People Operations Lead

Here at The Exploration Company, we are developing, producing, and operating Nyx, a modular and reusable space orbital vehicle that can eventually be refuelled in orbit and that can carry cargo - and potentially humans in the longer run. We are building a company designed to scale fast, operate globally, and deliver at the highest level. That requires a fundamentally different approach to how we run People Operations. As our People Operations Lead, you will be responsible for building and running a world-class, globally scaled People Operations function. This is not a role to maintain systems, it is a role to rethink and redesign how we operate as a company. This is one of the most impactful roles right now in People Operations. You will define how People Operations works at global scale in a fast-growing, international organisation. You will have the opportunity to challenge outdated approaches, implement AI-driven solutions and build a function that directly enables performance, speed and growth. You will lead a distributed team of People Operations professionals across Europe, the Middle East and the USA and will be accountable for creating a function that is efficient, scalable and built for growth from the ground up. This role reports to the Chief People Officer and can be based in our offices in Munich, Bordeaux or Turin. Key responsibilities: In your capacity as People Operations Lead, your role will be continuously evolving and your core responsibilities will include: - Building and leading a high-performing global People Operations team across multiple regions - Designing and implementing a scalable, global People Operations model to support rapid company growth - Owning the full employee lifecycle globally, ensuring a seamless, high-quality experience from onboarding to offboarding - Ensuring payroll, benefits and core HR operations are delivered with precision, reliability and consistency across all geographies - Redefining how People Operations works by leveraging AI, automation, and modern tooling to drive efficiency and better decision-making - Establishing strong data foundations, ensuring accuracy, accessibility and actionable insight across all people data - Ensuring compliance with local employment laws while maintaining a consistent and fair global approach - Enabling rapid international expansion by building scalable and compliant operational frameworks - Partnering closely with leadership, Finance, Talent, and the People team to ensure the organisation operates effectively - Identifying operational bottlenecks and risks and systematically solving them What we would love to see from you: - Proven experience building and scaling People Operations in a high-growth, global environment - Experience leading distributed teams across multiple regions (Europe, Middle East, USA) - Strong track record of designing scalable processes and operating models from the ground up - Hands-on experience applying AI and automation within People Operations, with clear, practical use cases - Deep understanding of global payroll, benefits and employment frameworks - Strong systems and data mindset: comfortable working with complexity and driving clarity - A builder mentality: you are comfortable creating structure where none exists - High standards for quality, accuracy and execution - Ability to operate at both strategic and hands-on levels - Strong communication and leadership skills, with the ability to influence at all levels Why you should join us! What makes us special here at The Exploration Company and why we think you will enjoy working here is: - We’re Agile - we make decisions fast whilst keeping our goals and systems in mind - We’re Open and Collaborative - we are transparent about risks and obstacles, so that we can cooperate to overcome them - We have a lot of Fun - we refuel our energy knowing we are democratising space. It’s a wonderful and rare opportunity, are YOU up for the challenge? We'd love to hear from you