POSTED: 20th May 2026
STARTING DATE: As soon as possible
FULL TIME, ROTTERDAM

MISSION TO METRICS

The Ocean Cleanup is a global nonprofit that develops and scales solutions to rid the world’s oceans of plastic, driving systemic change, and creating a lasting positive impact for people, wildlife, and the planet.

The P&O team plays a vital role in making that mission possible by enabling our people to thrive. We translate ambition into action by attracting purpose-driven talent, supporting our teams through every stage of the employee journey, ensuring full compliance with employment laws and payroll processes, and providing learning & development support to all our staff members.

To support our growing organization, we are looking for a passionate, proactive, and resourceful People Operations Specialist who will oversee and run People Operations smoothly and provide the best employee experience to our crew members.

THE ASSIGNMENT

You prioritize, adapt and find energy in managing people-related processes and continuously look for ways to improve. It is a perfect opportunity for someone who wants to grow further in their people operations competence. and bring People Operations at the Ocean Cleanup to the next level.
You will be joining an international People & Organization team of around 5 team members. Reporting to the People & Organization Director, you will work closely with other stakeholders to empower The Ocean Cleanup crew members to do the best work. RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the administrative processes of the employee life cycle, from Onboarding to Offboarding for all local and global employees.
• Own the payroll in coordination with our Finance team for the crew in Netherlands.
• First point of contact for our crew members for their questions; provide guidance, advice and problem-solving throughout their employee experience.
• Analyse data and create dashboards and in doing so, you play a crucial role on workforce planning.
• Responsible for annual salary review cycle and salary benchmarking exercises
• Main point of contact for our external compensation & benefits vendors: payroll, ARBO, UWV and pension provider.
• Assist international crew with relocation process; applications for work permits and 30% ruling.
• Act as advisor to MT, and LT on people operational matters and provide data-driven advice.
• Ensure the integrity of HR data in our systems.
• Drive and implement initiatives in system improvements/processes.
• Support People Business Partners in processes such as absence management, onboarding, and performance enablement cycles.
• Collaborate closely with the Legal, IT, Office, and Finance teams to guarantee smooth People Admin processes across the organization.

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

“Even if you don’t meet every professional qualification listed, we strongly encourage you to apply if you believe you have the right skills, experience, and motivation to contribute to our mission. We recognize that talent and potential come in many forms, and we value diverse perspectives and unconventional career paths. If you’re passionate about the work we do and confident in your ability to make an impact, don’t hesitate to submit your application—we’d love to hear from you”

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Financial Administration or Business Administration
• At least 3 years of experience in People Operations within a dynamic and international organization
• Solid understanding of Dutch employment law, payroll processes, 30% ruling and HSM Visa applications
• Experience supporting payroll, and compensation and benefits matters
• Fluent in English and Dutch, both written and spoken.
• Knowledge of Excel; you can create reports and make them easier to read
• Work experience at a scale-up is a plus
• While possessing a degree or higher-level qualification is advantageous, our primary focus is on individuals with strong intellectual capacity and quick thinking.

PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Accurate and structured way of working and an eye for detail
• Data driven and affinity with numbers
• Resilient and capable of prioritizing tasks
• People focused and good communication skills
• Intrinsic motivation to work on our ambitious and meaningful mission

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

• Starting date: As soon as possible
• Location: Rotterdam. Valid residency or work permit for the Netherlands is required.
• Conducting a pre-employment check may be part of this recruitment process.
• At The Ocean Cleanup, we believe we are stronger together, while harnessing the uniqueness each individual brings. That is why we take a fair, equal opportunity, and transparent approach to hiring and welcome special needs requests.