Head of People & Operations [f/m/x] (32-38.5h/week) | SaaS | remote-first within reach of our Vienna office

extra holidays
Work set-up: 
Full Remote
Contract: 
Experience: 
Senior (5-10 years)
Work from: 

Offer summary

Qualifications:

At least 5+ years of experience in a generalist People & Culture role., Minimum of 2 years of leadership experience in a People & Culture team within a tech startup or scale-up., Strong understanding of modern People & Culture practices and organizational development., Fluent in English and German, with good knowledge of Austrian labor law..

Key responsibilities:

  • Leading and unifying the People & Culture and Operations teams.
  • Developing and executing strategies for talent acquisition, employee engagement, and operational efficiency.
  • Fostering a collaborative, remote-first work environment and supporting organizational change.
  • Collaborating with leadership to align People & Operations initiatives with company goals.

Swat.io logo
Swat.io SME https://swat.io/
11 - 50 Employees
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Job description

Who we are:
Swat.io is a Software-as-a-Service product that supports marketers in Social Media Publishing and Community Management. We are proud to be an independentself-financedproduct-led SaaS company focused on building a product that users actually love.

Today, our goal is to continue growing sustainably and join the top 1% of SaaS companies with over €10 million in ARR. We want to create a meaningful impact for our customers, team, and company, becoming an integral part of our customers’ daily workflow. Guided by our core values—we add value, we drive progress, we own it, we thrive together — we prioritize quality over quantity. We focus on exceptional talent and a collaborativesupportive culture, believing that revenue follows quality, not the other way around.

At Swat.io, we're a team of almost 50 people with diverse backgrounds. We focus on staying lean and agile, and we’re looking for makers who thrive in this kind of environment.
Who you are:

You are a passionate people person who thrives on enhancing existing structures and processes, bringing energy and drive to challenge the status quo, and ensuring that projects are constantly moving forward across the board. You possess an entrepreneurial spirit, a strategic mindset, and a comprehensive understanding of modern People & Culture practices, coupled with a strong motivation to dive into and lead operational topics. We are looking for someone with a hands-on mentality who likes being involved in the day-to-day.  

You strive to provide clear direction and foster a highly collaborative environment while being the central person ensuring that our team of 50 thrives in our remote-first work environment, fostering collaboration and engagement.

You're adept at managing complexity, leading two distinct teams, and navigating a matrix reporting structure for the two Operations team members, who will continue to work closely with the CFO/COO.

Who you are not:

This isn’t a role for someone who prefers a purely strategic HR role, without enjoying hands-on leadership and being intensely involved in the day-to-day. 

We are also not looking for someone without leadership experience, who is applying for a leadership role as their next career step - we will only consider applications from experienced leaders.

If you are rather working on your own or only with your core team, this role also isn’t for you, since we see the Head of People & Operations as a connecting link for communication across the entire company.
Purpose of the role
You'll join Swat.io as our Head of People & Operations, a crucial leadership role where you will unify and lead both our People & Culture and Operations teams. While these teams will remain distinct, you'll be the common leader ensuring seamless collaboration and strategic alignment.

You will report directly to our COO/CFO, Verena. You will be working closely with her on different initiatives in both teams as well as on the strategic areas of leadership and organizational development, which are led by Verena. 

As a part of Swat.io’s leadership team, you’ll collaborate closely with fellow team heads and the management board, sharing responsibility for the company’s overall success and driving Swat.io’s strategy forward together.

Your primary purpose is to integrate and elevate all internal People and Operations processes under a unified vision and leadership, while fostering a people- and performance-oriented work culture with high-quality interactions. A key mission of this role will be to support the organizational change needed in a time of rapid transformation – within our company, in the market, and in the way we work. As AI and other external forces reshape our industry, we’re looking for someone who can help us proactively adapt our structures, culture, and ways of collaborating. 

Within your first weeks, you'll immerse yourself in understanding Swat.io's culture, product, and existing team structures, receiving a thorough handover from our outgoing Head of People & Culture and our CFO/COO.

After that, you will develop and execute a comprehensive strategy to enhance both our People & Culture and Operations functions, aligning them with Swat.io’s goals. 

That will also include:
  • Leading People & Culture:
    • Overseeing end-to-end talent acquisition strategies and employer branding, ensuring we attract and retain exceptional talent.
    • Developing and implementing initiatives for employee engagement, retention, and well-being that foster a positive and productive environment.
    • Ensuring compliant and efficient HR administration and payroll processes, collaborating closely with our external partners.
    • Continuously evolving and nurturing Swat.io's unique company culture and core values.
    • Significantly contributing to strategic organizational development, leadership training, and coaching frameworks in close partnership with our CFO/COO.
    • Providing disciplinary leadership and development for the People & Culture Managers, guiding their daily operations and professional growth.

  • Leading Operations:
    • Supervising administration and daily operational processes and activities of the company, including office management for our Vienna office and support for our remote setup.
    • Optimizing internal operational processes and tools to enhance overall efficiency and scalability.
    • Ensuring smooth cross-functional collaboration on operational matters, particularly with Legal and Strategic Finance topics, which remain with the CFO/COO.
    • Providing disciplinary leadership and development for the Senior Operations Manager and the Office & Invoice Manager, guiding them in their daily tasks and career growth within their matrix reporting structure (functionally reporting to the CFO/COO).

  • Cross-Functional Leadership:
    • Fostering strong communication and collaboration between the People & Culture and Operations teams, and with all other Swat.io departments.
    • Being a sparring partner on People topics for the leadership team.
    • Actively participating in the leadership team, contributing to the company's strategic development, and ensuring that People and Operations initiatives directly support overall business objectives.
Are you ready for this?
We define ready as 
  • You have at least 5+ years of experience in a generalist People & Culture role, with at least 2 years of that experience in leading a People & Culture team in a tech startup or scale-up.
  • You thrive in agile environments, ideally within a SaaS or bootstrapped company, and understand the nuances of flexible working models like remote and hybrid setups.
  • You possess strong organizational skills and a proven ability to structure and lead daily processes across multiple functions, using AI to enhance your daily workflows and work results.
  • You are adept at handling different operational topics simultaneously, demonstrating a hands-on approach and a knack for driving things forward.
  • While in-depth operational knowledge is not a prerequisite, you bring a strong motivation to dive into and lead the Operations area, embracing its complexities and opportunities for optimization.
  • You are a strategic and holistic thinker with strong business acumen, capable of translating people and operational strategies into tangible business impact.
  • You are self-led and not afraid to take initiative and responsibility, while also being a role model of a healthy feedback and failure culture, knowing what it takes to develop, motivate, and guide a team. 
  • You have led and successfully managed high-impact projects within People & Culture and/or Operations in the past, and have good knowledge of Austrian labor law.
  • You are a performance-oriented thinker who drives innovation and brings ideas on how People & Operations at Swat.io can evolve and best contribute to the company’s success. With your critical thinking skills, you have the courage to express your own opinions while remaining open to better arguments.
  • You are a team player with hands-on qualities, ready to roll up your sleeves and step in wherever needed.
  • You are an outgoing person – approachable, communicative, engaging, and someone others instinctively turn to for advice and support.
  • You speak fluent English, as this is our company language, and fluent German is mandatory due to local legal and operational responsibilities related to our Austrian entity. If your German isn’t fluent, we unfortunately can’t move forward with your application.

Don’t worry if you don't meet all qualifications. If this opportunity catches your eye and you are passionate about the field of work, we are happy to receive your application. If we both think we are a good match, and team fit is as important to us as a technical fit, we will find a solution and grow together.
Our stack/How we work:
  • The People & Culture team utilizes Personio as our overall HR tool for all disciplines within the field. 
  • Guided by the People & Culture team, our payroll is managed by an external firm, which also consults us on labor law topics. 
  • Deel is our provider for compliant international employment.
  • In the operations team, we rely on tools like Chargebee, Stripe, Adam, and BMD.
  • The entire Swat.io team uses state-of-the-art tools like Google Suite, Linear, Notion, and communicates extensively via Slack, Google Meet & Co., reflecting our remote-first culture. We prioritize efficiency and clear communication to get things done effectively.
  • At Swat.io, we see AI as an essential part of our future – it's already embedded in our daily work, and we're actively expanding its use across the company.
What you’ll find:
  • Personal development: An exciting opportunity to shape how People & Operations works at Swat.io and to co-create best practices with both teams. At the same time, you are part of the leadership team of Swat.io, driving the future of the entire company, growing with each challenge and phase.
  • Annual learning & development budget: You’ll receive €1,000 per year and 4 additional days off for professional or personal development.
  • Professional equipment: We’ll equip you with everything you need: MacBook, smartphone, headset, and more.
  • Salary: Permanent contract with a gross annual salary between EUR 77.000 - and 90.500,- for a 38.5-hour work-week, depending on your level of experience and demonstrated expertise. Overtime will be compensated as time off. For leadership positions, an additional performance-based bonus is agreed on yearly and has already been fixed for 2025.
  • Flexibility: We work with a flexible hours model with no core working hours that allows you to shape your workdays around your needs and those of your team and customers.
  • Remote-friendly model: You have the flexibility to work from anywhere in Austria regularly, as we believe in the power of remote work. On your first day and during the first weeks, we'd love to welcome you a few times to our office near Längenfeldgasse (U4/U6) subway station in Vienna to familiarize yourself with the office and the team members who regularly work from the office. Travel costs are covered by us!
  • Remote work abroad: Work from anywhere in the world for up to 3 months per year - just keep time zones and our monthly in-person Leadership Team Meetings in mind.
  • In-office collaboration: Your presence in the office will be required for certain meetings or occasions. Our Leadership team meets 1-2 times per month in the office to align on strategic and team-specific topics. The whole company meets twice a year in Vienna. If you are located outside of Vienna, we will support your travel costs.
  • Family-friendly: We guarantee your job after parental leave and offer truly flexible working hours and models. Around 40% of our team members are parents, showing how seriously we take work-life balance.
  • Team spirit: At Swat.io, we are makers who excel at what we do while caring for each other’s well-being and creating a supportive environment. We have regular team activities and company events that bring all Swaties from around the world together to connect and celebrate.
  • Public transport support: If you’re based in Austria, we support you with a yearly public transport ticket (Vienna public transport pass or a portion of the KlimaTicket).
We are proud to have an inclusive workplace environment that will foster your development no matter your gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, education level, or race.
What you won’t find at Swat.io:
  • Annoying micro-management

  • Office politics

  • Lengthy coordination and approval processes

  • Monotonous tasks and boring work

  • Egos and bullshit before real results

Our process:

Our job posting got your attention – great! We are looking forward to getting to know you better. Show us who you are – we are interested in your personality and how you fit into our team. Don’t forget to leave a short pitch to let us know why we should definitely get to know each other.

The preferred starting date is as soon as possible, but we are ready to wait for our perfect candidate ;)

Your contact person is Ellie, our trusted recruiting partner.

  1. Intro Interview with Ellie in English

  2. Functional interview with Verena in German

  3. Leadership screening with Tanja, our current Head of People & Culture

  4. Assessment Round with the Management Board (Verena, Jolli, Manuel)

  5. Meeting the Leadership team (other heads of) and your future team members

  6. Offer & open questions

Meet Your Team
  • Jane (P&C Manager): is our go-to person for recruiting and talent development. She makes sure we find the right people and support them in growing at Swat.io. Jane also keeps a pulse on what our team needs by running surveys and gathering insights, always with an eye on how we can improve. On top of that, she brings our employer brand to life with authenticity and creativity. Outside of work, Jane stays sporty, loves to travel, and recharges best when she’s out in nature with friends.

  • Gerald (P&C Manager): is the heart and soul of all things behind & in front of the scenes when it comes to People operations. He’s the person who ensures employee requests and anything else are handled satisfactorily, making Swat.io an exceptional place to work. His passion for creating memorable experiences extends to organizing our legendary company events that everyone looks forward to. When he’s not busy taking care of the team, you’ll find him in the mountains, skiing, hiking, simply enjoying nature, or seasonal traveling. Gerald is also a proud dog dad to his beloved dachshund, Benji.

  • Lisa (Senior P&C Manager): is currently enjoying her baby break until 2026. Lisa is a true expert in simplifying the complex. As the first People person at Swat.io, she played a huge role in shaping our People & Culture approach. Outside of work, Lisa is a devoted mom of two and an avid wordsmith, enjoying writing, reading, or discussing stories. Lisa’s curious nature means she’s always up for a conversation about life, people, or any topic under the sun.

  • Judit (Senior Operations Manager): is the steady hand behind all things Legal and Data Security at Swat.io. She’s also stepping in to cover Administration & Office topics while Suzana is away, and brings structure and clarity to our Finance & Ops work. Whether it’s diving into a legal detail, keeping our data safe, or driving forward internal projects, Judit does it all with a positive attitude, care, and precision. Judit has a curious mind and loves asking questions to understand the bigger picture. She’s known for her big smile, her passion for learning languages, and her love of dancing.

  • Suzana (Office & Invoicing Manager): is the one who makes sure we keep our lights in the office on. From invoicing to all things admin - including getting our books prepped - she’s got it handled. She is a pure optimist, always seeing the glass as half full and spreading good vibes. Suzana loves getting lost in a good book and spending time with friends and family, and whom she also enjoys cooking or baking for. There is always time for a good cup of tea and a chat.

  • Verena (COO/CFO): is your future leader and just as enthusiastic about numbers as she is fascinated by people. At Swat.io, she leads the Operations unit, overseeing Finance, Operations, People & Culture, and Customer Support. With her analytical mind, a healthy dose of pragmatism, and a passion for organizational development, she is constantly on the lookout for opportunities to keep things moving forward. Her kids keep her busy at home, and together they are always up for an adventure. When Verena catches a break from the job and the family, she's either lighting up the stage in a musical or diving into building Legos and all kinds of puzzles and riddles at home.

About us
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Required profile

Experience

Level of experience: Senior (5-10 years)
Spoken language(s):
GermanEnglish
Check out the description to know which languages are mandatory.

Other Skills

  • People Management
  • Leadership
  • Strategic Thinking
  • Coaching
  • Adaptability
  • Communication
  • Teamwork
  • Critical Thinking
  • Problem Solving

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