People Operations Lead Location: Barcelona

People Operations LeadLocationBarcelonaEmployment TypeFull timeLocation TypeHybridDepartmentPeopleWe power people’s progress.
At Preply, we’re all about creating life‑changing learning experiences. We help people discover the magic of the perfect tutor, craft a personalised learning journey, and stay motivated to keep growing. Our approach is human‑led, tech‑enabled – and it’s creating real impact.
We’ve just reached unicorn status with a $150M Series D, accelerating our vision to transform education through human‑led, AI‑enhanced learning. Today, 100,000+ tutors teach 90+ languages to learners in 180 countries – and we’re only getting started. As a category‑defining company, we’re shaping what the future of learning looks like at global scale.
Every Preply lesson sparks change, fuels ambition, and drives progress that matters. Joining Preply means helping define the future of education at global scale, and building something that truly matters for millions of people, every day.
Meet the teamThe People team is responsible for the entire lifecycle of the employee journey at Preply. This includes everything from onboarding and offboarding, compliance, total rewards and benefits, HR systems and analytics, as well as key People projects related to employee engagement, career development and frameworks, amongst others.
We are looking for a strategic and hands‑on People Operations Lead to join our People Operations team. You will own and scale People Ops globally, lead a team, serve as the go‑to expert for operational excellence, and optimise our mobility program. What you build here will directly shape how Preply scales, and how our people experience that journey at a company redefining education on a global scale.
What you’ll do:Core People OperationsShape the future operating model of People Operations at Preply as we continue scaling globally.
Lead end‑to‑end employee lifecycle processes globally – onboarding, offboarding, contract changes.
Design and scale People Ops processes and policies suited to a fast‑growing, distributed global organisation.
Maintaining up‑to‑date employee records and documentation.
Act as a first point of contact for employee queries related to HR operations across your regions.
Coordinate with Legal, Finance, IT, and People teams to ensure correct documentation and processes.
LeadershipLead and mentor a People Ops team while remaining hands‑on in day‑to‑day execution.
Coach and develop team members, setting clear expectations and supporting high performance.
Balance strategic thinking with operational delivery – comfortable moving between both.
Operational ExcellenceDrive a high‑quality employee experience through efficient, scalable, and people‑centered operations.
Design and own automation across People Ops workflows – identify high‑frequency manual processes (onboarding triggers, contract generation, offboarding checklists) and eliminate them through tooling or scripted logic.
Build and iterate on AI‑native workflows – use LLMs and agentic tools to handle routine employee queries, ticket triage, and policy lookups; reduce resolution time without adding headcount.
Track and report on key People Operations metrics; use data to identify gaps and drive improvements.
Stakeholder ManagementBuild strong partnerships with senior leaders and cross‑functional teams across the business.
Translate complex policies and employment requirements into clear, actionable guidance.
Work effectively across international, distributed teams in a fast‑paced environment.
Mobility & ImmigrationManage UK visa and sponsorship processes, including Skilled Worker visas and right‑to‑work compliance.
Coordinate global mobility programmes in partnership with legal and immigration vendors.
Advise internal stakeholders on relocation processes and immigration requirements.
Partner with team to optimise mobility processes globally.
What you need to succeed:Extensive experience in optimizing People Operations, including employee lifecycle management, policies.
Proven ability to design and scale People Ops processes in fast‑growing or global environments.
Experience leading and mentoring a team while remaining hands‑on in execution.
Strong coaching skills with a track record of developing high‑performing People Ops team members.
Ability to balance strategic thinking with operational delivery.
Experience managing visa and sponsorship processes (e.
G. Skilled Worker visas).
Familiarity with global mobility programmes and coordination with legal/immigration partners.
Data‑driven mindset with ability to track and improve key People metrics.
Why you’ll love it at Preply:An open, collaborative, dynamic and diverse culture.
A generous monthly allowance for lessons on Preply.
Com, plus a Learning & Development budget and dedicated time for self‑development.
A competitive financial package with equity, leave allowance and health insurance.
Access to free mental health support platforms.
The opportunity to shape the lives of learners and tutors through language lea