HR Director to $4000

Head of People & Culture (Lisbon, Portugal)

We are looking for a Head of People & Culture to build and lead the HR function for a multicultural team. This is the top HR role with direct impact on business decisions and company culture.

About the role

• Act as a strategic partner to the CEO, driving the people agenda and organizational development.
• Build the People & Culture function from the ground up: processes, policies, tools, HR metrics and team.
• Own the full employee lifecycle: hiring, onboarding, performance, development, engagement and retention.
• Shape and strengthen a modern, high‑trust, performance‑oriented culture in a multicultural environment.

Key responsibilities

• Design and implement HR strategy aligned with business goals.
• Set up and optimize core HR processes: recruitment, onboarding, performance management, L&D, compensation & benefits, employee relations.
• Structure and professionalize recruitment: full-cycle hiring, improving funnel quality, mentoring an existing internal recruiter (currently doing basic screening).
• Implement and develop HR systems and tools (payroll solution already in place; further integration with ERP/HRM such as MS Dynamics planned).
• Ensure compliance with Portuguese labor law and relevant local regulations (with readiness to deepen expertise where needed).
• Work closely with managers as a coach and advisor on team structure, leadership, feedback, conflict management and performance.
• Track and improve key HR metrics: attrition, time-to-hire, time-to-productivity, engagement and quality of hire.

What company offers

• Top HR seat with direct reporting line to CEO and real influence on business decisions.
• Opportunity to design the People function almost «from scratch» in a growing international company.
• Mostly office-based role in Portugal with some flexibility for hybrid work, especially for analytical/strategic tasks.

Requirements

• Proven experience as Head of People, HR Director or Senior HR Business Partner in companies of 80–100+ employees.
• Strong HR generalist profile: hands-on experience building or significantly transforming HR processes, not just maintaining them.
• Experience in international or multicultural organizations.
• Practical exposure to Portuguese labor law (or strong readiness to ramp up quickly).
• Solid experience with HR systems (payroll, HRM/ERP); experience with MS Dynamics or similar is a plus.
• Fluent English.
• Valid work permission/residency in Portugal.