CPO - Chief People Officer, Antwerpen

Hawaiian is one of the fastest-growing fast-casual chains in the Benelux. With around 50 restaurants, 1,500 employees and a proven concept, we are fully committed to international expansion, targeting 150 restaurants in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany by 2030. We are building an organisation ready for that scale and for the various operating models that come with it.

We are looking for a Chief People Officer who will co-write this story. Not as a supporting function, but as a fully-fledged business leader who understands what it means to build an operational company at scale. You have done this before. You know the pace of hospitality, you understand what restaurant openings mean for an organisation, and you have built new markets from scratch. You are now taking on the responsibility of preparing People at Hawaiian for the next phase of growth: international, ambitious and with an eye for the operating models of tomorrow.

What will you do? You define and execute the People strategy as an integral part of the business strategy– not as a derivative, but as an input

You are a fully-fledged ExCo member: you contribute to discussions on P&L impact, growth plans and operational decisions through a People lens

You immediately translate expansion decisions into People implications: capacity, structure, compliance and culture

International Expansion

You bear strategic responsibility for the People preparation of new markets, including Germany

You determine the approach, the structure and the timing, working closely with your HR Manager to do so

You build a scalable People model that is replicable across three countries with their own legal systems and HR practices

You ensure that the People foundation is in place for day one of every new restaurant opening

Change, Project&Analysis

You lead complex People transformations and strategic projects with the discipline of an experienced project manager: structured, stakeholder-aware and results-driven

You work in a data-driven way and use People analytics to identify patterns, substantiate decisions and steer as the business needs it

You manage multiple parallel project streams without losing grip on quality and timing, and you bring others along in change without losing them along the way

People Operations&Team

As CPO, you are fully in charge of the People organisation: its structure, its composition and its evolution. You report to the CEO.

The current team consists of an HR Manager, 3 Payroll Specialists, 3 Talent Specialists and a People Project Expert

You work closely with Operations and Excellence, which includes the Hawaiian Academy. You actively contribute to thinking about the future role of L&D within Hawaiian.

Culture&Employer Brand

You carry the Hawaiian culture– Be Real, Act as One, Never Settle, Take Ownership and Make a Difference – across borders, even as the organisation grows at a rapid pace.

You build an employer brand that positions Hawaiian as a top employer in the hospitality sector, across three countries and for a diverse workforce profile

Who are you and what do we offer you? You have previously held end-to-end responsibility as a CPO, CHRO or People Director in a hospitality, retail or food environment of comparable scale and growth dynamics

You have demonstrably set up a new market or country from a People perspective, from legal structure to first hire. Have you already done this in Germany? That's a significant advantage!

You combine strategic weight with operational credibility, and your ExCo language is business, not HR jargon

You have strong experience in complex projects and change trajectories in a fast-growing, operational context

You work in a data-driven way and are able to translate People analytics into business-relevant insights and decisions

You have an affinity with or experience in organisations that work with or are evolving towards mixed operating models such as franchising

You have a strong understanding of P&L dynamics and know how People decisions impact business results

You are familiar with Belgian and Dutch employment law; knowledge of German employment law or experience in Germany is a serious plus

You communicate just as easily with a CEO as with a shift leader

Bilingual NL/FR is an advantage; EN is required; DE is a plus

What we offer

A CPO role with real impact in a fast-growing, operational company with international ambitions

Full mandate to build a People organisation ready for 150 restaurants across three countries

A direct line to the CEO and an ExCo that takes People seriously as a business function

A no-nonsense culture where results matter, pace is high and bureaucracy is minimal

An attractive senior package in line with the seniority of the role

Home base is Antwerp– local presence is essential

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