HR Business Partner

As an HR Business Partner at Upfront in Rotterdam, you help our managers lead their teams effectively while the company grows rapidly. You will join the People team and work closely with our HR Lead. Together, you will support over 400 employees across the Campus, in the Foodstores, the distribution center, and the factory.

There is plenty to do at Upfront. We are growing significantly every year, and many of our managers are leading a team for the first time. This requires clear agreements, practical support, and HR processes that scale alongside us. A large part of that People foundation does not yet exist. You will bring structure, act as the point of contact for managers, and ensure that plans are actually executed.

• You translate what we establish at headquarters, such as the performance cycle, into what truly works in the stores, the distribution center, and the factory;

• You support managers in the Foodstores, the distribution center, and the factory with questions regarding their teams;

• You manage absenteeism cases carefully and ensure that managers take ownership of their own role in managing absenteeism;

• You coach managers on feedback, performance, and development;

• You coordinate the feedback and appraisal cycles, ensuring everything runs smoothly and colleagues are well-prepared for their conversations;

• You organize the onboarding of new colleagues and managers, ensuring everyone has a smooth and inspiring start at Upfront;

• You identify inefficiencies, challenge existing ways of working, and turn recurring manual tasks into smart, automated processes that grow with Upfront;

• You translate Dutch labor laws and regulations into practical solutions, with Pip as a sparring partner for complex matters.

You will work from our Campus in the Van Nelle Factory in Rotterdam and report to the HR Lead. One moment you are discussing an absenteeism case with a store manager, the next you are improving a process or preparing a difficult conversation with a manager from the DC. You will regularly be at the locations, because that is where the work happens.

From the start, you will receive your own responsibilities and work closely with our HR Lead and the management team. This way, you will learn the profession in practice, with someone looking over your shoulder daily.

Upfront makes the food industry simpler and wants to make healthy food the standard. We started online and now have our own Foodstores, our own distribution center, and our own factory. We build our own systems and give people a lot of ownership. The pace is high, but this is balanced by plenty of room to make your own impact.

A broad role with a lot of responsibility and room to develop quickly. Those who deliver here grow fast.

• A salary up to €5,000 gross per month, depending on your experience. Plus 8% holiday allowance.

• A pension scheme in which we pay three-quarters of the premium.

• 24 vacation days per year.

• You work at our Campus in the Van Nelle Fabriek in Rotterdam. An open office with plenty of light and a large garden.

• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner from our own chefs using products from our own store, freshly cooked every day.

• 20% staff discount and unlimited Upfront products for personal use.

• A private gym and wellness area with ice baths, sauna, showers, and changing rooms.

• A MacBook and a SIM card for your business contacts.

• Weekly Hyrox classes and runs with the team.

You want to grow and are looking for a place where that can happen quickly. You can handle a lack of structure without losing sight of thoroughness. You see what is needed, take initiative, and dare to hold a manager accountable for agreements. Experience counts, but your ambition and attitude weigh just as heavily for us.

• You have a HBO or WO degree, preferably in HRM, business administration, psychology, or law;

• You have at least one year of HR experience, for example as an HR advisor, HR generalist, or People Specialist;

• You have basic knowledge of labor law and absenteeism, or you are motivated to build this up quickly;

• You combine advice with practical execution and work accurately, even when many things are happening at once;

• You communicate fluently in Dutch and build trust, even when you have to deliver a difficult message.

Experience in retail, hospitality, production, or logistics is a plus.