Sr. Director of Human Resources and Office
Kencko Foods
🌱 Our Mission
We make it easy for everyone to build healthy habits and eat more fruit and vegetables by creating innovative products that are highly nutritious, sustainable and delicious. If you’re passionate about health, sustainability, and want to be part of a dynamic and collaborative team, this is the place for you!
🚀 How We Do It
Just 1 in 10 US adults eats the recommended minimum of 5 cups of fruits and vegetables every day. We're helping solve that problem with convenient, organic, and mouth-watering products.
We transform fresh, organic fruits and veggies into handy single-serving meal moments such as:
🥤 Instant Smoothies
🍵 Protein Drinks
🍓 Delicious Snacks
💼 Job Overview
We’re looking for a Sr. Director of Human Resources and Office to join our team and support our kencko-ers Experience Team. This role will oversee all things HR, payroll, talent management, compliance, employee relations, learning & development, health and safety, and office management.
The ideal candidate is a proactive and culturally fluent leader with experience in food or manufacturing environments and a track record of building strong, scalable organizational foundations during periods of change.
With approximately 100 employees across Portugal and the US, we are seeking a senior leader to shape our People, Safety, and Office best practices and culture for the future.
📩 This Sr. Director of Human Resources and Office role reports to the Chief Executive Officer.
🧾 What You'll Do
Team Leadership (People, Health & Safety, Office Management)
- Foster a collaborative, cross-functional culture by strengthening employee touchpoints to create the utmost kencko-er journey
- Lead, mentor, and develop the People, Health & Safety, and Office Management teams
- Establish clear goals and development plans for each team to ensure high performance, accountability, and alignment with company goals
- Lead teams to identify and implement process improvements, leveraging technology and AI where appropriate to enhance agility, optimize workflows, and maximize organizational resources.
Human Resources Leadership
- Serve as a player/coach: actively execute daily HR operations while nurturing and scaling the People team as the company evolves
- Develop and implement a comprehensive People strategy aligned with company goals and workforce needs
- Own the full employee lifecycle: workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, performance management, development, and offboarding
- Manage relationships with the company’s two PEOs, external providers, and internal teams to ensure accurate payroll, benefits administration, and compliance support across Portugal and the U.S.
- Partner with leadership to shape organizational culture, values, and employee engagement initiatives
- Develop HR reports, analyze workforce data, and drive data-informed decision-making to support organizational effectiveness and strategic planning
- Oversee compensation, benefits, and HRIS systems, ensuring competitive and equitable structures across geographies
- Maintain compliance with Portuguese, U.S. federal, and U.S. state labor laws; ensure consistent, compliant HR policies
- Promote in-office and remote team-building, learning, and engagement activities to strengthen culture, collaboration, innovation, and employee connection across locations
- Serve as a trusted advisor to managers and executives on employee relations, coaching, and performance improvement
Health & Safety Leadership
- Provide strategic direction, oversight, and accountability for the existing H&S team managing day-to-day operations
- Ensure the effective implementation of company-wide Health & Safety programs aligned with EU regulations and food manufacturing standards
Review and monitor safety KPIs, audit results, incident reports, and corrective actions to ensure high safety standards - Support and guide the team in training initiatives on workplace safety, HACCP-aligned practices, and emergency preparedness
- Collaborate with Supply Chain leadership to maintain alignment between employee safety and food safety requirements
Office & Workplace IT Management Leadership
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- Provide guidance and oversight to the office team to ensure smooth daily operations
- Co-manage workplace IT support, ensuring efficient employee onboarding (Google Workspace, systems access), responsive desktop support, and seamless coordination between People, IT, and office operations
- Oversee vendor relationships, supplies, and workspace planning—ensuring team members have the support and direction needed to execute effectively
- Ensure strong cross-site communication, productive and kenckozy work environments, and consistent problem resolution
🧠 What We’re Looking For
- 7+ years of progressive Portuguese HR leadership experience in a manufacturing environment (food manufacturing strongly preferred)
- 2+ years experience in working in small business or scale-up environments with evolving processes, systems, and organizational structures
- Demonstrated experience building or scaling a People team; comfortable acting as both strategic leader and hands-on operator
- Proficient in HRIS systems, payroll platforms, Google Workspace, and data analysis tools, with the ability to leverage AI and technology to streamline processes and support data-driven decision-making
- Basic to advanced understanding of Health & Safety regulations ( EU and Portuguese standards); experience working with H&S teams
- Strong understanding of Portuguese employment law
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, and influencing skills
- Fluent English and Portuguese
- Ability to come to our Cabra Figa office 3-4 times a week
Nice-to-Have’s
- A degree in Human Resources or Business
- Familiarity with BambooHR
- US HR experience
- Familiarity with food manufacturing compliance frameworks (e.g., HACCP, SQF, BRC).
🎁 What We Offer
- Permanent Contract;
- Private health insurance, company pays 100% premium for employee;
- 25 days of paid time off per year;
- 9.60€ per day for a meal allowance;
- Monthly transportation pass fee;
- A casual, dynamic, ambitious, and fun work environment;
- Free nutrition consults;
- Steep discount on kencko products;
- Be part of a B-Corp team that is shaking-up the nutrition industry for the better.
💬 How to Apply
Ready to join a team that’s making healthy easy, fun, and planet-friendly? 🌍🍓
Send us your application in english and let’s build something great together!