<aside> 📌 Hi! I'm Rita, a hands-on People and Operations Leader with 10 years of experience setting up the employee experience from scratch at small to medium-sized software start-ups.

I design and build processes, tools, and frameworks for the entire employee lifecycle, with a strong focus on hiring, work-life balance, communication, compliance and mental wellbeing.

I advocate for mindful leadership, emotional resilience, and a value-based approach to creating a balanced and fulfilling work environment where employees can thrive.

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🌈 About Me

Originally from Germany, I grew up in Switzerland before moving to Amsterdam via Paris. I have spent the last three years in southern Spain before moving back to the Netherlands, settling in The Hague.

Together with my husband, a software engineer and our two dogs Sidney (a whippet) and Fénix (a Spanish Galgo) I enjoy an outdoorsy lifestyle while working mostly remote.

We recently created Galgomap.com, a community people fellow where pawrents can meet each other and organise play dates for their sighthounds.

Roles I fill and things I care about:

HR policy and benefits guidance, strategic people advisor, HR business partner, talent recruitment, onboarding & development, compensation advice & benchmarking, employee experience, performance & engagement, diversity & inclusion, psychological safety, learning & development, tooling & information architecture, privacy & legal compliance.

✍️ Experience

Freelance People Ops Consultant October 2024 - Present, Remote

I support companies in designing processes and strategies for the entire employee lifecycle, from recruitment and onboarding to wellbeing, performance, and development. I bring expertise in HR policy, strategic advising, employee engagement, tooling & information architecture, diversity, and compliance, always keeping a balanced work-life and psychological safety at the forefront. **

Aspiring Dog Trainer - Mindful Hounds

September 2024 - Present ****Combining my passion for improving people's lives, both at work and at home, I founded Mindful Hounds. I offer positive, force-free dog training that builds trust, enhances communication, and fosters a deep, lasting connection between dogs and their humans.

Head of People - Homerun (acquired by ISH)

August 2017 - June 2024, Amsterdam & Spain

As the Head of People at Homerun, I was responsible for implementing, and then overseeing the entire employee experience.

From hiring and onboarding, to working closely with the founders and our entire team. I wrote our company handbook and implemented comprehensive benefits, including pension, mental health support, workation policies, and a four-day workweek (4DWW). My role encompassed legal responsibilities, health and safety management, and GDPR compliance, including delivering internal training on unbiased hiring and diversity and inclusion.

Homerun’s low turnover rate reflects the strong people-first culture I helped cultivate. I have acted as an HR business partner to leadership, organized team trips, and viewed the people experience through a product lens by treating the employee journey like a product that I want our employees to subscribe to.

Homerun is a hiring tool for small businesses with big hearts. The product is an all-in-one tool that lets teams publish beautifully styled job posts and customized application forms and also communicate with candidates and review candidates together as a team. All from one simple and beautiful app.

Co-Founder People Ops Community NL September 2017 - current

The People Ops Community NL is a Slack community of like-minded HR professionals in the Netherlands that help and support fellow HR people.

Our 500+ community covers a range of experiences and industries and discusses both small and large topics.

HR Manager & Operations Manager - Wercker (acquired by Oracle) January 2016 - May 2017, Amsterdam

As the HR & Operations Manager at Wercker I played a pivotal role in fostering culture, communication, and connection across multiple locations and time zones while managing all HR and Operations related activities.

• Cultivated a positive atmosphere within the Wercker space, promoting a healthy work environment for optimal success.
• Ensured smooth office operations, including managing office amenities and budgets, allowing the team to focus on building Wercker.
• Organized company social activities such as offsite events, cocktail hours, and movie nights, managing budgets effectively.
• Led recruitment and onboarding processes, enhancing the employee experience by curating culture, identifying key values, and creating a balanced, value-driven environment that encouraged productivity.
• Engaged the Wercker community through active social media interaction.
• Created a hub for developers by organizing meetups and social interactions, bringing together people with shared passions to improve the developer experience.

Project Manager - Wordhouse Aug 2015 - Nov 2015

As a Project Manager, I oversaw the successful execution of translation projects, from urgent orders with tight deadlines to large, complex projects involving diverse technologies. I collaborated closely with the sales department and managed my own portfolio of clients, ensuring clear and effective communication with our customers. My responsibilities included writing sales quotes, negotiating with freelancers, monitoring project progress, and handling administrative tasks.

🎓 Education

Leiden University

2013 - 2015

Master of Arts (MA), Asian Studies

Leiden University

2008 - 2012

Bachelor’s Degree (BA), Chinastudies

🏳️‍🌈 Languages

German (native level)

Dutch (native level)

English (fluent)

French (fluent)

Spanish (basic)

Chinese (basic)

🛠️ Tools

💖 Things I love

• Notion

• Slack

• G-Suite

• Loom

• Humaans

• Homerun

• Open Up

• Calendly

• 1Password

• and many more

• hiking 🥾

• plant-based cooking 🥗

• baking 🍞

• dogs (all animals really) 🐶

• books 📚

• yin yoga 🧘

• pilates 🤸