People Operations Lead

Join Fastned at the forefront of Europe’s electric vehicle and charging infrastructure revolution! As we rapidly expand our charging network across Europe, the opportunity to attract and serve more EV drivers is growing fast. To accelerate this growth, we are looking for a People Operations Lead to champion our scaling efforts, optimize our HR infrastructure, and empower the talented team at the heart of our organization.

Together with 400+ colleagues from over 45 nationalities, spread across 10 countries, we drive change in the energy transition. What sets us apart is our focus on reliability, sustainability and clean energy. We have been awarded “Best Charging Network” in the UK, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands, further establishing Fastned as a leading player in the field.

We are looking for a People Operations Lead to build and strengthen the operational backbone of our People team. Fastned is growing fast across Europe, and we need someone who genuinely loves the craft of People Ops and Payroll architecture. You understand that great HR isn’t just about policies, it’s felt by every single employee, in every country, every single month, from a warm onboarding welcome to a flawless payday.

You will lead a bright, experienced team consisting of three People Ops Specialists, our EV Fleet Manager, and our Payroll Lead (who steers two Payroll Specialists). Your job? It's to clear the tracks, set the direction, and to empower your team with autonomy and confidence to own their work.

That said, you’re not a "from-a-distance" leader. When the pressure is on, whether it's a tricky multi-country payroll cycle, a complex employee case, or a tight deadline, you are right there in the trenches with your team, leading by example.

This role reports directly to our People Director and sits right at the center of our People Leadership team, alongside the Head of Talent Acquisition and the Lead HRBP.

• Make sure everyone has a smooth journey, drive the governance and strategic oversight of our end-to-end employee lifecycle across all EU markets, empowering the team to deliver a seamless,
  impact-driven employee experience.
• Ensure our HR processes are consistent, compliant, and ready to scale as fast as our charging network into new countries.
• Optimize our HRIS architecture (
  Hi Bob ) to ensure bulletproof data integrity, strict compliance, and actionable reporting that helps the wider business move forward.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement, always asking, "How can we do this better, faster, and with less manual clicking?"

• Support our Payroll Lead and team in overseeing multi-country payroll across our European markets, partnering closely with external providers to keep things running like clockwork.
• Team up with our Payroll Lead to focus heavily on automation, taking our payroll processes from "good" to "cutting-edge."
• Act as a trusted second pair of eyes in the payroll review process. When discrepancies pop up, you take a deep-dive, detail-oriented approach to find the root cause and protect our standards of accuracy.
• Serve as the ultimate escalation partner for complex cases, regulatory changes, system integration issues, and cross-border compliance questions.

• Empower, lead, coach, and develop a dedicated team, offering autonomy to experienced members while staying close enough to support when it matters most.
• Be the kind of manager whose team feels both challenged to grow and completely backed up.
• Foster a team sub-culture built on precision, mutual care, psychological safety, and continuous learning.

• You don't consider operational or transactional work "beneath" you. You take pride in knowing the fine print so you can help your team unblock complex issues.
• You trust your people, give them room to breathe, and know exactly when to step back and let them shine.

• At least 8 years of experience in the People Ops and Payroll landscape, with at least 5 years spent guiding and managing a team.
• Proven experience scaling and managing multi-country HR operations and payroll…