Lead People & Culture Business Partner (f/m/d) 5 month contract

Patagonia is an outdoor apparel company founded in 1973. At a time when all life on earth is under threat of extinction, we aim to use the resources we have—our business, our investments, our voice and our imagination—to influence changes needed to protect our planet. A registered B Corporation and founding member of 1% for the Planet, Patagonia is recognised internationally for its commitment to product quality and environmental activism, contributing over $145 million in grants and in-kind donations to thousands of grassroots environmental groups around the world.

Your role:

We’re in business to save our home planet. The Lead People & Culture Business Partner strengthens Patagonia EMEA’s organizational effectiveness by applying advanced expertise to complex people and organizational challenges across multiple countries and functions. 

As the dedicated Business Partner for Marketplace (excluding Customer Service & Retail)and Marketing & Impact, the role operates across diverse business models, guiding leaders through ambiguity and ensuring consistent, values-aligned people practices. The position translates functional priorities into practical execution, shaping how frameworks are applied in the EMEA context while aligning with global direction and European labor landscapes. 

Main tasks:

• Business Partnership Leadership Act as a trusted advisor to managers and senior stakeholders across Marketplace and Marketing & Impact, navigating complex organizational and people topics. Apply advanced judgment to ambiguous situations, determining approaches that balance business needs, employee experience, and compliance across multiple countries. 

• Job and Pay Architecture ImplementationExecute the implementation of the Career Development Framework (CDF) and Compensation frameworks across the supported functions, ensuring consistent and high-quality execution. Coach and guide managers through adoption, embed new ways of working, and manage change effectively to ensure clarity, fairness, and alignment with regional and global practices. 

• Employee Relations ManagementGuide and enable the Employee Relations Advisor on complex and sensitive cases, providing direction on approach, risk, and decision-making. Apply in-depth knowledge of European employment legislation to ensure consistency and sound judgment, while maintaining oversight of case quality and alignment with Patagonia’s values and practices. 

• Organizational Effectiveness Guide managers through organizational design, team evolution, and structural changes, adapting frameworks to the specific context of each function. Ensure clarity in roles, sustainable team structures, and thoughtful implementation of change in evolving organizational environments. 

• People Process Execution Ensure high-quality execution of core People & Culture processes across Marketplace and Marketing & Impact, including hiring, onboarding, internal movements, and exits. Work closely with P&C Operations, Total Rewards, and the Employee Relations Advisor to align on approach, remove friction, and maintain consistency across countries. Apply judgment to adapt execution to business context while ensuring alignment with regional standards and global frameworks. 

What we’re looking for:

• An inclusive mindset

• 8+ Years of relevant experience in a People & Culture Business Partner role

• Advanced HR advisory and coaching expertise 

• Deep knowledge to guide managers through complex and ambiguous people topics, strengthening leadership capability and enabling sound, consistent decision-making. 

• Full understanding of European employment law application - knowledge of multi-country legal frameworks to navigate complex employee relations matters, using sound judgment to determine appropriate approaches in situations with limited precedent or evolving context. 

• Advanced stakeholder influencing and collaboration 

• Demonstrable experience building strong cross-functional relationships and using expertise and credibility to influence decisions, align stakeholders, and drive outcomes across Marketplace and Marketing & Impact. 

• Advanced organizational effectiveness application 

• Applied knowledge of multi-country legal frameworks to navigate complex employee relations matters, using sound judgment to determine appropriate approaches in situations with limited precedent or evolving context. 

• Prior experience in supporting implementation in job and pay architectures and managing change, coaching managers through managing conversations and learning and adopting new frameworks and processes 

• Strong focus on cultivating company’s culture through decisions and partnership 

• Full expertise in project and change delivery 

• Leads cross-functional initiatives end-to-end, applying appropriate methods, managing competing priorities, and ensuring delivery of tactical outcomes aligned with functional goals and timelines. 

• An interest in saving our home planet and making a positive impact through your work

Other important details:

• This is a Temporary full-time position based in Amsterdam, intended to support the team untill December 2026

• We have a hybrid work model, working from home for maximum 3 days per week

• We strive to make unbiased decisions and to offer a great experience to every person who applies for a role at Patagonia. Our interviews include standardized questions that focus on the aspects that are important for success in the role.

• To find out more about what we offer our employees click here: https://eu.patagonia.com/nl/en/what-we-offer/

At Patagonia, we commit to becoming an anti-racist company that leads by example. This means doing the work to be inclusive and equitable, across all aspects of our business.

Every person who applies to join Patagonia receives equal employment opportunities, and we value a welcoming environment where each member of our EMEA team feels included, respected and empowered, regardless of their race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, civil status, national origin, disability or age.

At Patagonia, we strive to have inclusive representation within our organisation and embrace a diverse mix of talent to contribute to our culture. We actively seek applications from Black and People of Colour (BPOC) and other underrepresented groups.

As we are in business to save our home planet, we can only do this together.

Please make sure that your CV and cover letter are in English.

Disclaimer for recruitment agencies:

Thanks for your interest in supporting us for this role, but we don’t accept unsolicited CVs from recruitment agencies