Head of People Operations & Transformation (f/m/d)

About the role

Instagrid is part of the clean-tech movement, helping professional users move away from combustion generators and toward a safe, efficient, clean, and quiet power solution. In this position, you will make People Operations feel seamless to the business by keeping it fast, smooth, and nearly invisible, while supporting company growth without a proportional rise in operations headcount.

The role is centred on process redesign, automation, and the practical use of AI. It also calls for a leader who has worked on both sides of the People function — business partnering and operations — and who can apply sound judgement to decide when something needs to be exact and when a simpler, faster approach is sufficient.

What you will drive

• Lead and coach the People Operations and Payroll team.
• Define the service model and operating standards for People & Culture support, with a focus on reliability, speed, and low friction.
• Build scalable processes and a team structure that can support company growth.
• Use AI and automation across the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, contracts, records management, and routine administration, while keeping data secure and compliant.
• Own the People systems landscape, including Personio and other tools, covering setup, integrations, and ongoing enhancements.
• Rethink core workflows instead of only improving existing ones, removing manual effort through smarter systems and automation.
• Create an employee experience that stays personal and supportive for a remote/hybrid, multi-country workforce.
• Set the standard for service quality so employees see People Operations as responsive, easy to work with, and genuinely useful.
• Oversee payroll governance and vendor coordination across company entities.
• Manage Employer of Record partnerships.
• Ensure GDPR compliance and labour law alignment in a multi-entity, multi-country environment.
• Own and maintain policies so they are clear, compliant, and actually used in practice.
• Step into adjacent People projects such as org design, talent, performance, and compensation & benefits as business priorities change.

What the role calls for

You should be a senior People professional who has worked in both Business Partnering and People Operations, and who intentionally chose to focus on Operations. The ideal background includes experience in start-up, scale-up, and enterprise settings, plus the judgement to bring the right lessons from each.

This role is highly focused on proven use of AI and automation to redesign People processes. You should have people leadership experience, a strong tendency to challenge inefficient ways of working, and super-user level experience with Personio or a similar HRIS. Experience handling complex employee relations, GDPR, and payroll coordination across Europe is important, while exposure to the US is a plus.

Fluency in German and English, both spoken and written, is required. You must be based in the Stuttgart area or willing to relocate there, and be able to spend regular time at the Ludwigsburg headquarters.

Benefits

• Flexible working hours.
• 30 days of annual leave, plus 5 special leave days and 5 baby leave days.
• Access to discounts on sustainable online stores.
• Opportunity to join a company working at the leading edge of innovation.
• A MacBook is provided for work.

About Instagrid

Instagrid builds advanced portable power systems designed to deliver instant power anywhere. The company’s goal is to help shape a future where modern technology and environmental responsibility work together, creating meaningful impact while moving away from combustion generators. Instagrid is committed to equal employment opportunity and seeks diverse talent regardless of gender, ethnic background, age, religion, sexual orientation, or place of origin. The team values mutual respect and different perspectives while working toward shared goals.