Heads of People Development in Germany
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Meet FRATCH Heads of People Development in Germany
Christine Mccarthy
Last position:
Developer & Research Lead at Future-Fit Leadership Assessment & Development Programme
WORK EXPERIENCE
- L&D Senior Director TEC Leadership Institute GmbH | 2002 – present
Senior lead for client-facing and internal leadership, talent, and organisational capability development.
Client-facing work:
- Partner with HR, L&D, and senior leadership teams to diagnose leadership and talent needs
- Design and deliver leadership and talent development programmes aligned to business strategy
- Lead leadership assessments, 360° feedback processes, and capability reviews
- Facilitate senior leadership programmes, offsites, and executive workshops
- Coach senior leaders and executives in complex, high-stakes environments
- Translate diagnostic data into clear development decisions and action plans
Internal role at TEC:
Lead programme design standards, quality assurance, and delivery governance
Develop and refine assessment-led leadership and talent development methodologies
Oversee learning architecture across blended, virtual, and in-person formats
Mentor consultants, facilitators, and coaches within the TEC ecosystem
Shape service offerings aligned to future-of-work and leadership capability trends
Research & Design Lead – Future-Fit Leadership Assessment Future-Fit Leadership | 2022 – present
Responsible for the research, design, validation, and deployment of the Future-Fit Leadership Assessment.
2022–2024 | Research & Design:
- Led applied research and framework development in collaboration with the University of Twente
- Designed the Future-Fit Leadership capability model aligned to future-of-work requirements
- Developed and validated the leadership assessment and diagnostic methodology
- Translated academic research into a practical, scalable leadership diagnostic system
2024–present | Deployment & Scaling:
Deployment of the Future-Fit Leadership Assessment in global multinational organisations
Use of the diagnostic across full-scale leadership development programmes
Use in entry-level and early leadership development programmes
Application within talent recruitment and talent development programmes
Integration of assessment insights into leadership development, succession planning, and talent pipelines
Ongoing refinement based on organisational data, client feedback, and programme outcomes
Executive & Senior Leadership Coach Freelance / Embedded in Client Programmes | 2002 – present
One-to-one coaching with senior leaders and executives
Coaching grounded in assessment data, behavioural insight, and leadership context
Support for leaders navigating role transitions, strategic complexity, and high-stakes decision-making
Focus on clarity, leadership effectiveness, and sustainable behaviour change
Team Coach Global Organisations | 2002 – present
Coaching and development of intact leadership and project teams
Diagnosis of team dynamics, collaboration patterns, and performance blockers
Facilitation of team alignment around purpose, roles, decision-making, and ways of working
Strengthening trust, psychological safety, and accountability within teams
Support for cross-functional and matrixed teams
Change Management Programmes Global Organisations | 2002 – present
Design and facilitation of change and transformation programmes
Support for leaders and teams navigating organisational change
Stakeholder analysis and engagement design
Development of change leadership capability at individual and team level
Integration of change management with leadership development and culture initiatives
Upskilling Programmes – Future of Work Global Organisations | 2015 – present
Design and delivery of upskilling programmes focused on future-of-work themes, including:
- Leadership in AI-enabled and digital workplaces
- Hybrid and distributed team leadership
- Cross-generational collaboration (Gen X, Y, Z)
- Emotional intelligence and self-aware leadership
- Psychological safety and inclusive leadership
- Adaptive leadership in complex, fast-changing environments
- Intercultural collaboration in global organisations
Atika Imtiaz
Last position:
Head of People & OD at Spread Group (sprd.net AG)
- Took over the people change management project as lead and worked with external consultants to facilitate the change organization-wide by developing a sounding board, conducting regular follow-up meetings, and organization-wide announcements
- Lead a People & OD team to ensure continuous learning in the organization
- Designed and implemented a new grading structure to facilitate fair pay based on a transparent model
- Introduced a new HRIS “Leap-some” to facilitate employee engagement, synergy, and uniformity organization-wide
- Conducted DE&I survey to formulate a proper strategy based on factual data and organized annual women’s day campaign
- Designed the format of leadership development programs across all levels of the organization
- Managed employee onboarding
Sebastian Sukstorf
Last position:
Dataport AöR
- eLearning in the financial services industry: led consulting on strategy, innovation, and organization
- Critically assessed the status quo and used eLearning as a marketing tool
Regina Stachna
Last position:
Organizational Transformation HR Project Lead Digitalization at BDO AG
- Coach in the audit department for 2,800 employees
- Company language: German
Antonio Cuadros De Béjar
Last position:
International Leadership Development at Vorwerk
- Coaching and training of managers in international development formats
- Work on leadership, communication, and collaboration
- Practical reflection on specific leadership situations and development of options for action
- Delivery in Wuppertal (Germany) and Cascais (Portugal)
Uta Goerlich
Last position:
EMEA Enablement Lead at Shopify
- Built the regional enablement strategy and team in EMEA from the ground up.
- Served as a member of the Shopify EMEA leadership team.
- Understood business needs and aligned enablement strategies to deliver results.
- Possesses extensive international and cross-cultural collaboration experience.
- Applied a learner-centric approach in all initiatives.
- Created impactful and measurable learning programs by balancing learner needs with organizational goals.
- Embodies a growth mindset, consistently seeking to learn new approaches and experiment.
- Demonstrated willingness to partner, openness to feedback, and engaged in honest and authentic dialogue.
- Exhibited an exceptional ability to identify areas of inefficiency and implement corrective changes.
- Described as open, direct, and highly focused on implementing changes that foster a positive work environment and culture.
- Recognized for possessing an invaluable skillset for companies undergoing scaling.
- Has extensive experience, deep expertise, strong passion for the enablement craft, and a continuous desire for learning.
- Known for being extremely collaborative, engaging, and empathetic.
- Actively supported the creation of a culture of learning and self-improvement across teams.
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
Heads of People Development statistics
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
22 years
Position duration
5.5 years
Positions per freelancer
8
Top business areas
Human Resources, Project Management, Strategy
Top industries
Professional Services, Education, Information Technology
Certification focus areas
Human Resources, Product Development, Research and Development
Bachelor's degree or higher
100%
Master's degree or higher
100%
Doctorate
33%
Certifications per freelancer
3
Most common languages
German, English, Spanish
Speak two or more languages
100%
Based on our profile pool as of 2 Sep 2026.
Daily rate distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of freelancers in this role in Germany are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows how many freelancers charge within that range.
Average rates for Heads of People Development in Germany
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Calculated based on our freelancers’ daily rates as of 2 Sep 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
About the role
What they lead
A Head of People Development sets the direction for learning, growth, and capability building across the company. The work often covers leadership development, career paths, talent reviews, and skills frameworks. In many firms this role also sits close to the HR Director, People & Culture Lead, or Learning and Development Lead.
Typical deliverables
- People development strategy and annual roadmap
- Leadership programs, manager training, and onboarding design
- Skills and competency models for key roles
- Performance, feedback, and career development processes
- Succession planning and internal mobility concepts
- Workshop formats, learning journeys, and enablement materials
Core strengths
Strong professionals in this role connect business goals with real development needs. They know how to diagnose gaps, work with executives, and turn concepts into programs that people actually use. Useful skills include stakeholder management, facilitation, coaching, change support, and clear communication. Many also bring experience with HRIS tools, LMS platforms, survey data, and talent review cycles.
When companies bring one in
Companies hire a freelance Head of People Development when they need focused support for a change phase, a new HR setup, or a specific initiative. That can include building a development strategy, replacing a vacant Learning and Development Lead, or aligning people development across sites and teams. In Germany, this is common for companies that need structured collaboration in English and German, especially in international, industrial, tech, and professional services settings.
What strong work looks like
- Clear priorities tied to business needs
- Practical programs instead of slide decks only
- Consistent work with HR, managers, and senior leaders
- Measurable adoption of learning and development initiatives
- Solutions that fit the company culture and operating model
Specializations and tools
The role may focus on leadership development, talent development, organizational learning, or capability building for specific functions such as sales, operations, or product teams. Common tools include LMS and LXP systems, feedback and survey tools, competency matrices, and workshop formats for managers and teams. A good interim People Development Lead keeps the setup simple, scalable, and easy to run after the project ends.
Frequently asked questions
Everything clients usually want to know about Heads of People Development, in one place.
A top-tier Head of People Development designs and runs the company’s learning and development agenda. That includes leadership programs, skills models, career paths, and the processes that help managers grow their teams. The role is both strategic and hands-on, so it often includes workshops, stakeholder work, and program delivery.
Often the scope is very close, but the title can signal a broader mandate. A Learning and Development Manager usually focuses more on training programs, while a Head of People Development is more likely to own strategy, leadership development, and the link to talent management. In some companies, the titles are used interchangeably.
A company usually brings in a Head of People Development when there is a change, a vacancy, or a clear project with a deadline. That can be a new development strategy, a leadership program rollout, or a reset of performance and career frameworks. Freelance support makes sense when the need is specific and the internal team needs senior expertise fast.
The strongest People Development Lead combines program design with senior stakeholder management. They need to facilitate discussions, translate business needs into learning formats, and make decisions that work for managers and employees. Experience with competency models, leadership development, and change support is usually more important than polished presentations.
A Talent Development Manager may focus more on high-potential programs, succession planning, and key-person development. A Head of People Development usually has a wider remit across the whole employee lifecycle, including manager capability, learning architecture, and development culture. In smaller companies, one person may cover both scopes.
Yes, much of the work can be done remotely if the company’s setup allows it. For workshops, leadership sessions, or sensitive stakeholder work, some on-site time in Germany can be useful. German language skills help when the audience is mainly local managers or employee groups.
Look for a People Development professional who has built or improved real programs, not just described them. Ask for examples of leadership development, career frameworks, or capability models, and check how they worked with managers and executives. Good candidates explain how they measure adoption and how they adapt programs to the company’s culture.
A Head of People Development on a freelance basis can take over a defined stream quickly and keep it moving without long ramp-up time. That is useful for building a framework, fixing a broken process, or guiding a launch while the internal HR team stays focused on day-to-day work. The benefit is senior structure without a permanent headcount decision.
The average hourly rate for Heads of People Development in Germany is 136 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 1,091 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers working as Heads of People Development in Germany, 100% hold at least a Bachelor's degree, 100% hold at least a Master's degree, and 33% hold a doctorate.
On average, freelancers working as Heads of People Development in Germany have 22 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 5.5 years.
The most common languages among freelancers working as Heads of People Development in Germany are German (100%), English (100%), and Spanish (33%).
The most common industries among freelancers working as Heads of People Development in Germany are Professional Services (100%), Education (50%), and Information Technology (50%).
The most common business areas among freelancers working as Heads of People Development in Germany are Human Resources (100%), Project Management (50%), and Strategy (50%).
FRATCH Heads of People Development main locations
Our freelancers and interim experts are at home across the DACH region — available on-site in the major business hubs or fully remote. Choose a location to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
Berlin Hamburg Munich Cologne Frankfurt Stuttgart Dusseldorf Leipzig Dortmund Essen Bremen Dresden Hanover Nuremberg Request a free demo
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Philipp Thomaschewski
FRATCH CEO
