About the role
About Apron Founded in 2021, Apron is set out to help SMBs win. Small businesses are the backbone of the economy, yet the systems they rely on - especially payments - are slow, manual and not built for them. Cash flow remains their biggest challenge, driven by the gap between the demands of managing payments and the tools available to do it well. We are closing the gap by digitising and simplifying the payments process: capturing invoices, issuing expense cards, paying and getting paid, all in one place. We have grown fast over the past few years, expanding our team to 100 individuals across the UK, Germany, Spain and more. We are backed by Index Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Zinal Grow and Tony Fadell and we’ve raised $50m. The ambition now is clear: build a category-defining, global fintech business. The next phase requires not just great product and ambition, but a world-class operating engine — and a People function that can scale performance without lowering the bar.
The Role Reporting to the COO and working closely with the CEO and founder, you will own and evolve the People function end-to-end - shaping how Apron hires, operates and scales. Your mandate: build an environment where exceptional people can do the best work of their careers, at pace. This is a hands-on role requiring sharp judgement and strong execution. What You’ll Do Build a High-Performance Culture Define a clear, founder-aligned people philosophy Set and maintain a high-performance bar across the business Ensure expectations are explicit and performance is measurable Strengthen a highly collaborative, in-person operating model Maintain consistency as the company scales internationally Enable Performance & Leadership Design and embed pragmatic performance frameworks Equip leaders to run high-quality performance and feedback conversations Coach senior leaders on team effectiveness, decision-making and conflict Identify and resolve organisational friction early Ensure scale enhances, not dilutes, performance Own Hiring & Talent Quality Define and uphold a rigorous hiring bar Improve role design, scorecards and structured interview processes Introduce robust, case-based assessments Embed clear 30-60-90 success measures Partner on workforce planning and prioritisation Build Scalable People Operations Own the full employee lifecycle Ensure compliance across geographies Build simple, scalable systems — avoiding unnecessary process Leverage AI and tooling to drive efficiency Oversee