Human Resources Manager

London

Hybrid

£100,000

The Role

Our client is an ambitious, entrepreneurial recruitment business with offices in London and Miami, entering a defining stage of growth. The firm has achieved market-leading retention and engagement without a dedicated senior HR lead. To protect that as it scales, it is now appointing a Head of HR to put robust, compliant foundations under the business. Reporting to the CEO, you will own HR operations and employee relations end to end. You will review and rebuild policies, processes and documentation, make sure the firm is compliant in both the UK and US, and be the go-to adviser for managers on everything from probation to complex ER cases. This is a hands-on build role for a pragmatic generalist who enjoys getting the detail right.

Key Responsibilities

Policy, Process and Compliance

• Review existing people policies and procedures, identifying anything outdated, unclear or no longer fit for purpose
• Rebuild and relaunch a complete, legally compliant policy suite and employee handbook, including GDPR
• Ensure compliance with UK employment legislation and, working with US advisers, the Miami office
• Keep contracts, right-to-work checks and employee records accurate and audit-ready

Employee Lifecycle

• Design clear, documented processes from offer, onboarding and probation through to performance, promotion and exit
• Own contracts of employment, offer letters, changes to terms and leaver processes
• Manage absence, family leave and flexible working in line with policy and legislation
• Run payroll inputs and benefits administration in partnership with Finance

Employee Relations

• Provide expert, pragmatic advice to the CEO and managers on ER matters, including disciplinary, grievance, capability and performance cases
• Coach managers to handle people issues early and confidently
• Manage any restructures or redundancies fairly and in line with legal requirements

HR Systems and Data

• Own the HRIS, ensuring data is accurate and reporting is reliable
• Produce HR MI on headcount, attrition and absence to support leadership decisions
• Support the people workstream of the firm's next investment milestone, including due diligence readiness

Person Specification

• An experienced HR Manager with strong generalist and ER expertise
• Recruitment experience strongly preferred, with an understanding of sales-led cultures
• Proven experience rebuilding policies, handbooks and HR processes from the ground up
• Strong, current knowledge of UK employment law; exposure to US employment law is a strong advantage
• Confident handling complex and sensitive cases with discretion and sound judgement
• Organised, detail-focused and comfortable with HR systems and data
• Credible with senior stakeholders and able to say no when needed

Level of Qualifications

• Significant HR generalist experience, including at least 2 years at manager level
• CIPD Level 5 required; Level 7 preferred
• Degree qualified or able to demonstrate equivalent experience