People Operations Lead

Department: People

Navan is looking for a People Operations Lead to drive operational excellence and scale our global employee experience. In this pivotal role, you will transition beyond tactical execution to contribute to the architecture and optimisation of our HR processes. You will be the primary owner of our EMEA People operations strategy, ensuring data integrity within Workday, managing high-volume service delivery via JIRA, and safeguarding compliance across international jurisdictions. This is a high-impact role that requires a blend of hands-on expertise and strategic foresight. You will act as a consultant to global stakeholders, manage complex organisational changes (including M&A integrations).

What you’ll do:

• Design and optimize global HR processes to ensure secure, compliant data management and seamless, scalable workflows.
• Oversee the EMEA knowledge base and lead the development of regional People policies.
• Serve as a subject matter expert, providing high-level guidance on HR procedures and compliance to employees and executive stakeholders.
• Own the execution of complex regional People projects, including large-scale change management initiatives and cross-border compliance audits.
• Collaborate with Finance, Legal, and IT to identify systemic improvements and ensure cross-departmental alignment.
• Leverage People analytics to deliver actionable insights that inform leadership decisions and drive continuous operational improvement.
• Proactively monitor and refine People processes to ensure regulatory compliance and alignment with evolving company objectives.
• Independently navigate and resolve complex, high-stakes People Ops challenges with minimal supervision.

What We're Looking For:

• 5+ years of progressive experience in People Operations
• Hands-on experience with Workday 
• Advanced experience with HR case management tools (e.g., JIRA, Zendesk, or ServiceNow) and a "tech-first" approach to problem-solving.
• Proven experience managing company acquisitions and the full-cycle integration of employees into existing operational frameworks.
• Exceptional organisational skills with a demonstrated ability to lead multi-quarter global projects from conception to completion.
• Strong understanding of regional employment laws and data privacy regulations.
• Elite verbal and written communication skills with a strong "customer-first" mentality.
• A proactive, self-starting mindset with the ability to prioritise high-impact initiatives
• Fluency in English and German