Director of People, Europe
Location: Hamburg
At Freenow, we are on a mission to empower smarter mobility decisions, helping people to move freely and cities to thrive.
We believe our success starts with our people, culture, and leadership. As we continue to grow and evolve our European business, we are looking for an exceptional People Leader to help shape the future of our organization. The People Leader for Europe will report to Lyft's Chief People Officer, with a dotted-line relationship to the President of Freenow Europe and the Senior Director, People Business Partner at Lyft.
As a senior People leader in Europe, this role serves as a trusted advisor to the European Leadership Team and a key member of both the Freenow Europe Leadership Team and Lyft's global People organization.
The role is responsible for translating global people strategy into regional impact while driving organizational effectiveness, talent strategy, culture, leadership, and transformation across Europe.
YOUR DAILY ADVENTURES WILL INCLUDE:
Business Leadership & Partnership
- Act as primary People Business Partner to the Lyft, President of Europe and European Leadership Team and team members
- Translate business strategy into people, organizational, and talent priorities that drive performance.
- Align European people strategy with Lyft’s global People strategy.
- Shape workforce planning and operating model decisions to support growth.
Transformation, Growth & M&A
- Lead people strategy for organizational transformation and business evolution across Europe.
- Own European people integration in partnership with Global People M&A and partner with cross functional partners on diligence and integration efforts
- Drive organizational design and change initiatives to enable scalable growth.
- Lead critical integration phases, including temporary oversight of HR Operations where required.
Talent, Leadership & Culture
- Define and drive talent, succession, and leadership strategies for European key and senior roles.
- Coach senior leaders to improve leadership effectiveness and organizational performance.
- Shape a high-performance, inclusive, and accountable culture across Europe.
Employee Relations & Risk
- Provide executive oversight of employee relations, labor relations, compliance, and workforce risk across Europe.
- Partner with Legal and leadership teams on complex and high-impact people matters.
People Leadership, AI & Scaling
- Provide dotted-line regional leadership across all European People functions, driving alignment and consistency without direct reporting authority.
- Lead a high-impact People Business Partnering team across Europe.
- Drive adoption of AI, analytics, and technology to improve decision-making, workforce insights, and efficiency.
- Scale People processes through automation and data-driven operating models.
TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS ROLE:
- 12+ years of progressive People leadership experience in international, multi-country environments.
- Proven success partnering with executive leadership teams in high-growth, technology, marketplace, mobility, or consumer businesses.
- Strong track record in organizational transformation, change management, and business growth.
- Experience leading mergers, acquisitions, and post-merger integration, including organizational design, talent integration, and cultural alignment.
- Experience leading Business Partnering teams within complex matrix organizations.
- Strong understanding of European employment law, labor relations, and works council environments.
- Ability to lead HR Operations/shared services during transformation or integration phases.
- Strong commercial acumen with ability to connect people strategy to business outcomes.
- Experience leveraging data, technology, and AI to drive organizational effectiveness and scale.
- Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and operate in ambiguity and fast-changing environments.
Location & Travel
- Regular travel across European markets and Lyft locations as required.
BENEFITS & PERKS IN A NUTSHELL:
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Plus more local benefits depending on your work location! |
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION:
Freenow is an equal opportunity employer and we consider qualified applicants regardless of race, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or age.
We want you to grow and evolve, bring your true self to work.
ABOUT FREENOW:
Freenow by Lyft empowers smarter mobility decisions, helping people to move freely and cities to thrive. Through our multi-mobility app, we feature broad options for everyone across 9 European markets and over 180 cities. Millions of passengers can access services including taxis, private hire vehicles, carsharing, car rental, e-scooters, e-bikes, e-mopeds, and public transport within a single app.
In July 2025 Freenow was acquired by Lyft, a global mobility platform, which connects riders and drivers for billions of rides across North America and Europe. Together, Freenow and Lyft are creating a more caring and connected world, with transportation for everyone. We are a global, diverse, highly motivated, and collaborative team that strives for excellence and likes to have fun. Ready for your next ride?