Senior Business Partner DACH; m​/f​/d

Join Fastned at the forefront of the electric vehicle and charging infrastructure revolution in Europe! As our Senior People Business Partner for our DACH region, you’ll join a passionate team dedicated to fostering a purpose-driven, fun workplace where employees thrive while making a difference for our planet. At Fastned you can directly contribute to combating climate change by accelerating the transition to electric mobility.

Together with 450+ colleagues from over 45 nationalities, spread across 10 countries, we have the ambition to build a European network of fast charging stations. We focus on prime locations where electric drivers can charge their vehicles with energy from the sun and wind. What sets us apart is our focus on reliability, sustainability and clean energy. If you’re ready to drive change in the energy transition, this is your opportunity to make a lasting impact!

We are looking for a senior, strategic People Business Partner, working from our beautiful Cologne office. Fastned is a matrix organisation and our People Business Partner team supports on a country as well as a function level. In the role you will oversee all People topics in Germany, Switzerland and Austria (currently around 70 FTE and growing fast) as well as another international department.

In this senior role, you will act as the primary People counterpart for the local leadership teams, playing a pivotal role in shaping and executing the people agenda not only for the DACH region, but also across Fastned as a whole. You will guide and support our leadership teams in all three markets to develop their leadership skills, jointly handle complex HR topics and shape our scaling organization to be future‑proof.

Our People Business Partner team currently consists of one People Business Partner Lead and three other People Business Partners (based in Brussels, London & Amsterdam) with whom you will collaborate and also act as a sparring partner on complex regional and cross‑country topics. You will work closely with the wider People team, which includes People Business Partnering, Payroll, People Operations and Talent Acquisition.

• Partnering with your leadership teams to build strong, trust‑based relationships
• Acting as a sparring partner on people topics, while engaging with key stakeholders to proactively anticipate growing business needs
• Using your HR expertise to independently handle complex cases and advise leaders on organisational design that supports a sustainable growth of our Fastned teams
• Acting as our local expert on labor law and HR practices in Germany, while providing guidance and building up knowledge for Switzerland and Austria
• Owning talent, performance and succession topics in your region/ department(s): monitoring performance and engagement and shaping team structures while identifying critical roles and potential successors
• Partnering closely with our local Talent Acquisition team to translate business insights into proactive and long‑term hiring plans
• Analysing where skills are missing across your teams, working with the wider People team and your (local) leads to roll out e.g. practical learning initiatives that help people grow in their roles
• Leading and contributing to cross‑functional People projects that span Fastned’s wider business (e.g. Comp & Ben, HR data & tooling), bringing in the DACH perspective while keeping approaches harmonised across the business

• You are an experienced (Senior) People Business Partner who is comfortable operating as a consultant on complex HR topics and organisational changes, engaging and influencing stakeholders at all levels while remaining genuine and empathetic.
• You’re a strong, down‑to‑earth communicator that people enjoy working with and who keeps things human and fun, even when topics are complex
• You combine strategic thinking with hands‑on execution and easily navigate a fast‑growing, international, matrix environment.
• Minimum of 6 years of experience as a (Senior) People/HR Business Partner in a high‑paced (preferably scale‑up/start‑up) and matrix business environment
• Bachelor’s degree in Human…