Director of People Experience (Europe)

As a Director of People Experience at Storyblok, you lead a lean, high-trust team of three - two senior HRBPs and one People Operations Specialist - supporting a fully remote organisation of ~320 people across 40+ countries.

From a business partnering perspective, our senior HRBPs own their divisions end-to-end, from executive level to individual contributor. Your role is to enable and support that model: develop and coach the team, act as their senior escalation point on complex ER and high-stakes people situations, and step in as a hands-on Business Partner when needed. Alongside the partnering dimension, you own the operational backbone of the pillar - HR Operations, process improvement and automation, EOR relationships, and HR policy in close collaboration with Legal.

You'll be a key member of the People Leadership Team, partnering closely with the VP of People & Organisation, the Director of Talent & Total Rewards, and the Director of Talent Management & Development.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Team Leadership & HRBP Development

Lead, manage and develop a team of three - two Senior HRBPs and one People Operations Specialist - across multiple time zones and geographies

Define and maintain the HRBP operating model, ways of working, and quality standards - ensuring both HRBPs operate with consistency, proactivity, and full end-to-end division ownership

Coach and develop the HRBPs to build their business partnering capability, their confidence in complex situations, and their ability to operate autonomously at Senior Leadership level within their divisions

Act as backup Business Partner for either division when HRBPs are unavailable, on leave, or facing a particularly complex or sensitive situation

Set clear expectations, provide regular feedback, and create development plans for each team member

Foster a team culture of curiosity, operational excellence, and continuous improvement

HR Operations

Own the HR Operations function - ensuring the employee lifecycle (onboarding, offboarding, employee changes, parental leave, contract amendments) is delivered in a scalable, compliant, and high-quality way globally

Oversee the People Operations Specialist and ensure Tier 1 queries, employee events, and process documentation are handled to a high standard

Define and monitor HR Ops SLAs, and track operational health metrics - including process compliance, HRIS accuracy, and employee lifecycle quality

Lead quarterly process audits across onboarding, offboarding, HRIS data, SOC2 and ISO requirements

Act as primary point of contact for cross-divisional collaboration with Payroll, Tech Ops, Finance, and Legal on operational HR matters

Process Improvement & Automation

Own the People Ops process improvement roadmap - identifying and streamlining manual, inefficient, or duplicated workflows across the employee lifecycle

Partner with HR Infrastructure team to identify and implement automation opportunities in onboarding, offboarding, employee changes, and HR Ops workflows

Translate operational challenges into requirements for workflow automation and AI-enabled processes - ensuring automation enhances the employee experience without removing necessary human judgment

Maintain and evolve process documentation across the People Experience team (Notion pages, SOPs, playbooks)

HR Policy (in collaboration with Legal)

Own the drafting, operationalizing, and maintenance of HR policies across the organisation

Work in close collaboration with Legal (ESG & Compliance Manager) to ensure policies are legally sound, up to date with relevant legislation, and aligned with the agreed People-Legal scope boundary

Ensure HR policies are accessible, clearly communicated, and embedded into day-to-day people processes

Partner with Legal when legislation changes (EU directives, local employment law updates) to update HR policies and processes accordingly

Bring org-wide HR policies to the VP of People & Organisation and Legal for joint review and approval before rollout

EOR & Employment Operations

Own and manage relationships with Employers of Record (EORs) - ensuring compliant, cost-effective, and high-quality employment operations across 40+ countries

Ensure employment documentation, contracts, and contractual relationship records are maintained accurately and in line with local labor law requirements

Oversee the execution of employee events within EOR frameworks - onboarding, offboarding, changes - in close partnership with the People Ops Specialist

Stay current on global employment law changes that affect EOR operations, and proactively flag risks or updates to the VP of People and Legal

Employee Relations

Provide senior oversight and direction on complex, sensitive, or high-risk employee relations matters raised by HRBPs

Escalate to the VP of People & Organisation where litigation risk, senior leader involvement, or cross-border complexity requires VP-level intervention

Partner with Legal on ER cases involving terminations for infringement, following agreed escalation paths and SOPs owned by Legal

Ensure HRBPs are equipped to handle ER cases within their divisions, with clear escalation guidance and coaching from the Director

People Leadership Team Collaboration

Represent People Experience in People Leadership Team (PLT) syncs and contribute to shared People & Org priorities

Collaborate with the Director of Talent & Total Rewards to ensure a seamless employee experience - from offer to onboarding, and through any compensation or role changes

Partner with the Director of Talent Management & Development to ensure cyclical HR processes (performance, promotions, development) are well-executed within divisions

Lead or contribute to global People projects with company-wide impact, as agreed with the VP of People & Organisation

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

8–12+ years of progressive HR experience, with a track record in both HR Operations and HR Business Partnering

Proven experience leading and developing small, high-performing HR teams in a fast-paced, remote-first environment

Strong operational grounding - you understand how to design, document, and improve HR processes at scale

Experience managing EOR relationships and navigating multi-country employment compliance

Comfortable owning HR policy drafting and working in close partnership with Legal to ensure compliance

Experience working with HRIS platforms (BambooHR, HiBob, or similar) and driving automation or workflow improvements in collaboration with HR Systems teams

Strong coaching orientation — focused on developing people's capability and confidence

Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills - you can operate across all levels with credibility and clarity

Comfortable operating in a lean, fast-moving environment

Familiarity with EU labor law, global employment compliance, and cross-border HR operations is a strong plus

Demonstrates AI literacy, with the ability to leverage AI tools to enhance productivity, decision-making, and quality of work while applying sound judgment and critical thinking.