Head of People Operations

Ohpen is all about banking done better. The company’s cloud-native core banking platform gives financial providers the freedom to create and innovate. Its Head of People Operations will strengthen the HR practices to enhance continued growth and make the company the preferred employer for fintech talent.

About Ohpen 

Ohpen is the first fintech player to offer a cloud-native core banking platform. Its SaaS-solutions free financial institutions from their legacy software and empower them to meet their customer’s needs of tomorrow. They support retail banks, asset managers, insurers, lending and mortgage specialists, online brokers and private banks. Ohpen is the market leader in The Netherlands, with clients that include Aegon, Knab, Robeco, and Nationale Nederlanden.

“As we’re growing, we’re re-establishing our culture. Core elements that we build upon are our people focus and our ambition to be front-runners. We value ‘extraordinarity,.’ which means we cherish people that bring something unique and dare to do things differently, and we appreciate everyone for who they are.” – Xandra Niehe, Chief People and Culture Officer

In late 2020, Ohpen – supported by investors Amerborgh and NPM Capital – acquired Davinci: developer of Close, the market-leading lending platform for mortgage and loan origination and servicing. Combining these two fast-growing companies (together they have about 330 FTEs and 25+ million dollars in revenue) allows Ohpen to become the only cloud-native core banking engine to offer a full suite of products across savings, investments, loans, mortgages, and current accounts.  

The acquisition marks an exciting new phase of international growth. Ohpen is currently focusing on scaling up its commercial activities in The Netherlands,  U.K. and Belgium, and then expand into new markets. From an HR perspective, the acquisition meant fusing two separate entities and ways of working together. It’s been an interesting challenge the company is still working  through using thoughtful initiatives. It’s also an opportunity to create a new culture that combines the best of both worlds. 

Vacancy: Head of People Operations

The Head of People Operations will develop and lead Ohpen’s people practices to facilitate further growth and deliver next-level HR support to the business. The company fosters a working culture based on autonomy, trust and ownership. The Head of People Operations will work closely with senior management to design and implement the people strategy and will report to the Chief People and Culture Officer. 

One of the key responsibilities for the Head of People Operations is to spearhead the People Department, which is made up of five People Operation Specialists and Business Partners. They are located in Amsterdam, Antwerp, Barcelona and Bratislava. Each team member takes ownership of their own domain. This way the Head of People Operations can focus on providing structure, setting priorities and leading projects and change. And to make sure their team – and the rest of the organization – can work effectively.

“At Ohpen people get the chance to develop themselves, create a positive impact for clients and have fun while doing so. Our new Head of People Operations will set a high bar for our people practices and strengthen our culture as we grow.” – Xandra Niehe, Chief People and Culture Officer

The Head of People Operations will be a trusted business partner for Ohpen’s management team and their main advisor to define and implement the people strategy. Areas that the Head of People Operations will focus on include employee engagement, retention, performance management, learning and development, compliance, onboarding and leadership.

The main challenge for the Head of People Operations will be to manage the dynamics of an international organization, including the technical and legal complexities that come with a cross-border footprint. Additionally, the role will need them to switch between HR strategy and operational responsibilities, such as payrolling and setting up new traineeships and internship programs together with the business.  

The role provides a great opportunity for an experienced HR professional to manage a team, enable growth in a fast-paced environment and gain significant exposure to senior management and the overall company strategy.

Interested?

Ohpen is working with Top of Minds to fill this vacancy.
To express your interest, please contact Vivian Linker at vivian.linker@topofminds.com.