People Operations Manager - Netherlands & International Expansion (Dutch speaker)

Qonto; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

International scope

Tangible impact

Ownership of local operations

Cross-functional exposure

Learning & growth

Job summary

Qonto is seeking a seasoned People Operations professional to own the Netherlands operations and help expand into new international markets from Amsterdam. You will partner with local leaders, compensation & benefits, and the broader People team to design local policies, benefits, and processes for the first employees in each market.

You will manage onboarding, offboarding, and HR queries, ensure compliance with Dutch employment rules, and maintain accurate HR data in Workday, coordinating

Qualifications

• 6+ years in People Operations or HR generalist roles
• Experience supporting the Netherlands and in scale-ups or international settings
• Fluent in Dutch and English; French a plus

Responsibilities

• Be the local People Operations point of contact for employees and managers, handling onboarding, offboarding, absences and queries
• Assess Netherlands setup, identify compliance risks and recommend policy improvements
• Help establish people setup in new markets, developing local policies and packages
• Design and implement practical process improvements and clear guidelines across markets
• Maintain accurate confidential employee data in HR systems and coordinate payroll inputs

Skills

HR operations

Stakeholder management

Multi-market HR

Analytical thinking

Dutch employment law

Tools

Workday

Job description

Our mission and customers: We are creating the freedom for SMEs to succeed by delivering Europe's leading finance workspace with banking at its core, augmented by financial tools. We are proud to be rated 4.8 on Trustpilot, based on 55,000+ reviews. Our culture puts customer satisfaction at the core of what we do, as proven by our Net Promoter Score of 75 (more about our culture here). Our journey: Founded in 2017 by Alexandre and Steve, Qonto has grown to 1,700 Qontoers serving over 750,000+ customers across 8 European countries. We have been profitable since 2023, and we are just getting started. Our beliefs: We hire for skills and potential. With 80+ nationalities, 45% women, of which 56% of women in our leadership team, diversity isn't a program; It's who we are. We've built a discrimination-free hiring process because the best teams are built on merit. AI at Qonto: AI is deeply embedded in how we work (here) - Every Qontoer gets unlimited access to the best AI tools. We want people who experiment without waiting for permission, push AI beyond the obvious, know when to trust it, and when to question it.

Join us as a People Operations Manager — Netherlands & International Expansion

Based in Amsterdam, you’ll own day-to-day People Operations for the Netherlands, improve local policies and processes, and help establish our people setup in new markets. Working closely with local leaders, People Business Partners and Compensation & Benefits, you’ll turn local requirements and employee needs into reliable, scalable practices. You’ll join our People Operations team and report to Julia Lecointe, Head of People Operations.

What you'll do

• Employee experience:

  Be the local People Operations point of contact for employees and managers, managing onboarding, offboarding, absences and day-to-day HR queries. Handle complex situations independently and partner with People Business Partners on sensitive cases.

• Local policies and compliance:

  Assess our Netherlands setup, identify compliance risks and recommend improvements to policies, benefits and communications, including parenthood and healthcare provisions.

• International expansion:

  Help establish our people setup in new international markets, working with Compensation & Benefits and the wider People team to develop the initial package, local policies and processes to support our first employees in each market.

• Scalable processes and projects:

  Design and implement practical process improvements, create clear standards and guidelines, and lead HR projects that make our operations more efficient as we grow across markets.

• People data and payroll inputs:

  Maintain accurate, consistent and confidential employee data in Workday and other HR systems, and prepare reliable payroll inputs in coordination with the relevant teams and providers.

What we're looking for

• Experience:

  6+ years in People Operations, an HR specialist or HR generalist role, with hands‑on experience supporting the Netherlands. Experience in a structured scale-up or international, fast-paced organisation will help you succeed; UK HR experience or involvement in opening new countries is a plus.

• HR and legal expertise:

  Strong knowledge of Netherlands employment requirements and employee-lifecycle processes. You can navigate complex HR situations, identify risks and translate your analysis into clear, practical recommendations.

• Process and project skills:

  You can independently improve workflows, document standards and lead projects involving several stakeholders, balancing daily operations with longer-term improvements.

• Analytical rigour:

  You pay close attention to detail, protect confidentiality and use data and local context to assess policies, packages and operational gaps.

• Autonomy and adaptability:

  You’re comfortable being the local People representative while collaborating with a team based across countries. You prioritise effectively, learn quickly, solve problems and respond constructively to feedback.

• Communication and partnership:

  You build trusted relationships with employees, managers and senior leaders, combining an approachable, helpful style with clear communication and sound judgment.

• Languages:

  Fluent Dutch and English are required. French, or another European language, is a plus, but not essential.

What we can offer you

• International scope:

  A role combining Netherlands ownership with the opportunity to help build our UK people setup and contribute to Qonto’s geographic expansion.

• Tangible impact:

  The chance to shape local policies, benefits and employee experiences in a growing market, rather than simply maintain established processes.

• Meaningful ownership:

  An autonomous individual-contributor role as the People Operations representative in Amsterdam, supported by the expertise of our wider People team.

• Cross-functional exposure:

  Close collaboration with local leadership, People Business Partners, Compensation & Benefits and Talent Acquisition, with visibility into decisions that support new-market growth.

• Learning and growth:

  Opportunities to deepen your multi-market HR expertise through country setup, process design and hands‑on project delivery.

Your future manager

Your manager will be Julia Lecointe, our Head of People Operations. You’ll initially be managed by Estelle during Julia’s upcoming absence. Their path? Julia brings over a decade of experience in risk management, internal control and compliance. Julia joined Qonto in 2021, grew within the Internal Control team and took on leadership of People Operations and Payroll in June 2025. What do they bring to the team? A deep understanding of Qonto’s culture and operations, combined with experience building compliance frameworks and managing operational risks. Julia brings a structured, reliable approach to improving complex processes and scaling People Operations and payroll.