We are IONA, an award-winning ecommerce consultancy with headquarters in Helsinki, Finland. Our team operates across Finland, the UK and the Philippines. When you join IONA, you’ll become part of a global team of 50+ professionals delivering next-generation composable commerce solutions for clients like Marimekko, Harvia, Lappset, Vaisala and Berner. We work with modern, API-first and microservices-based solutions and are proud to be a MACH-certified partner.

In August, IONA was once again named one of Finland’s fastest-growing companies (Witted Insights). Growth is in our DNA – and we need you to help us take the next leap!

Head of People

We’re looking for a Head of People to build and lead our People function as we are also growing internationally. This is a new role with wide ownership across culture, employee experience, people operations, talent acquisition, and managerial practices.

How you'll contribute

This is a hands-on role where you get to build practical foundations while keeping a steady, confident approach in sensitive situations. Your focus is on creating a structure that supports managers globally. You take a firm grip of operational people matters such as occupational healthcare, payroll, contracts and legal partnership. Your work ranges from defining development and salary frameworks (together with our C-team) to shaping our culture and bringing our employer brand to life. You also take an active role in leading and developing our talent acquisition efforts in Finland and internationally.

You’ll collaborate closely with sales, delivery, finance and leadership teams as part of our day-to-day operations. You’ll get to work with an ambitious and amazing team, including your future manager, COO Julia Helander as well as our CEO Mikko Mantila, future CFO and your direct report, People & Office Coordinator Juuso Janhunen. You’ll also have indirect reports in our Philippines recruitment team. Our HQ is in Helsinki and we offer a hybrid work model (3 days per week at the office).

Your key responsibilities include:

• Setting up the core structures of our People function so that they support a fast-paced consulting business and international growth

• Strengthening our culture and employer brand and making them visible in daily work

• Leading and developing our talent acquisition approach

• Building a clear and consistent way for managers to lead, give feedback and support their teams

• Owning people operations, including compliance and collaboration with external partners

• Handling sensitive people matters with clarity and confidence

What we are looking for:

You have a solid grounding in the people and talent acquisition function and enough leadership experience to guide managers with confidence. You’re used to fast-moving, partly unstructured environments. Having experience from a growth company or consulting setting is a clear advantage. You stay steady under pressure and communicate clearly. This can be your first step into a Head of People role or a natural next move if you already have broader experience, as long as you’re driven, proactive and ready to build a modern People function in a dynamic organisation.

What we hope you bring to the team:

• Solid experience in people roles with exposure to both HR and talent acquisition

• A steady track record of handling challenging employee situations

• Understanding of compensation structures and manager development

• Fluency in Finnish employment legislation and HR compliance

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in management, HR, business or a related field

• Strong communication and collaboration skills in both Finnish and English

What would make you stand out:

• Team lead experience

• Background in a scaling, international company with distributed teams

• Experience building people processes nearly from scratch

• Knowledge of IT recruitments

What’s in it for you?

At IONA, we value continuous improvement and acting with integrity and professionalism in everything we do. Our culture emphasises teamwork, ownership and supporting one another as we scale. You’ll step into a role where you can have a direct impact on how our company grows and how we support our people across three countries (and counting!).

Our benefits

The compensation for this role ranges from 4500 to 6500 €/month, depending on your professional skill set and level of seniority.

• Comprehensive health benefits that truly support your overall well-being – including dental care

• Sports, massage and culture benefit

• Office in downtown Helsinki

• Weekly breakfasts and healthy daily refreshments

• Pick your own gear

• Fun activities with colleagues

• Continuous learning enablement

Our recruitment process:

1. Discussion with our Talent Partner Kati Hautakoski or interim Head of People Anniina Tchernych: A relaxed chance to talk about your background and what you're interested in.

2. Skills in action: A real-world home assignment, followed by a face to face presentation and discussion at IONA’s office.

3. Final Discussion: A personal talk with our COO & CEO to explore your growth at IONA.

Do you want to join the best in composable commerce? Apply below by sending your CV and a short motivation letter with your salary request by 18th of January 2026. Note that this is a full-time and permanent position. We hope you can start as soon as possible in early 2026, with the exact date agreed together.

Got questions? Call Anniina Tchernych (TA & HRD at IONA, +358 40 5192647) for more details on Jan 8 or 15 at 10-11 am.