Head of People, Upway
Reconditioned e-bike marketplace
Open for applications
Reconditioned e-bike marketplace
201-500 employees
Open for applications
201-500 employees
Company mission
To accelerate e-bike adoption and reduce waste.
Role
Who you are
- Built and scaled a People function from scratch or through a major inflection point (hypergrowth, international expansion, new sites/regions), including structuring the team, operating model, and priorities
- Partnered directly with founders/executives in high-intensity contexts and handled sensitive decisions (org changes, underperformance, leadership transitions, restructurings when applicable) with rigor and pace
- Operated across multiple countries (Europe and/or U.S.), balancing global principles with local compliance and execution realities
- Demonstrated a low-bureaucracy approach: shipped “minimum viable” People processes quickly, iterated based on feedback, and protected business agility while reducing risk
- Hands-on experience with employee relations (e.g. CSE/Works Council) and labor law (incl. France required)
- Natural authority and assertiveness, without being rigid or dogmatic
- Fluent in English (French is a plus)
What the job involves
- Upway is looking for its first Head of People, someone who will partner with the Co-founders and the rest of the leadership team to build and scale the People function.
- This role sits on the leadership team and participates in company-level strategic decision-making
- This role is not about building “perfect” HR systems. It is about bringing clarity, judgment, and leadership on people and organizational topics in an environment where things evolve quickly and are not always fully defined
- The Head of People role will be a highly strategic position within Upway, a founder-led scale-up, and therefore the candidate will be someone who is pacy, action orientated, pragmatic and results driven
- Act as a close partner to the founders on People, org design, and leadership topics
- Bring structure and perspective to people decisions as the company scales
- Create a pragmatic People operating rhythm (cadence, prioritization, leadership alignment, communication)
- Challenge assumptions when needed, always in the interest of the company’s long-term health
- Translate business priorities into a clear HR roadmap (6–12 months) and execute with speed
- Own the TA strategy and delivery end-to-end: workforce planning, role definition, sourcing strategy, interview design, hiring manager enablement, and offer approach
- Personally drive critical hires and raise hiring standards while maintaining speed
- Build scalable recruiting infrastructure (tools, playbooks, metrics, partner management)
- Coach leaders on hiring discipline and set clear measures of success (quality, time-to-hire, funnel health)
- Avoid over-engineering: bring “just enough process” to strengthen accountability and execution without slowing the company down
- Personally handle complex employee relations and sensitive situations
- Step into difficult conversations directly, balancing empathy and firmness
- Support organizational changes and transitions with clarity and calm
- Help managers grow into their roles by setting clear expectations
- Build lightweight people analytics to steer decisions (headcount, attrition, hiring velocity, performance signals)
- Raise the overall quality of people management across the company
- Model strong leadership behaviors: clarity, accountability, and courage
- Build and run the operational backbone of People in all the regions: contracts, onboarding, policies, payroll/benefits coordination, and scalable employee experience for both office and frontline populations
- Select and deploy systems that scale (HRIS, ATS, onboarding tools) with a bias toward simplicity and adoption
- Ensure strong compliance and risk management across geographies (France as the anchor, multi-country exposure valued)
- Be hands-on on employee relations: performance/disciplinary processes, conflict management, exits, sensitive cases, and partnership with external counsel/advisors
- In France, lead constructive social dialogue (CSE/employee representation) with rigor and pragmatism
Our take
Upway is a second-hand marketplace for electric bicycles, offering a more affordable alternative to new models. The company purchases e-bikes from both private sellers and e-bike companies, refurbishing them and reselling at a discount, a model that appeals to those looking for quality e-bikes at a lower cost.
The electric bike market in Europe is booming and expected to double in value over the next decade. Upway capitalises on this growth by addressing consumer concerns about the quality of second-hand bikes. Through its refurbishment process, it ensures customers can confidently purchase pre-owned bikes, reducing both costs and environmental impact.
In addition to its expansion into key European markets, Upway has recently formed a strategic partnership with Rad Power Bikes. Through this collaboration, customers of Rad's US retail locations can trade in their old e-bikes for discounts on new models, supporting a circular economy. Paired with its $60 million funding round in 2025, Upway is consolidating its position as a leader in sustainable mobility.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
107% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 4 rounds)
Nov 2025
$60m
SERIES C
Nov 2023
$30m
SERIES B
Total funding: $121m
Company benefits
- Competitive Package: Attractive salary plus equity participation
- Perks & Benefits: Corporate Benefits program, phone allowance, Deutsche Bahn ticket, and regular team offsites
- Global Collaboration: Work with an ambitious, international, and collaborative team spread across Paris (HQ), Berlin, Antwerp, Los Angeles, New York City, and more
Company HQ
Gennevilliers, France
Leadership
Toussaint Wattinne
(Co-Founder & CEO)Before co-founding Upway, spent eight years at Uber in a variety of roles, including Director and Regional General Manager.
Stéphane Ficaja
(Co-Founder & COO)Engineer with experience at AirFrance and FinTech company Misys. Like co-founder Toussaint Wattinne, worked at Uber for eight years in a number of Directorial and Regional Management roles.
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