About The Ocean Cleanup

The Ocean Cleanup is a global nonprofit that develops and scales solutions to rid the world’s oceans of plastic, driving systemic change, and creating a lasting positive impact for people, wildlife, and the planet.

The People & Organization (P&O) team plays a vital role in making that mission possible by enabling our people to thrive. We translate ambition into action by attracting purpose-driven talent, supporting our teams through every stage of the employee journey, ensuring full compliance with employment laws and payroll processes, and providing learning & development support to all our staff members.

About the Position

We are seeking an experienced HR Manager to lead our P&O team, drive the people strategy, and provide proactive HR business partnering to support leaders and employees across the organization.

As HR Manager, you will lead our People Operations and Business Partnering team. You will set clear goals and priorities, coach and develop team members, manage performance and conduct reviews, and allocate workload and resources. You will maintain our positive, inclusive team culture, ensure effective cross-functional communication, monitor team metrics and continuous improvement, and uphold accountability for delivering high-quality HR services and strategic business partnering.

You will act as a strategic sparring partner to leaders across the organization, helping translate business needs into practical people solutions. As an Employee Champion and Change Agent, you will help strengthen organizational health, develop managers, and ensure our people practices support both our employees and the wider mission of The Ocean Cleanup.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of People Business Partners, Operations Specialist, and Generalist.
• Set clear goals, priorities, and direction for the team, defining how the Business Partner function engages with and enables the business.
• Act as a strategic sparring partner to leaders and work with the business to identify needs and requirements, serving as the point of contact for HR matters.
• Shape and drive People strategies across a global workforce, ensuring alignment across regions and business priorities.
• Build and drive organizational health by ensuring the organization is structured to achieve business objectives.
• Educate, coach, and partner with managers on performance management and employee development goals.
• Lead and advise on complex employee relations, organizational development, performance, compensation, and talent matters.
• Influence and build strong, trusted relationships with stakeholders across the business.
• Build credibility and trust among employees and resolve employee concerns with compassion and follow-through.
• Lead core People processes in designated teams, including performance calibration, compensation cycles, and promotions.
• Manage team performance and conduct reviews, allocate workload and resources, and support the continued growth and development of the HR team.
• Monitor team metrics, identify opportunities for continuous improvement, and ensure accountability for delivering high-quality HR services.
• Collaborate with the People & Organization team on projects from inception through to rollout.
• Oversee the monthly payroll process and provision of key information, including KPIs and OKRs.
• Ensure HR practices and processes support compliance with applicable employment laws and organizational requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Psychology, or a related field.
• 10+ years of HR experience, with a strong background in senior Business Partnering in a fast-paced international environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading or managing a team, with a track record of developing people.
• Ability to set team direction and translate P&O strategy into clear priorities for a team of business partners.
• Experience in organizational development, change management, and employee relations.
• Knowledge of Dutch labour law.
• Familiarity with HR systems (e.g., Personio, Culture Amp) and data-driven decision-making.
• Strong business acumen and ability to align People strategies with organizational goals.
• Excellent communication, coaching, and conflict resolution skills.
• Ability to influence and build relationships at all levels of the organization.
• Proactive problem-solving with a hands-on, pragmatic approach.
• Experience in performance management, compensation, and talent development.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic, mission-driven environment.
• Experience in scale-ups, tech, and international organizations is a plus.

We recognize that strong candidates may come from different professional and career backgrounds. Even if you do not meet every qualification listed, we strongly encourage you to apply if you believe you have the skills, experience, and motivation to contribute to our mission.

Experience

• 10+ years of HR experience, including significant experience in senior Business Partnering within a fast-paced, international environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing an HR, People, or Business Partnering team.
• Experience working across organizational development, change management, employee relations, performance management, compensation, and talent development.
• Experience in scale-ups, technology, or international organizations is a plus.

Compensation & Perks

• Hybrid working model (approximately 2–3 days per week in the Rotterdam office).
• Opportunity to contribute to a mission-driven organization with global impact.
• Collaborative and international working environment.
• Leadership responsibility across the People Business Partner and Operations team.
• Opportunity to shape and drive the people strategy across a global workforce.
• Exposure to large-scale organizational and people initiatives.
• Opportunity to work closely with leaders and influence people-related decisions across the organization.
• Equal opportunity and transparent hiring approach.
• Support for individual needs and an inclusive workplace culture.

Additional Details

• Starting date – ASAP.
• Location – Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
• Conducting a pre-employment check may be part of this recruitment process.
• At The Ocean Cleanup, we believe we are stronger together, while harnessing the uniqueness each individual brings. That is why we take a fair, equal opportunity, and transparent approach to hiring and welcome special needs requests.