People Director (London)

We’re looking for a People Director

iwoca’s People Director will be responsible for ensuring iwoca is hiring, developing and retaining the people we need to achieve our business goals, and those people truly love being part of iwoca.

They will build a world-class People function that drives our next phase of growth.

You’ll be a commercially astute leader, who is the most senior people leader in the business. You will shape the people strategy, act as a key strategic partner to the business, and safeguard our culture as we scale.

About us

Imagine a world where every small business has the power to thrive. That's the world we're building at iwoca. Small businesses aren't just statistics – they're the heartbeat of our communities, the character of our high streets, and the engine of our economy. Since 2012, we've revolutionised how these businesses access finance, turning what was once a lengthy, frustrating process into something remarkable: funding that's fast, flexible, and actually works for modern businesses.

Our impact speaks for itself: we've provided billions in funding to more than 150,000 businesses across Europe, making us one of the continent's leading fintech innovators. But we're just getting started. Our mission? To empower one million businesses with the financial tools they deserve.

We combine cutting-edge technology and data science with genuine human understanding to make finance feel less like a barrier and more like a superpower. Whether it's managing cash flow or seizing unexpected opportunities, we ensure businesses get the funds they need – often within minutes.

Your mission

As People Director, you shall:

• Define and set the strategy for each team; you’ll be curious about every area of People Operations and look for ways in which we can become even more efficient and effective at hiring, retention, learning & development, performance management, paying fairly etc. across the company

• Ensure iwoca is investing smartly in its People Ops team, benefits, policies and real estate in order to support the needs of the business. Have the courage and commercial acumen to smartly dial investment up or down as required to deliver the needs of our fast changing community and its requirements

• Be a guardian and steward of our culture, have a strategy for how to ensure iwoca maintains what makes it special and keeps it vibrant as we continue to expand our team and scope

• Mentor, develop and work closely with your People Ops team (currently 14 people)

In your role, you’ll balance day-to-day delivery of operational people processes with more strategic work that helps to drive greater efficiency and quality of each People function. Examples of projects you will lead include:

• Analyse recruitment funnel data and work with Talent Partners to identify ways of improving our recruitment strategies to more efficiently find the right talent to fill roles, e.g. by optimising how we leverage agencies, referral bonuses, recruitment platforms, etc.

• Review the effectiveness of our performance management processes across iwoca, avoid that they become stale, and identify ways of making such processes more useful and less onerous

• Own iwoca’s ESG strategy, to ensure we are delivering against commitments we’ve made to our customers and lenders regarding our environmental and social impact

• Analyse how we are investing in iwoca’s employee benefits and shape a competitive value proposition which delivers bang-for-buck

Requirements

• At least 10 years’ experience in a senior management role, where you’ve been instrumental in driving organisational performance and a healthy team culture; you take a clear and strategic approach for doing so

• Ideally, you’ll have experience of leading a People Operations team as well as experience of being a leader in another area of the business which has been supported by a People Ops team; you’ll have experienced first-hand where a such a team can (or ought to) add value both from the perspective of being its leader and its stakeholder

• Experience of working within a high-growth tech scale-up; it doesn’t matter which sector(s) you have worked in previously (no experience of Financial Services? That’s fine); what’s more important is that you have worked at different organisations in terms of size, culture, management challenges, etc., and you thoughtfully distill what you have learnt and apply it to achieve great results at iwoca

• Strong logical reasoning skills and critical thinking – you’ll apply this in every area of people operations to ensure that all decisions are well thought through, with a clear and accurate understanding of the problem and justification for the optimal solution. You’re able to structure your thinking and communicate your ideas really effectively

• A “first principles” approach to people strategy; we’re looking for someone who can innovate and tailor strategies specifically for iwoca

• Commercial acumen, able to make smart decisions about where to invest and get most bang for buck (in terms of benefits, office space, etc.)

• Excellent project management skills, you know how to scope and implement projects which enhance our people strategy or drive operational improvements, and manage stakeholders through that process

• Superb ability to manage up, down and side-ways; you’ll be one of the most networked and well-trusted people in the organisation, you’ll connect easily with people at every level of the organisation and be able to engage and influence in every direction

• Humility and empathy

• Sound judgement and gravitas

• A strong desire to learn and develop both yourself and others

• This role will cover both UK and Germany, so understanding of both UK and Germany employment law would be a big plus

The salary

We expect to pay from £110,000 – £150,000 for this role. But, we’re open-minded, so definitely include your salary goals with your application. We routinely benchmark salaries against market rates and run quarterly performance and salary reviews.

The culture

At iwoca, we look to hire smart, passionate, humble individuals with a growth mindset. We prioritise a culture of learning, growth, and support, and invest in the professional development of our team members.

We value thought and skill diversity and encourage you to explore new areas of interest to help us innovate and improve our products and services.

Our friendly and inclusive environment, combined with our flexible work policies, ensures that you'll have the perfect balance between work and life, empowering you to thrive both personally and professionally.

The offices

We put a lot of effort into making iwoca a brilliant place to work:

• Offices in London, Leeds, Berlin and Frankfurt with plenty of drinks and snacks

• Events and clubs, like bingo, comedy nights, yoga classes, football, etc.

The benefits

• Medical insurance from Vitality, including discounted gym membership

• A private GP service (separate from Vitality) for you, your partner, and your dependants.

• 25 days’ holiday, an extra day off for your birthday, the option to buy or sell an additional five days of annual leave, and unlimited unpaid leave

• A one-month, fully paid sabbatical after four years.

• Instant access to emotional and mental health support.

• 3% Pension contributions and share options.

• Generous parental leave and a nursery tax benefit scheme to help you save money.

• Cycle-to-work scheme and electric car scheme.

• Two company retreats a year, we’ve been to France, Italy, Spain, and further afield.

And to make sure we all keep learning, we offer:

• A learning and development budget for everyone.

• Company-wide talks with internal and external speakers.

• Access to learning platforms like Treehouse.

Useful links:

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