What are you looking for?

Teamlead HR & Payroll

Amsterdam, Zoetermeer, Utrecht

About the role

Do you have extensive experience with HR administration, and do you get energy from ensuring HR processes run smoothly and efficiently, while continuously improving them? Do you enjoy working within administration, but also providing direction and guiding a team? And would you like to do this within a growing consultancy organization where there is plenty of movement and development? Then this is your chance!

Apply now

Why Highberg?

At Highberg, everything revolves around people. Around colleagues who want to make a difference, take ownership, and work together based on trust and craftsmanship. We believe real change happens when strategy, execution, and humanity come together. That starts with our own team. This is why we create an environment where you can continue to grow, apply your expertise, and expand it further. An environment where you can make lasting impact.

Bringing strategy to life

At Highberg, you are not a remote advisor. You work closely with clients on challenges that truly matter, from strategy through to implementation. This allows you to make an immediate impact and see the results of your work in practice.

Collaborative, human, and professional

We work closely together, share knowledge, and strengthen one another to achieve the best possible outcomes. Our culture is open and built on trust, with room for both ambition and humanity. We listen, celebrate successes, and hold each other accountable, always with attention to people as well as to quality.

European outlook, locally rooted

With teams in the Netherlands and the DACH region, you work in an organization with a broad, European perspective. At the same time, the culture remains personal and close-knit. This gives you the opportunity to collaborate internationally at a high level, within a committed and engaged team.

Culture as a catalyst

Our culture is a key reason why colleagues enjoy working at Highberg. We place trust in our people, value initiative, and believe it is important that everyone can continue to develop. This enables you to get the best out of yourself, while together contributing to sustainable growth.

Your role as Teamlead HR & Payroll

As Team Lead HR & Payroll, you play a key role within our organization. You lead the HR operations team of four colleagues, and together you are responsible for all administrative HR processes, with you ensuring structure, oversight, and further professionalization.

You combine a hands-on role with coordination, optimization, and team leadership. Approximately 70% of your time is spent working on daily HR administration across various locations, and around 30% is focused on improving and managing the HR operations domain. In that sense, you are joining at an interesting moment. We are in the midst of transitioning to one integrated HR team, coming from a situation with multiple companies. This means change, dynamics, and the opportunity to actively contribute to building a future-proof HR organization. There is still a lot of work to be done in harmonizing HR processes and aligning different ways of working. In this, you work closely with HR business partners and the HR Director, among other things on absenteeism, employment conditions, and providing data to monitor HR KPIs.

What are you going to do?

  • You ensure HR processes run efficiently and allocate work within the team.
  • You analyse HR data, focus on standardising processes, and identify and lead improvement projects within the HR operations team.
  • You actively participate in HR administration (processing changes related to onboarding, internal movements, and offboarding, payroll preparation, and absence support).
  • You conduct performance reviews with employees in the HR operations team and support them in their personal development.
  • You act as the product owner for our HR system and determine which improvements will be implemented by the team, based on priorities.
  • You are visibly present at our locations in Zoetermeer, Utrecht, and Amsterdam.

Who are you?

  • You are service-oriented, you communicate easily with different stakeholders, and you are able to interact smoothly with colleagues at all levels.
  • You are a proactive professional who takes ownership and has a hands-on mentality.
  • You can effortlessly switch between operational details and the bigger picture, and you know how to set the right priorities in doing so.
  • You have strong analytical skills and are able to translate issues into concrete solutions.
  • You have an affinity with process improvement and enjoy making processes more efficient and better structured.
  • You work accurately and have an eye for detail, without losing pace.
  • You are AI-literate and able to apply AI in a conscious, critical, and responsible way to strengthen your work.

What are we asking?

  • You have completed a higher professional education (HBO), preferably in HR or a related field.
  • You have at least 3 years of experience in HR operations / HR administration (including payroll processes).
  • You have experience in leading or coordinating a team.
  • You have experience with HR systems (preferably including the implementation and optimisation of such systems).
  • You have excellent communication skills, both spoken and written, in Dutch and English.
  • You are willing and able to work regularly across all three offices (Zoetermeer, Utrecht, and Amsterdam).

What do we offer?

  • Attractive and comprehensive employment conditions: a salary up to €5,500 gross per month, excluding holiday allowance, with variable compensation aligned with the responsibility and impact of your role, complemented by paid leave, mobility options, and a pension scheme.
  • The best of two worlds: the intellectual sharpness and quality of a high end consultancy firm, combined with the agility and engagement of an entrepreneurial organization.
  • Responsibility, autonomy, and entrepreneurship: from the very start, you take ownership in projects and client work, with plenty of room to take initiative, supported by experienced colleagues.
  • Collaborating in an accessible environment: you work in a setting where decision making is close to the action and ideas quickly gain traction.
  • Flexible working with strong connection: hybrid working is possible, combined with regular moments where we come together for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and team activities such as inspiring sessions and the Highberg Festival.
Apply now

About Highberg

Highberg is a European transformation consultancy. We support organizations in realizing their strategic ambitions by combining clear direction with execution.

We believe sustainable change happens when deep expertise and human dynamics are in balance. That is why we work closely with our clients, not only as advisors, but as partners in realization.

Our teams combine analytical depth with pragmatism and build solutions that not only work on paper, but above all in practice.

Learn more about Highberg

Our application process

At Highberg, we see applying as a meaningful two‑way conversation. It is about finding the right match for you as well as for us. Our selection process is transparent, thoughtful, and efficient, so you gain a clear understanding of who we are and how we work. Here is what you can expect:

1 Introductory conversation

We start with an introductory conversation to get to know you better. We discuss your background, interests, and motivations, and we also tell you more about Highberg, our culture, and our way of working.

2 In‑depth conversation

If there is enthusiasm on both sides, you will meet with team members and or managers. We take a deeper look at your experience, ambitions, and way of collaborating, and explore together whether there is a good match with our projects and approach.

3 Case, presentation, or follow‑up conversation

Depending on the role, we may ask you to work on a short case, give a presentation, or have an additional conversation. This gives both you and us a better view of your expertise and way of thinking in practice.

4 Offer and Onboarding

If we are both keen to move forward, you will quickly receive an offer. After that, we provide a warm onboarding experience so you feel welcome from day one and quickly find your way within Highberg.

Want to know more?

Would you like to learn more about this role or explore other opportunities within Highberg? Please contact the Recruitment Team via recruitment@highberg.com.