People Director

Who We Are:

At VML, we are a beacon of innovation and growth in an ever-evolving world. Our heritage is built upon a century of combined expertise, where creativity meets technology, and diverse perspectives ignite inspiration. With the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, we have forged a new path as a growth partner that is part creative agency, part consultancy, and part technology powerhouse.

Our global family now encompasses over 30,000 employees across 150+ offices in 64 markets, each contributing to a culture that values connection, belonging, and the power of differences. Our expertise spans the entire customer journey, offering deep insights in communications, commerce, consultancy, CRM, CX, data, production, and technology. We deliver end-to-end solutions that result in revolutionary work.

Who we’re looking for:

The People Director at VML is a role dedicated to creating a world-class people-first culture that sits at the core of our future. This role will define and lead the People and Culture strategy for the Netherlands, collaborating with leaders and managers to answer critical people and culture questions and shape the vision, values, and mission of the organisation.

As a strategic partner to our leadership team, you will refine and build strategies and operations that support and grow our people. You will participate in areas of focus such as organisation strategy, leadership training, people development, employee rewards, benefits, career architecture, compliance, people-related policies, system, and process rollout, and change management.

In this role, you will be leading the People & Talent department. Your responsibilities will include guiding and mentoring your team members, setting team goals, and ensuring the overall success of the department.

What you’ll be doing:

• Proactively identify organisational needs, evaluate options, and drive change initiatives.
• Lead the People & Talent agenda for business integration of sub-brands to achieve a unified culture and employee experience.
• Build and execute staff related processes that develop a high performance and growth culture.
• Work closely with our leadership team on organisational design, change management, people strategy and employee engagement.
• Collaborate across various internal stakeholder groups within and outside the People and Culture team (e.g. Talent Acquisition, Finance) to drive a seamless people strategy around the employee lifecycle.
• Use people metrics to drive key insights and decisions for talent growth and retention.
• Coach and mentor managers across the organisation on best practices in building a people first organisation and to improve leadership capabilities.
• Ensure that local employment law and HR best practice is embedded and into all policies and business processes, minimising risk in employee relations.
• Define a cultural calendar that allows us to rally behind our people and galvanise their support and enthusiasm for our business values.

What you’ll need:

• You must be currently residing in The Netherlands, with a valid work permit.
• You can navigate through governmental information written/spoken in the Dutch language.
• 10 years or more in talent and people leadership roles as an HR generalist ideally within a high-growth data and technology focused company.
• Extensive knowledge of Dutch labor laws and work processes, you can comfortably translate global business policies into the local market and work culture.
• Experience with organisation redesign, transformation and change management.
• Roles at this senior level require you to work in location the majority of the time. You must be comfortable with being able to commute to the office.

Who you are:

• Adaptive leader who understands that blanket actions won’t work for everyone, and is able to adjust at an individual level to get our people’s best.
• Strategic thinker and experienced leader who is willing to coach and mentor talent when needed but also trusting allow autonomy as a default way of working.
• Commercially minded and data-driven decision maker, who’s able to proactively solve roadblocks in a forward thinking manner.
• Highly collaborative, partner to CEO and leadership team. Able to provide thought leadership and counsel to senior leaders.
• Positive, open minded individual who values diversity and believes strongly in creating an inclusive environment and work culture where our people feel listened to and taken care of.
• Strong communicator, willing to challenge implementations at board level from a People’s perspective.

In return, this is what we offer:

You will get in touch with an unlimited world of international connections and resources, since we operate globally. Therefore we have a listening ear for your wildest ideas and together we keep stretching our boundaries. We like you to follow the path you’ve created and we invest in your personal development. We support a dynamic and a feel-at-home kind of workplace.

Our culture:

• No antiquated-mindset, our people work with the flexibility that helps them deliver their best outcome.
• A culture of trust and individual ownership, with a feel-at-home vibe and an international environment.
• End of the week drinks, team events and other optional get togethers.
• Mental health: Complimentary membership to Headspace and EAP counseling services.
• Education budget for your own development; e.g. soft-skills workshops, language courses & leadership training.
• Wellness pack: Campus workshops, our own in-house masseuse, gym membership discounts, etc.

Note to recruitment agencies: We are unable to collaborate with external agencies at this moment in time, applications sent won’t be processed.

At VML, we are committed to fostering an all-inclusive work environment that is both rewarding and career-forward. Our Inclusion, Equity & Belonging initiatives, alongside the VML Foundation, reflect our dedication to giving back and making a positive impact in our communities and beyond. Our people are the heartbeat of our organization-creators, doers, innovators, makers, and thinkers-who drive not just marketing, but meaningful experiences that resonate in every action and interaction.

VML is a WPP Agency. For more information, please visit our website, and follow VML on our social channels via Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

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