Director, People in Brighton

Amazing Career Moments Happen Here. Transforming the insurance industry is ambitious, we know. That’s why at Applied, we’re building a team that shows up every day ready to learn, willing to try new things, and driven to deliver innovative software and services that make us indispensable to our customers – all within a culture built on values that make us indispensable to each other too.

At Cytora, now an Applied Systems company, we’re transforming how insurers and brokers connect, operate, and grow. Our AI-powered platform is driving smarter decisions, greater efficiency, and seamless collaboration across the global insurance ecosystem. As we accelerate digital transformation, we’re looking for curious, collaborative minds ready to help shape what’s next. If you’re energized by innovation and inspired by impact, your future starts here.

Position Overview: We’re searching for a Director, People (Europe) to join our Global People Team in a remote or hybrid location. This is a matrix role, reporting directly to the global People function in the US, with a dotted-line reporting relationship to the European business leaders for Applied United Kingdom, Applied Ireland, and Cytora. The Director, People will lead the European People team and hold overall responsibility for all People domains, while serving as a key partner in integrating Applied’s global People processes and culture. This is a remote position but will require occasional travel to our Brighton and Belfast offices.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead and manage the local People team comprised of a Sr. People Business Partner, Sr People Generalist and People Generalist.
• Own all People domains including employee experience & welfare, learning & development, performance management, manager support, compensation and partnering with talent acquisition.
• Participate in planning and decision-making processes with the Talent Acquisition Team to align recruitment goals with business needs; collaborate with the team to assess effectiveness of recruitment strategies and suggest alternatives as necessary.
• Partner with senior leadership to design and implement people strategies that support business objectives and growth. Provide thought leadership and strategic insights to client leaders on people-related considerations that support and align with business objectives.
• Support the integration of People processes into Applied Systems, ensuring alignment of policies, processes, and culture.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with managers, providing coaching and guidance on people-related matters; Provide performance management guidance to managers, including coaching, counselling, career development, performance improvement plans, and as needed, decisions to terminate employment.
• Drive employee engagement initiatives and foster a positive, inclusive workplace culture; Implement and support company-wide employee engagement initiatives, localising them as needed; Work closely with management and employees to improve work relationships, build morale, and increase productivity and retention.
• Maintain in-depth knowledge of legal requirements related to day-to-day management of employees, reducing legal risks, and ensuring regulatory compliance. Partner with the legal department as needed/required.
• Analyse trends and metrics in partnership with the People Operations Team to develop solutions, programs and policies; provide reporting on HR metrics to client leaders.
• In partnership with Finance, support client leaders in headcount and people-related budget adherence.
• Modify and implement talent strategies and create sustained solutions for talent related opportunities and challenges including the next generation of leaders through talent management, and succession and development planning.
• Provide guidance and input on business unit organizational design, restructuring and workforce planning, including communications and change management support.
• Act as a liaison between business leadership and Talent Acquisition teams in the recruitment process; providing guidance and consultation on hiring decisions and offers, in partnership with the Compensation team where needed.

Your experience may include:

• 10+ years of People/Human Resources experience, with at least 5 years of proven experience in People/HR leadership roles, preferably in tech/AI/global companies, including managing and developing a People Team.
• Strong understanding of people processes and best practices across the employee lifecycle.
• Demonstrated ability to design, lead and implement people strategy.
• Strategic thinking with a hands‑on approach.
• Successful track record of working and thriving in a dynamic, fast‑paced and changing environment that is results‑oriented and collaborative.
• Experience leading the People function at the local site of an international company, ideally US based.

Other Skills or Credentials: Experience working in a fast‑paced start-up environment.

We know that talent comes from all backgrounds and experience levels. We encourage military members and their spouses as well as candidates without a degree or a background in tech to apply!

When You Join Team Applied, You Can Expect:

• A culture that values who you are and recognizes that you aren’t just an employee; you are a teammate, and you matter. We thrive on the benefits of our different experiences and celebrate the uniqueness our teammates bring to work with them every day.
• We flex our time together, collaborating remotely and in‑person to empower our teams to work in the ways that work best for them.
• A comprehensive benefits and compensation package that centers our teammates and helps them to bring their best to work every day: Private Medical Insurance, including Dental and Vision, Holiday and Vacation Time, Health & Wellness Days, A Bonus Day for Your Birthday.