Group People & Culture Operations Manager

At Caljan, we are strengthening our global People & Culture organisation.

Not because the current setup is broken. Quite the opposite. We have strong local P&C teams, close business partnerships and a high level of commitment across countries. But Caljan is growing, our organisation is becoming more complex, and the expectations towards People & Culture are changing.

More governance. More systems. More data. More transparency. More cross-country collaboration. More need for scalable solutions.

That is why we are creating a new role: Group People & Culture Operations Manager.

This is not a traditional HR Operations role.

It is a role for someone who can build structure without creating bureaucracy. Someone who can make global processes work in real life. Someone who understands that great People & Culture operations are not about administration — they are about enabling leaders, employees and local P&C teams to move faster, make better decisions and work with more clarity.

And importantly: we are looking for someone who is genuinely curious about technology, digitalisation and AI — and who sees these as natural tools for making People & Culture smarter, simpler and more scalable.

The mission

Your mission is to build and lead the operational backbone of Group People & Culture at Caljan.

You will take ownership of our global P&C processes, systems, governance, operational standards and cross-country support model. You will help create a setup where responsibilities are clear, processes are consistent, systems are used well, data quality improves, and fewer issues depend on individual escalation.

In short: you will help us move from “getting things done because people know who to ask” to “getting things done because the operating model is clear, scalable and well supported.”

You will work closely with our local P&C Managers and Business Partners across countries, our Group C&B Specialist, our Group Capability Manager and the VP People & Culture.

The role has a strong Group mandate, but it is not about centralising everything. Local proximity to the business remains essential. Your task is to create the structure, governance and support that allow local teams to succeed even better.

What you will build, lead and improve

1. A stronger global P&C operating model

You will own and improve our global P&C processes, ensuring that roles, responsibilities, standards and ways of working are clear, practical and scalable across countries.

2. Governance that supports the business

You will strengthen our policy and governance framework, ensuring the right balance between global consistency, local legislation and practical business needs.

3. HR systems, data and digital ways of working

You will be business owner for key P&C systems and drive better adoption, data quality, superuser structures and smarter ways of working through technology, automation and AI.

4. Cross-country leadership and support

You will lead selected roles directly and provide functional leadership to local P&C teams, creating stronger alignment, best-practice sharing and operational support across countries.

5. Audit readiness, compliance and transparency

You will ensure that P&C is well prepared for audits and compliance requirements, with clear documentation, ownership, follow-up and operational reporting.

6. Engagement survey and employee listening

You will own the operational process for the Group engagement survey, from planning and data quality to reporting, follow-up structure and action tracking.

7. Support for growth, change and M&A

You will support P&C activities related to organisational change, growth and integrations, ensuring that processes, systems and governance can scale with the business.

What success looks like

You will be successful in this role when:

· Local P&C teams experience clearer ownership, better support and less ad hoc problem-solving.

· Global P&C processes are documented, understood and followed.

· HR systems are used more consistently and data quality improves.

· The organisation becomes less dependent on individual knowledge and informal escalation routes.

· P&C audit readiness improves.

· Operational reporting creates better transparency and better decision-making.

· Technology, automation and AI are used thoughtfully to simplify work and improve quality.

· Group standards and local proximity strengthen each other rather than compete.

Who you are

You are probably an experienced HR / People & Culture operations professional who enjoys building things that last.

You may come from an international HR operations role, a People Services role, an HR systems/process role, or a broader HR leadership role where you have been responsible for making things work across countries, functions or business units.

You are structured, pragmatic and execution-oriented. You like clarity. You see patterns. You notice when a process depends too much on individuals or informal workarounds — and you know how to improve it.

You are also comfortable with complexity. You understand that global processes cannot simply be copied and pasted across countries. You know how to create standards while respecting local legislation, culture and business reality.

And you are tech-savvy. Not in a buzzword way, but in a practical way. You are curious about how systems, data, automation and AI can help People & Culture become more effective, more consistent and more value-adding.

You do not need to have all the answers. But you need to be curious enough to ask better questions.

We imagine that you bring

· Solid experience within HR / People & Culture operations in an international environment.

· Experience working across countries, cultures and preferably in a matrix organisation.

· Strong knowledge of HR processes, policies, governance and operational standards.

· Experience with HR systems, system adoption, data quality and support models.

· A strong interest in digitalisation, automation and AI in the HR/P&C field.

· Experience with audits, compliance, documentation and operational reporting.

· Experience leading people directly or functionally.

· Strong stakeholder management skills.

· The ability to set direction, create structure and follow through.

· A practical, business-oriented mindset.

· Fluent English, written and spoken.

Experience with M&A integration, organisational change or global process implementation is an advantage.

What makes this role different

This is a role with real mandate and real impact.

You will not simply maintain existing HR operations. You will help design the next version of how People & Culture works at Caljan.

You will join at a point where the organisation is ready for more structure, clearer ownership and smarter ways of working. You will have the opportunity to influence how we use systems, data and AI in a practical People & Culture context.

You will work close to the business, close to local P&C teams and close to strategic decision-making.

And you will help build something that makes everyday work easier for many people.

About Caljan

Caljan is a global company with a strong business foundation, local presence across several countries and an ambition to keep improving how we support our people and our growth.

Our People & Culture organisation is built on strong local relationships and close business partnership. We are now strengthening the Group layer to create clearer ownership, better support, stronger governance and a more scalable way of working.

The ambition is simple:

Strong locally. Stronger at Group level. Better together.

Interested?

If you are motivated by the idea of building the operational engine behind a modern People & Culture organisation — and if you believe that technology, data and AI should be part of the future of HR — we would like to hear from you.

This is a role for someone who wants to create clarity, improve quality, support people and build scalable solutions that make a real difference.

Travel: Approx. 30–40 days per year