People & Culture Lead

Introduction

We’re looking for a People & Culture Lead to build the foundations for high-performing teams — leading everything related to people, culture, and what some companies might call “HR” at Wellis.

You’ll be joining at an exciting time — the company is growing fast, new teams are being formed, and we’re laying the foundations for long-term international success.

If you love building structure from scratch, supporting leaders, and shaping culture in a fast-moving environment, this is your opportunity.

About Wellis

Wellis is a young, fast-moving healthtech scale-up with a clear mission: combine medical expertise, technology, and data to make healthcare smarter, more efficient, and more personal.

We started only 2 years ago, but experienced amazing traction and success leading us to the point where we are now creating structures, expanding teams with top talent, and setting up our product for growth.

We’re focused on lowering the barriers to care, especially for health concerns people don’t always feel comfortable seeking help for. Our treatment portfolio is expanding rapidly, and our ambition is to build long-term, digital-first solutions that support people across different stages of their health journey.

You’ll join an ambitious, international team where ownership is encouraged, collaboration is key, and impact is visible from day one. We’re opening our new office in Rotterdam this year, where the team will meet 1–2 days per week to brainstorm, build, and grow together.

About the Role

As our People & Culture Lead, you’ll take full ownership of our people operations and culture strategy.

You’ll build the foundations for a thriving organization with high performing teams — from onboarding and performance management to personal development, compensation frameworks, and culture initiatives.

This is a highly entrepreneurial role: many processes are still in early stages or need to be built from the ground up. You’ll work closely with the founders and leadership team to design a scalable, people-first organization that supports growth while keeping our startup energy alive.

You will report directly to our COO Remco and manage a People & Culture Operations Specialist and Senior Recruiter.

A Week in the Life @ Wellis

• Monday – Kick off with leadership syncs: review team performance trends, discuss hiring priorities, and align on organizational needs.

• Tuesday – Map out the next phase of our career framework and prepare an update for the founders on compensation and progression.

• Wednesday – Meet with team leads to coach on feedback, 1:1 structures, and people development best practices.

• Thursday – Deep dive into data: analyze engagement results and identify 2–3 concrete initiatives to boost retention and belonging.

• Friday – Host a company-wide culture session, celebrate milestones, and prepare a strategic update for next week’s all-hands.

Your Responsibilities

• Shape the People Strategy: Define and execute the long-term People & Culture roadmap in alignment with business goals.

• Build Scalable Systems: Design and implement frameworks for onboarding, performance, career development, and compensation.

• Enable Leadership: Act as a trusted advisor to C-level and team leads, supporting them with coaching, team design, and growth planning.

• Drive Engagement: Create initiatives that strengthen employee experience, wellbeing, and cultural alignment as we scale.

• Operational Excellence: Own HR systems (Personio, Notion, etc.), ensuring smooth operations and data accuracy across countries.

• Compliance & Governance: Oversee employment law, contracts, and benefits with a strong understanding of Dutch and European regulations.

• Culture & Communication: Champion Wellis values and foster a culture of feedback, recognition, and collaboration.

• International Expansion: Build the HR infrastructure for new markets as Wellis expands

Who You Are

• 4–6 years of experience as an HR Business Partner or similar role.

• Proven experience in a fast-growing startup or scale-up.

• Strong understanding of Dutch labor law and compliance.

• Strategic thinker with a hands-on mindset — able to build from scratch.

• Confident with systems like Personio, Notion, and modern HR tools.

• Experienced in supporting international teams.

• Great communicator, empathetic listener, and trusted advisor.

• Fluent in English; Dutch is a strong plus.

What We Offer

• A key role in shaping People & Culture at one of Europe’s fastest-growing healthtech companies.

• The opportunity to build from scratch — systems, processes, and a culture that scales.

• A collaborative, ambitious environment with short lines and real impact.

• Hybrid working model (1–2 days per week in our new Rotterdam office).

• Competitive salary and secondary benefits.

• Room for professional growth and development as Wellis scales internationally.

Hiring Process

We keep it simple and transparent:

1. Intro Call – with Tim (Talent Acquisition) to get to know each other.

2. Interview with COO – deeper conversation about your background and vision.

3. Case & Discussion – share your approach to building scalable People & Culture foundations.

4. Final Conversation – with COO and founders for final alignment and next steps.