Deputy Head of Operations (People) – remote

Background to the role

The Good Food Institute Europe (GFI Europe) is at the forefront of the movement to transform meat production in order to solve some of the world’s biggest problems, from climate change and global hunger, to antibiotic resistance and animal suffering.

We work with scientists, businesses and policymakers to make plant-based and cultivated meat (grown directly from cells) delicious, affordable and accessible. Please check out the rest of our website, our 2023 Year in Review and our 2023 Europe Highlights blog post to find out more about who we are and what we do.

We are at an exciting stage in our growth and are looking for a Deputy Head of Operations (People) to manage our growing people operations team and projects.

How you will make a difference

Your role will enable inclusive, empowering and efficient people operations workflows at GFI Europe. Reporting to the Head of Operations, your work will fall under the following categories:

• Manage the People Operations function, including line managing two team members.
• Develop an inclusive, empowering and engaging People Operations strategy that ensures best practices around management principles, professional development, diversity, equity and inclusion, and other aspects of a healthy culture are adopted.
• Track team morale and culture by coordinating team engagement surveys and by listening to team members’ needs from when they join the organisation and all along their employee journey with us, taking steps where necessary to improve the employee experience.
• Be the main contact person for the GFI Europe team to discuss HR-related needs or concerns.
• Oversee solid HR management by:
  • Ensuring GFI Europe’s compensation and benefits remain competitive.
  • Creating and/or periodically reviewing and improving People Operations policies and addressing specific HR needs and requirements of our growing team.
  • Being the point of contact with payroll and employment legal advisors across 7+ countries, ensuring our employment terms and conditions are up to date and that payroll and employment terms are correctly processed.
  • Staying up to date with national laws impacting employment, benefits and other regulations to ensure we remain compliant across all regions.
  • Procuring and overseeing the work of People Operations service providers and consultants where applicable.
• Enable a smooth experience across the employee lifecycle by:
  • Positioning GFI Europe’s employer brand to keep attracting and retaining talent.
  • Planning recruitment cycles in collaboration with the Operations team and other departments, and signing off on assessment design.
  • Coordinating performance / probationary review cycles and where support is needed, providing coaching and counselling to team members and managers on matters related to performance.
  • Ensuring learning & development budgets and activities meet the needs of the team and organisation.
• Perform other tasks as required as a member of our small, dynamic team.

Who we’re looking for

You must have:

• A passion for GFI’s philosophy and mission.

• Proven experience in managing smooth, inclusive and effective People Operations such as HR admin, recruitment, performance management, learning & development, etc.
• Ability to balance high-level responsibilities (management, strategy) with practical execution, and to prioritise what needs to be solved, by when and how.
• Excellent people skills: high emotional intelligence, the ability to listen deeply and communicate effectively, to build and maintain trust and to work well with colleagues and stakeholders across multiple cultures.
• A high degree of organisation and attention to detail: finding enjoyment in devising and managing effective processes, fixing problems, and ensuring accurate, high-quality administration.
• Compassionate people management style: proven line management experience and ability to get the best out of colleagues, ideally in a remote environment.
• Comfort with complex, often ambiguous workflows where you need to approach and problem-solve new challenges creatively.
• Commitment to DEI principles: applying a diversity, equity and inclusion lens to all People Operations workflows, and maintaining our welcoming and supportive culture.
• Expertise in HR, employment compliance and payroll management within at least one country in Europe.
• Tech savviness: comfort using various software tools and platforms in a remote workplace, and a willingness to learn new systems. Training and support will be provided. 
• Language skills: ability to work effectively in English. 

It would be an advantage to have some or all of the following attributes, but none of them are prerequisites, and we welcome applications from candidates without any or all of them:

• Coaching and mentoring experience
• Experience with international HR management (2+ countries). Familiarity with the following countries in particular would be an advantage: Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain or the UK.
• Experience with leading DEI initiatives in the workplace.
• The ability to work in European languages in addition to English.

We want the best people and we know that building a diverse, inclusive workplace leads to stronger, happier, more productive and resilient teams. We strongly encourage people of every ethnicity, orientation, age, gender, origin, socio-economic background, and ability to apply. Because we value a diverse workplace, we prioritise an inclusive culture absent of discrimination and harassment during the application process and after you join the team.

Benefits and the fine print

• Terms of employment: Full-time (38 hours/week), flexible working hours.
• Location: We can consider applicants based in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain or the UK. This is a remote role, and you will be able to work from home, or we are happy to consider supporting costs for co-working to enable you to work from an office if you wish. The whole GFI Europe team aims to get together in person approximately twice per year for around 3-5 days at a time. Travel costs will be covered by GFI Europe within our travel policy.
• Salary and benefits: The salary and benefits package for all of our roles are researched and benchmarked based on similar nonprofit roles in the country/location of hire. For reference, full-time range (total amounts received in gross salary plus benefits including home-working allowance) would be for:
  • The Netherlands: €58,320-€69,984 (range includes holiday pay specific for the Netherlands)
• Right to work requirements: The successful candidate must, by the start of the employment, have permission to work in the country where they are based, and to be able to travel within the EU.
• Application Deadline: 9 July 2024, 11.59pm CEST. We will get back to all candidates after that date, no matter the outcome of their application. You should expect to hear back from us within about a week after the deadline.