P&O Leader Bucharest (all genders)

THE ROLE & THE TEAM

Zalando Bucharest is our newest site designed to centralize and scale expert services, ensuring operational excellence as we expand our global footprint. As the P&O Leader, you will be the heartbeat of the site—a true motivator and strategic business partner responsible for weaving the Zalando DNA into our local operations while driving and delivering essential P&O operational tasks.

Reporting directly to the Zalando Bucharest Head, you will bridge the gap between our Berlin headquarters and our Bucharest talent, acting as a cultural advocate, safekeeper of our culture, and the ultimate go-to person for our employees. You will have the unique opportunity to design, optimize, and execute a talent agenda from scratch, balancing strategic workforce growth and attrition management with a hands-on, diligent approach to daily P&O processes.

INCLUSIVE BY DESIGN

If you think you have what it takes, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every single requirement. You may just be the right candidate for this or other roles! At Zalando, our vision is to be the leading pan-European ecosystem for fashion and lifestyle e-commerce – one that thrives on diversity and is truly inclusive by design. We believe that diverse teams fuel innovation and creativity, and we actively seek out talent from all backgrounds. We actively seek to reduce bias in our hiring and employment processes, focusing on your qualifications, skills, and contributions. To support this, we kindly ask that you refrain from including personal details such as your photo, age, or marital status in your CV, ensuring a fair and equitable evaluation based solely on your abilities and potential.

We are committed to providing an exceptional and accessible candidate experience for everyone. If you require any accommodations to support you throughout the hiring process, please let us know – we are here to assist you.

Discover more about our commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace: https://jobs.zalando.com/en/our-culture/diversity-and-inclusion

WHAT WE’D LOVE YOU TO DO (AND LOVE DOING)

• You’ll build and execute the Zalando Bucharest talent agenda, creating a strategy that focuses heavily on talent development, growth, standardizing the onboarding journey, and managing off-boarding smoothly.

• You’ll act as the cultural advocate and safekeeper of Zalando's values, ensuring our unique corporate culture is absorbed, lived, and promoted to develop a "great place to work".

• You’ll tackle attrition and drive recruitment, coaching site managers on motivation, steering the local Talent Acquisition team during the ramp-up phase, and ensuring key resources are sourced on time.

• You’ll take full responsibility for local P&O operations and administrative hygiene, overseeing master data, time and absence management, electronic and physical personnel files, payroll execution, and the performance and bonus cycles.

• You’ll partner closely with the global P&O community and Zalando Bucharest leadership, acting as the vital link between Berlin HQ and Bucharest, while building strong relationships with local vendors, benefit suppliers, and legal experts.

• You’ll champion compliance and risk management, keeping local operations strictly aligned with Romanian labor regulations, steering the diversity and equality agenda, and monitoring workplace health and safety risks.

WE’D LOVE TO MEET YOU IF

• You bring a minimum of 5–7 years of experience in P&O (HR), preferably within a fast-paced retail or eCommerce environment, backed by a college or university degree.

• You possess extensive knowledge of local Romanian labor legislation and P&O operations, with a proven ability to partner with business leaders to resolve workforce challenges.

• You are a highly structured, process-oriented self-starter, driven by a positive "can-do" attitude, great attention to detail, and a commitment to delivering high-quality reporting and dashboard metrics under tight deadlines.

• You are an empathetic, discreet, and inspiring communicator, fluent in English, with the exceptional relationship-building and negotiation skills required to align remote, international, and cross-functional teams.

• You are energised by international travel and cultural collaboration, comfortable with an environment that includes approximately 10% travel to our Berlin HQ to maintain close strategic alignment.

OUR OFFER 

• Experience the financial backing, market stability and massive operational structure of the leading European technology platform for fashion and lifestyle, combined with the autonomy, agility and risk-taking spirit of a founder. 

• Drive your development through our training platform and biannual peer-to-peer review.