VP People (f/m/x)

About the company

lemon.markets is building a platform that makes investing easier to access for people and businesses across Europe. Through a brokerage-as-a-service model, the company helps fintechs, banks, and wealth managers launch investment products through a single API. Its infrastructure is designed to hide brokerage complexity behind a well-documented API, a self-service operations portal, and a clear regulatory setup so partners can bring compliant products to market quickly.

As part of the dwpbank Group, the company combines established banking expertise with a fast-moving, technology-led approach. Together, they are creating a modular securities services ecosystem that supports faster launches, flexible services, and a modern client experience.

Role overview

The VP People will help the organisation scale into a more mature, consistent, and well-structured company. This position is wider than a traditional People & Talent leadership role: it involves strengthening leadership systems, shaping culture with intention, and improving how lemon.markets and dwpbank work together.

Reporting to the CEO and sitting in the extended executive board, you will own the People & Talent function, facilitate important leadership forums, and help establish the structures, principles, and routines needed in a growing organisation.

What you will do

• Take full ownership of the People & Talent function and lead the team across recruiting, compensation, performance, feedback, career growth, and people policies.
• Scale and embed existing people processes so they are consistently applied in day-to-day work.
• Design and evolve leadership frameworks, including leadership principles, leadership development, and related processes.
• Partner closely with the CEO and leadership team on organisational effectiveness, leadership, and people strategy.
• Run and moderate key leadership meetings, including the Executive Board and Senior Leadership Board, with a focus on preparation, clarity, accountability, and follow-through.
• Own company-wide cadences such as all-hands meetings, planning cycles, offsites, and other leadership rituals.
• Improve collaboration and cultural alignment between lemon.markets and dwpbank.

What success in this role looks like

• You bring deep experience as a senior People leader in a regulated environment, ideally fintech, and have worked in a role of similar scope before.
• You are a well-rounded HR professional with strong expertise in HR business partnering and/or people development, plus exposure to talent acquisition, people operations, leadership support, and culture/performance work.
• You have practical experience with compensation structures, performance systems, hiring processes, workforce capacity planning, and budget planning.
• You have guided organisations through cultural change and major transition, including mergers, acquisitions, or other high-change settings.
• You approach leadership as a responsibility, use feedback and mentoring to develop others, and prefer a servant-leadership style.
• You are highly organised, structured, and concise, with strong control over agendas, timing, preparation, and follow-up.
• You are comfortable in executive settings, can represent the People function with confidence, facilitate focused discussion, hold senior stakeholders accountable, and challenge constructively when required.
• You work with an entrepreneurial mindset and prefer action and delivery over only identifying risks.
• You communicate fluently in German and English at C1 level or above.

Working setup and benefits

The role comes with a competitive salary aligned to experience and impact. Working hours are flexible, with only shared core hours from 12:00 to 16:00 to support collaboration.

The position follows a hybrid setup and can be performed from anywhere in Germany, while still requiring regular in-person collaboration. Leadership team members spend at least 7 days per month in the Berlin office for events, onsites, offsites, and team dinners.

You will receive regular mentorship, stretch assignments, a clear career development framework with frequent feedback, and an annual learning budget.

Company culture is built through everyday details such as first-day Polaroids and monthly new-joiner breakfasts, as well as larger gatherings like partner onboarding celebrations and annual offsites.

Additional benefits include a Deutschlandticket for employees on unlimited contracts and 50% off Beatvest, a partner focused on financial education and investing.

You may also work remotely from anywhere in the EU for up to 10 consecutive days at a time, and for up to 60 days in total per year.

Equal opportunity and application note

The company is committed to an inclusive workplace and encourages applications from people of all backgrounds, including different ages, citizenships, ethnic and racial origins, gender identities, disabilities, marital statuses, religions, ideologies, and sexual orientations.

Even if you do not meet every requirement, you are encouraged to apply if the role seems like a strong fit.

If you have questions, you can contact the team at talent@lemon.markets.com.