People & Culture Generalist Retail EMEA - Maternity Cover, 7 months contract (f/m/d)

Discover Patagonia’s Mission and Join Our Team

Patagonia is an outdoor apparel company founded in 1973. At a time when all life on earth is under threat of extinction, we aim to use the resources we have—our business, our investments, our voice and our imagination—to influence changes needed to protect our planet. A registered B Corporation and founding member of 1% for the Planet, Patagonia is recognised internationally for its commitment to product quality and environmental activism, contributing over $145 million in grants and in-kind donations to thousands of grassroots environmental groups around the world.

Your role:

We are in business to save our home planet. This role will contribute by enhancing the employee experience across 13 stores, spread over 9 countries, supporting a population of circa 200 retail employees. Acting as a bridge between operational and strategic P&C projects, this role helps ensure that people processes align with our values and business objectives. It works closely with managers, employees, and the People & Culture Business Partner to resolve complex employee relations issues, guide P&C projects and initiatives, manage change and support the professional growth of our colleagues. By fostering collaboration and driving improvements, this role contributes to a thriving and engaged retail community that reflects our purpose and values.

Main tasks:

• Business Partnership: Partner with the Retail team across EMEA on all aspects of the employee lifecycle, leading P&C initiatives and projects in collaboration with the P&C Business Partner to ensure consistent and equitable practices that contribute to a thriving retail community.

• Employee Relations: Advise managers on employee questions and concerns, policies and procedures, sickness cases and relationship issues to maintain a healthy and compliant environment where employees feel valued and excited to come to work.

• Annual Processes: Coordinate and execute the budgeting process, annual salary reviews, career development, and learning programs to foster employee growth and engagement.

• Recruitment Coordination: Collaborate with the Talent Acquisition team to oversee and participate in the hiring processes across retail stores ensuring timely and effective staffing.

• P&C Operations: Ensure accurate and compliant execution of hiring, onboarding, employee milestones, contract changes and offboarding processes with the support of the P&C Operations team.

What we’re looking for:

• An inclusive mindset

• Degree in HR and / or Business or relevant experience in related field

• Proven experience as an HR Business Partner or HR generalist (retail environment is preferred)

• Proven ability to build strong partnerships and work collaboratively with managers and colleagues

• Experience working in a pan-European Environment

• Experience in addressing and resolving employee relations cases

• Excellent English verbal and written communication skills, other European languages are a plus (Italian, French or German)

• Familiar with employment law concepts and ensuring confidentiality, tact and sensitivity when handling matters

• Demonstrated ability to work independently, including the ability to organize, plan, and prioritize task

• Ability to travel 10 - 15% of the time

• A passion for saving our home planet and making a positive impact through your work

Other important details:

• This is a temporary full-time position, based in Amsterdam intended to support the team for 8 months starting from 1st of November 2025.
• We have a hybrid work model, working from home for maximum 3 days per week
• We strive to make unbiased decisions and to offer a great experience to every person who applies for a role at Patagonia. Our interviews include standardised questions that focus on the aspects that are important for success in the role.

At Patagonia, we commit to becoming an anti-racist company that leads by example. This means doing the work to be inclusive and equitable, across all aspects of our business.

Every person who applies to join Patagonia receives equal employment opportunities, and we value a welcoming environment where each member of our EMEA team feels included, respected and empowered, regardless of their race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, civil status, national origin, disability or age.

At Patagonia, we strive to have inclusive representation within our organisation and embrace a diverse mix of talent to contribute to our culture. We actively seek applications from Black and People of Colour (BPOC) and other underrepresented groups.

As we are in business to save our home planet, we can only do this together.

Please make sure that your CV and cover letter are in English.

Disclaimer for recruitment agencies:

Thanks for your interest in supporting us for this role, but we don’t accept unsolicited CVs from recruitment agencies