Head of People and Culture

6 FTE · 24 hrs/week Flexible across 5 days Min. 3 days in Naarden Reports to: Managing Partner New role Are you an experienced People Culture leader with a background in a high-performance, partner-led professional environment — and a genuine passion for building the conditions in which exceptional people thrive? About Forbion Forbion is a leading global venture capital firm with deep expertise in Europe and offices in Naarden (Netherlands), Munich (Germany), and Boston (USA).

We invest in innovative biotech companies, managing approximately €5 billion across multiple fund strategies that cover all stages of (bio-)pharmaceutical drug development. In addition, Forbion leverages its biotech expertise beyond human health to address ‘planetary health’ challenges through its BioEconomy fund, investing in companies developing sustainable solutions in food, agriculture, materials, and environmental technologies. Since the inception 20 years ago, our team of approximately 70 professionals, representing 14 nationalities - of whom 37 are part of the investment team - has built an impressive track record since the late nineties, with 128 investments across 11 funds.

Forbion’s record of sourcing, building and guiding life sciences companies has resulted in many approved breakthrough therapies and valuable exits. Forbion typically selects impactful investments that will positively affect the health and well-being of people and the planet, as well as meet its financial return objectives. The firm is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment.

Forbion operates a joint venture with BGV, the manager of seed and early-stage funds, focused especially on Benelux and Germany. Why Forbion? At Forbion, we are more than just a leading investment firm, we are a community of entrepreneurial, pragmatic, and collaborative professionals.

We live by our EPIC values – Entrepreneurship, Purpose, Integrity and Collaboration. Join us and be part of a growing team where your expertise is valued, your growth is supported, and your voice matters. The Team You will be joining Forbion's People Culture function, reporting directly to Managing Partner, Geert-Jan Mulder.

You will have an HR Administrator as your direct report, providing operational HR support across the firm. You will also work in close collaboration with Forbion's Talent Acquisition Manager, who is based in the UK and reports into Geert-Jan, ensuring a joined-up approach to how we attract and bring in the best people. This is a newly created role - Forbion's first dedicated Head of People Culture.

Until now, responsibility for People Culture has been shared among the Managing Partners with Geert-Jan in the lead, a reflection of the firm's close-knit culture and hands-on leadership style. As Forbion continues to grow, the Partners have taken the deliberate step of professionalising this function. They have engaged an external P C advisor, Xandra Niehe, to assess the current landscape and identify the foundations needed to support the firm's next phase of growth.

Her findings, initial implementations and recommendations will be handed over directly to the incoming Head of People Culture - giving you a running start and a clear mandate from day one.

About The Role

As Head of People Culture, you will be the driving force behind everything people culture-related at Forbion. You will work closely with Geert-Jan Mulder and the broader leadership team to shape and deliver a people strategy that reflects the calibre and culture of our organisation. This is a hands-on leadership role - one day you might be refining our performance framework, the next coaching a partner through a sensitive people matter.

Responsibilities

will include: Strategy and Advisory: Develop and implement Forbion's people culture strategy in close partnership with the Partners Act as a trusted advisor on all people-related matter