Director

ABOUT THE BRAND

We connect with our consumers on multiple levels, ensuring that our online and offline approach goes hand in hand. We thrive to maximize consumer engagement via more than 200 KL stores worldwide, our premium wholesale partners, and our strong digital footprint, spearheaded by our KARL.COM flagship store, which reaches 96 countries. Our digital channels currently represent more than 30% of our overall full-price business.

Your Role

As the Interim Director of Human Resources, you will provide strategic leadership to drive organizational efficiency and align HR initiatives with our ambitious growth, automation goals, and ensure (SOX) compliance. This pivotal role demands a leader who can balance operational expertise with visionary thinking, guiding high-impact projects that transform workforce planning, streamline processes, and future-proof our talent strategy. You will reengineer HR frameworks to ensure seamless alignment with business objectives. You will manage the Talent Acquisition, HR Ops, HRBP, Payroll, and HRIS teams. Your leadership will ensure compliance, nurture talent pipelines, and support strategic transitions to sustain long-term organizational success. You will report to the CFO.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership: Develop and execute HR strategies that align with the company's global goals, emphasizing talent acquisition, retention, organizational development, and compliance for our HQ & Retail operations and employee base.
• Project Implementation: Lead cross-functional projects, such as training and development programs; further role out of ADP implementation features (Lyrics, time-and-attendance, standardized performance reviews); set up standardized monthly reporting decks; align company goals to employees' individual objectives.
• Employee Experience: Enhance engagement through innovative policies, to establish programs like Onboarding, and feedback systems that reflect our brand's values.
• Organizational Design & Effectiveness: To optimize performance and alignment, provide strategic guidance on team design, role clarity, and reporting lines. Partner with business leaders to ensure the organization remains adaptive to changing market demands and expansion priorities.
• Compliance & Innovation: Ensure adherence to Dutch and EU labor laws as well as compliance with SOX (in consultation with our Internal Audit department). Oversee investigations, audits, and risk assessments related to HR.
• HR Operations & Help Desk: Oversee all HR operational functions, including employee records management, onboarding, offboarding, HRIS administration, and policy implementation. Lead the HR Help Desk function, ensuring timely, accurate, and empathetic support for employee inquiries and issues

What We're Looking For:

• Experience: 10+ years in HR leadership roles, preferably within fast-paced, global organizations (fashion/luxury retail experience is a plus).
• Strategic Mindset: Proven success in translating business objectives into actionable HR strategies.
• Project Leadership: Track record of delivering complex, multi-stakeholder projects on time and within budget.
• Tech-Savviness: Understanding of HRIS systems and the importance of data-driven decision-making.
• Language: Fluency in English; additional languages are advantageous.
• Availability: Mid-September (32/36 hours)

Your key attributes:

• Commercially minded, with strong business acumen and stakeholder management skills
• High emotional intelligence, with the ability to build trust and influence across all levels
• Agile, adaptable, and energized by solving complex organizational challenges
• Data-driven and results-oriented, with a bias for action and continuous improvement

Why #TEAMKARL? (HQ)

· Learning and development courses/training

· Opportunity to make an impact

· Remote working arrangements

· Relocation allowance

· Bonus holidays

· Working in the heart of Amsterdam

· Brand discounts

· And exclusive sample sales only for #TEAMKARL

At #TEAMKARL, everyone can give their opinion, grow in their career, and be part of a genuinely caring and inclusive team.