Head of People & Business Operations, Handshake
EMEA
College career network and job board
Be an early applicant
College career network and job board
501-1000 employees
Be an early applicant
501-1000 employees
Company mission
To democratize access to opportunity and ensure any student can build a great career no matter who they know, where they live or what school they attend.
Role
Who you are
- Experience across People/HR, Business Operations, or G&A roles, ideally in high-growth SaaS or tech environments
- Proven track record in both strategic and hands-on roles, with experience scaling teams and operations in a growing business
- Deep knowledge of HR best practices, employment law (UK and/or EU), and experience working across international teams
- Strong commercial acumen and comfort navigating legal and financial topics
- Exceptional communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills
- High degree of ownership, bias for action, and comfort with ambiguity
- (Bonus): Experience supporting a regional GM or leadership team
- (Bonus): Proficient in German
What the job involves
- We’re looking for a Head of People & Business Operations to lead our G&A function in EMEA
- This is a high-impact, full-stack role with end-to-end accountability for all things People, Talent, Office & Employee Experience, Business Operations, and coordination across Finance & Legal matters
- You’ll serve as a strategic advisor to the GM of EMEA and play a key leadership role in building a strong, scalable foundation for our EMEA business
- You’ll bring both strategic and operational depth, able to zoom out and shape our people roadmap while also rolling up your sleeves to execute core processes and solve day-to-day challenges
- This role is ideal for someone who thrives in ambiguity, moves quickly, and is passionate about building high-performing, values-aligned teams
- People & Culture:
- Lead all aspects of the People function in EMEA, including HRBP, HR Ops, Talent Acquisition, and office management
- Develop and execute strategic people initiatives - talent planning, performance management, culture transformation, and leadership development
- Serve as a coach and thought partner to leaders across the region on organisational design, employee engagement, and talent development
- Partner closely with US based People & Talent functions to localise and implement key programs
- Business Operations & G&A:
- Act as the operational lead for G&A in EMEA, ensuring alignment between People, Legal, and Finance priorities
- Liaise with legal counsel on employment matters, compliance, immigration, and regulatory requirements
- Oversee local budget management, vendor contracts, and support on cross-functional projects tied to business performance
- Own office operations and employee experience, ensuring a vibrant and well-run hybrid workplace
- Strategic Leadership:
- Serve as a key member of the EMEA Leadership Team, helping drive business strategy, cross-functional alignment, and execution
- Lead or co-lead key regional initiatives such as entity set-up, M&A integration, or new market expansion as required
- Build repeatable systems, playbooks, and infrastructure to help Handshake scale sustainably across the region
Salary benchmarks
Our take
The three founders of Handshake established their company in an attempt to eliminate inequality and make the student hiring landscape fairer. The Handshake platform acts as a LinkedIn for college students, pairing students from every walk of life with more than 650K employers, including the entire Fortune 500, which includes Google and Nike.
The graduate recruitment platform is open to any student with a valid @.edu email address, with more than 12 million active users from thousands of colleges and universities. With a student-first philosophy, the company generates revenue from both universities and employers rather than students.
Valued at $3.5B, Handshake has gained traction in a competitive market, although it has strong competition from recruiting giants LinkedIn and Indeed. It stands out, however, by helping students build new relationships and skills, rather than simply making connections to people they already know.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
2% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 7 rounds)
Jan 2022
$200m
SERIES F
May 2021
$80m
SERIES E
Total funding: $434m
Company benefits
- 💰Equity and ownership in a fast-growing company
- 🍼16 Weeks of paid parental leave for birth giving parents & 10 weeks of paid parental leave for non-birth giving parents
- 💝Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision policies including LGTBQ+ Coverage. We also provide resources for Mental Health Assistance, Employee Assistance Programs and counseling support
- 💻Handshake offers $500/£360 home office stipend for you to spend during your first 3 months to create a productive and comfortable workspace at home
- 📚Generous learning & development opportunities and an annual $2,000/£1,500 stipend for you to grow your skills and career
- 🏦Pension Scheme: Handshake will provide you with a workplace pension, where you will make contributions based on 5% of your salary. Handshake will pay the equivalent of 3% towards your pension plan, subject to qualifying earnings limits
- 🏝Up to 25 days of vacation to encourage people to reset, recharge, and refresh, in addition to 8 bank holidays throughout the year
Company HQ
Financial District, San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Garrett Lord
(Co-Founder & CEO)Majored in Computer Science at Michigan Technological University. Interned at Palantir Technologies before co-founding Handshake in 2012.
Ben Christensen
(Co-Founder)Graduated from Michigan Technological University with a degree in Computer Networking & Systems Administration. Interned at Target and worked as a Developer at Up and Running Software. Was part of Arbor Networks' ASERT Security Research team.
Scott Ringwelski
(Co-Founder)Attained a degree in Computer Software Engineering from Michigan Technological University. Co-founded Handshake in 2012.
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