Senior People Compliance Specialist, EMEA

GitLab is the intelligent orchestration platform for DevSecOps. GitLab enables organizations to increase developer productivity, improve operational efficiency, reduce security and compliance risk, and accelerate digital transformation. More than 50 million registered users and more than 50% of the Fortune 100 trust GitLab to ship better, more secure software faster.

The same principles built into our products are reflected in how our team works: we embrace AI as a core productivity multiplier, with all team members expected to incorporate AI into their daily workflows to drive efficiency, innovation, and impact. GitLab is where careers accelerate, innovation flourishes, and every voice is valued. Our high-performance culture is driven by our values and continuous knowledge exchange, enabling our team members to reach their full potential while collaborating with industry leaders to solve complex problems.

An overview of this role:

As a Senior People Compliance Specialist (EMEA), you will partner with GitLab to manage compliant works council engagements across Germany, the Netherlands, and France. You will lead end-to-end processes, from preparing agendas and information packages to coordinating translations, documentation, and stakeholder inputs, so teams can move through organizational changes with clear timelines and strong governance.

In this role, you will partner closely with People Business Partners, Legal, and business leaders to build trusted relationships, respond to information requests, and reduce compliance and operational risk through standardized guidance, training, and repeatable processes. Over your first year, key outcomes include improving process efficiency, strengthening recordkeeping and data retention practices, and becoming a go-to advisor for works council requirements and compliance across the region.

What you will do:

• Build, drive and iterate our works council engagements, processes and administration across Germany, the Netherlands, and France, ensuring compliance with information, consultation, and co-determination requirements, legal timelines, works agreements, and locally agreed service levels.
• Prepare meeting agendas and comprehensive information packages for recurring works council meetings and consultations, including documentation management, translations, and stakeholder coordination.
• Partner with People Business Partners, the legal team and the business to build and maintain high-trust, productive relationships with works council members through responsive, consistent support.
• Collaborate with Legal, People Business Partners, and business leaders to plan and execute compliant consultation approaches.
• Advise and educate managers and stakeholders on works council requirements, timelines, and procedural best practices, including guidance for sensitive and complex topics.
• Manage multiple concurrent requests and consultations independently, prioritising work to ensure timely completion and clear communication across time zones.
• Develop and maintain standardized processes, templates, training materials, and guidance to improve consistency and efficiency in works council operations.
• Track, report, and maintain consultation records and metrics, respond to works council information requests and ensure audit readiness and data retention compliance.
• Partner with Employment Counsel, Legal and Privacy team on laws and regulation updates.
• Act as subject matter expert on HR compliance and act in an advisory role to People Team centers of excellence, cross-functional stakeholders, and clients.
• Proactively address processes to mitigate compliance and operational risk by recommending and prioritising changes to support the business.

What you will bring:

• Experience coordinating works council processes, employee relations, or labor relations in Europe, including managing inform, consult, and co-determination obligations and timelines.
• Working knowledge of works council processes and requirements in at least one of Germany, the Netherlands, or France, with the ability to quickly build expertise across additional countries.
• Fluency in English and proficiency in French; additional language skills are useful in a multi-country environment.
• Understanding of European labor law, including information and consultation rights and common approaches to compliant stakeholder engagement.
• Experience partnering with Legal, People Business Partners, and business leaders on consultation approaches for organizational changes and other sensitive matters.
• Strong project management skills, including prioritising multiple requests, maintaining clear documentation, and driving work to timely completion in a remote setting.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills for diverse audiences, including preparing agendas, information packages, and training materials, and handling confidential information with sound judgment.

About the team:

The People team helps GitLab operate responsibly and consistently by building and running people-related processes that support our all-remote, globally distributed workforce. In this role, you will work closely with People Business Partners, Employment Counsel, Legal, Privacy, and business leaders across EMEA. The team works asynchronously across time zones, with a focus on building strong working relationships, clear documentation and communication, reliable timelines, and practical guidance that reduces risk while enabling the business to move forward with organizational changes.

GitLab is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. GitLab's policies and practices relating to recruitment, employment, career development and advancement, promotion, and retirement are based solely on merit, regardless of race, color, religion, ancestry, sex, national origin, age, citizenship, marital status, mental or physical disability, genetic information, discharge status from the military, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. GitLab will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know during the recruiting process.