People&Culture Manager (m/f/d) in Amsterdam

People&Culture Manager (m/f/d)

The role

We are looking for an experienced People & Culture Manager who enjoys building what is not yet in place, improving how things work, and turning complex people topics into clear, practical solutions.

This is a hands-on role for someone who combines sound HR judgement with the energy to create structure and move ideas forward.

Our Netherlands organization is growing, and several local procedures, guidelines, and ways of working are still to be developed.

You will have real scope to shape the role and establish foundations that can grow with the business.

You will work autonomously, while staying closely connected to managers, employees, and the wider P&C team.

Reporting to the People & Culture Country Lead Benelux, you will be the key local P&C partner for the Netherlands.

You will translate the global P&C strategy and Target Operating Model into effective local practice, take ownership of complex Dutch HR matters, and represent or follow up on agreed local topics on behalf of the Country Lead.

You will also act as the local HR company representative.

The role combines daily contact with people, expert casework, and the opportunity to build better processes.

You will be encouraged to share knowledge across the team and explore how technology, automation, and AI can simplify routine work and improve the quality of P&C insights.

This role does not include people management responsibility or direct reports.

What you will do

• Advise and take local ownership
• Be a trusted first point of contact for managers on people matters, providing independent advice that balances business priorities with the Dutch legal context.
• Take ownership of local topics, make sound decisions within your remit, and bring in the Country Lead, Legal counsel, or external advisers when needed.
• Build strong local foundations
• Design, implement, and embed local P&C procedures, guidelines, and working methods where these do not yet exist.
• Bring clarity and structure to complex or fragmented processes, with solutions that are practical, scalable, and easy to use.
• Lead on employment law and employee relations
• Lead complex individual cases, workplace tensions, and sensitive employee matters with care, discretion, and a firm grasp of Dutch employment law.
• Coach managers through underperformance, improvement plans, long-term absence, and reintegration processes.
• Coordinate Works Council matters
• Coordinate the P&C input into Works Council consultations, from meeting preparation and stakeholder alignment to advice and consent requests and final implementation.
• Support reorganizations and change
• Drive or contribute to the local people agenda during reorganizations and organizational change, ensuring that solutions are workable and legally compliant.
• Turn global policies into local practice
• Translate global P&C policies and processes into the Dutch context, identify where local adjustments are needed, and support consistent application across the employee journey.
• Use data to improve decisions
• Track relevant people metrics, strengthen data quality, and turn workforce information into clear insights and recommendations.
• Use data analysis tools and, where appropriate, Gen AI-enabled solutions to reduce manual work and surface useful insights faster.
• Improve how P&C works
• Lead local and cross-border P&C initiatives with HR Business Partners, Centers of Expertise, and external suppliers.
• Continuously simplify tools, processes, and ways of working, and identify responsible opportunities for automation.
• Oversee payroll governance
• Monitor payroll controls, system interfaces, and provider performance, and resolve escalated issues with Payroll, Finance, and external partners.

Day-to-day payroll operations are outside the scope of the role.

What you bring

• A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human Resources, Psychology, Law, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• At least seven years of broad HR generalist experience, with significant exposure to the Dutch market, ideally in an international matrix organization.
• Solid, hands-on knowledge of Dutch employment law, collective labour agreements, absence and reintegration regulations, and HR policy frameworks.
• Proven experience working with a Dutch Works Council, including managing advice and consent procedures.
• Experience with reorganizations, complex casework, HR projects, people analytics, and payroll governance.
• A track record of building HR processes, procedures, and structures from scratch.

Who you are

• You are at your best when there is something to build, improve, or bring into focus.

You see an unclear or inefficient process and naturally start thinking about how to make it simpler, more structured, and more useful.

You do not need every step to be defined before you begin.

You take ownership, set priorities, and turn ideas into practical solutions.

• You connect easily with people and build credible relationships with managers, employees, and P&C colleagues.
• You combine confident judgement with discretion and integrity, and you are comfortable challenging others constructively when the situation calls for it.
• You move comfortably between strategic questions and detailed casework, keeping both the bigger picture and the practical next step in view.
• You communicate clearly, make complexity understandable, and create structure without adding unnecessary bureaucracy.
• You work autonomously and keep projects moving, even when priorities shift or the path is not fully mapped out.
• You enjoy learning with others, sharing knowledge, and contributing to a team in which expertise is exchanged openly.
• You are curious about technology, automation, and AI, and you look for responsible ways to remove repetitive work and improve insight and service.
• You are fluent in Dutch and English.
• How We Hire

To Recruitment Agencies Allianz recruits through dedicated in-house teams and does not accept unsolicited resumes/CVs, candidate introductions, or outreach from agencies or search firms.

We only engage agencies under a prior, written contract and, where applicable, via our Preferred Supplier List (PSL).

No fees will be paid for any candidate submitted or introduced without a contract in place, even if that candidate is subsequently hired.

Do not contact hiring managers directly.

Any breach, including unsolicited submissions, off-PSL contact, or attempts to invoice without an agreement, will result in candidate disqualification, termination of any existing contract, and non-