Director, People Business Partners EMEA

Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior People Team leader in EMEA, owning the regional people strategy and representing the function to business leaders.
• Provide general oversight and coaching for the EMEA people team, including People Business Partners, Talent Partners, and People Operations Partners.
• Drive the execution of global People Team initiatives (performance management, pay transparency, HRIS migration) adapted for European legal and cultural realities.
• Lead the people strategy for the Berlin manufacturing hub buildout, including organizational design, workforce planning, and cultural integration.
• Act as the primary liaison between EMEA Leadership and US People leadership to ensure regional context informs global decisions.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition and People Operations to ensure recruiting alignment and seamless operational execution (compliance, payroll, benefits).
• Manage complex and sensitive employee relations matters, utilizing deep knowledge of European labor law.

Requirements

• 12+ years of progressive HR/People experience.
• 5+ years in a senior People Business Partner or HR leadership role supporting European operations at a scaling technology or manufacturing company.
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• Deep expertise in European employment compliance, including works council engagement.
• Proven experience scaling European operations, including entity establishment and localized employment practices.
• Strong organizational design and workforce planning capabilities.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and make high-stakes decisions in cross-cultural, multi-jurisdiction environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in aerospace, satellite, defense, or precision manufacturing environments.
• Track record of building a People function from the ground up.
• Experience deploying AI-enabled tools or processes within an HR function.
• Background in organizational development, change management, or management consulting.

Benefits

• Paid time off including vacation, holidays, and company-wide days off.
• Employee Wellness Program.
• Home Office and Monthly Phone/Internet reimbursement.
• Tuition Reimbursement and access to LinkedIn Learning.
• Equity.
• Volunteering Paid Time Off.

About the Company

Planet designs, builds, and operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites in history. We are both a space company and a data company, delivering an unprecedented dataset of empirical information via a revolutionary cloud-based platform to help solve the world's toughest obstacles.