People Business Partner Lead (a.i.)

As our People Business Partner Lead (a.i.), you will step into a pivotal leadership role to cover a maternity leave during an exciting phase of Fastned's European growth. You will lead our international People Business Partner team, act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, and help us strengthen our organizational foundations, always balancing business goals with the well-being and growth of our people.

This is an interim role, but your impact will be lasting. We are looking for someone who can hit the ground running, bring structure and clarity where needed, and leave the team and the business in a stronger place.

At Fastned, the People team has a clear structure and defined responsibilities. Your focus won't be on the People Operations side; instead, you will lead a team of four Business Partners experienced PBPs based across 4 European markets (the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, and Germany). Your job? To clear blockers, set the direction, and give your team the autonomy to own their work. Alongside team leadership, you will act as the dedicated PBP for our Dutch Pipeline teams (Location Design, Network Development & Construction Management) and our Operations & People departments, working closely with our Dutch Country Director to tackle challenges on the ground. You lead by example, which may include occasional travel to our other European offices.

This role reports directly to the People Director and sits at the center of our People Leadership team, alongside the Head of TA and our future People Operations & Payroll Manager.

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  Lead and support the PBP team: Act as the go-to person, a sparring partner, and coach for our international PBPs. You will cultivate a team culture built on trust, openness, and shared accountability.

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  Strengthen our foundations: Help reinforce and scale our HR policies, processes, and documentation to ensure clarity, consistency, and fairness across the entire organization.

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  Own the performance & succession cycle: Take full ownership of our annual performance cycle (The Pitstop)—ensuring it runs smoothly, lands well, and delivers real value. Beyond the cycle, you will help sharpen and develop our approach to succession planning.

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  Drive leadership development: Partner with your team and the People Director to shape our Learning & Development agenda based on direct business insights, including facilitating training sessions where needed.

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  Partner with senior leadership: Work closely with business leaders, bringing both a human and a strategic business perspective to the table. You will anticipate organizational needs, challenge constructively, and drive meaningful conversations around team effectiveness and culture.

• You bring 6+ years of experience in People Business Partnering, with at least 3 years spent successfully leading and developing a team.

• You know Dutch labor law inside out. Got experience with another European country's regulations? That’s a huge plus!

• You are comfortable working across multiple countries and know how to navigate the legal and cultural complexities that come with a multi-market footprint.

• You have worked in a rapidly growing company and know what it means to build robust foundations while keeping the operational day-to-day running smoothly.

• You have a proven ability to establish strong relationships across cultures and navigate organizational ambiguity with confidence.

• You know how to translate people data into meaningful insights to identify trends, flag risks, and help the business make evidence-based decisions.

• You operate comfortably at both levels, whether you are contributing to a senior leadership meeting or sitting down for a 1-on-1 with an employee.

• You possess strong coaching and advisory skills, knowing exactly how to guide leaders without taking over their ownership.

• You are fluent in English. Dutch language is a strong plus, any other European language is a bonus!

We would love to have a conversation with you! Apply now, send us your CV and explain in your motivation letter why you’re excited about joining Fastned.

Fastned stands for equity and inclusion. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, gender identities, sexual orientations, religions, neurodiversity, disabilities, parental status or any other protected characteristic that makes you unique.