and Office Management, reporting directly to our HR & Recruitment Director. You will join the HR sub-team as a Senior Individual Contributor, working closely with an HR Generalist and two Office Managers, who also support HR Operations.

We value a high level of ownership, autonomy, teamwork, and a results-oriented mindset.

Your profile

• 5+ years of hands-on experience in a Senior HR Operations, HR Lead, or HR Generalist role in the Netherlands. Experience in French HR is a strong plus.
• Solid hands-on experience with Dutch payroll. Knowledge of French payroll is a plus.
• Experience handling Dutch 30% ruling and visa/work permit procedures is preferred.
• Proficient with Google Workspace (Google Sheet in particular), HRIS platforms (preferably HiBOB), and performance management tools (preferably Lattice).
• Strong ability to extract, interpret, and present HR analytics to guide operational decision-making.
• Excellent process-mapping skills, meticulous attention to detail, and informal leadership ability to organize and assign team workflows effectively.
• Business fluency in English. Proficiency in Dutch and/or French is a strong advantage.
• Collaborative team player with strong intercultural communication skills, high integrity with confidential data, and a continuous growth mindset.

What's in it for you

• Unlimited paid holidays, minimum-based not maximum!
• Position based in our Rotterdam office with hybrid working policy (3 office days).
• Flexibility to work remotely for up to 2 months per year!
• 1,000 EUR personal development budget.
• Complete coverage for commuting.
• Personal equipment, including laptop and ergonomic setup.
• Gym membership discount with GoVital or OneFit.
• Dutch/English classes budget.
• Variable pension scheme.
• Diverse international community (46+ nationalities).
• Pet-friendly office in Rotterdam city centre.
• Team-building events and after-work drinks every Friday.

What can you expect from our hiring process? Read more here.