Head of People in Kent

Head of People - Sevenoaks - Hybrid A great opportunity to be a part of something special. My client has strong expansion and growth plans and as a result are seeking a Head of People to join them at the HQ in Sevenoaks. You will be responsible for setting up the processes and procedures needed to help with the growth plan. My client is in the construction engineering space and operate throughout the UK and into Europe. We are looking for someone who can who can demonstrate the ability to create a superb onboarding programme designed to welcome and impress new hires to the business. This role will be key to creating the in house recruitment team and will be crucial to improve the retention of staff. Role PurposeWe are an ambitious, internationally growing engineering practice delivering specialist commissioning expertise to clients across multiple markets. We are seeking an experienced and commercially minded Head of People to lead the next phase of our People strategy and build a high-performing, scalable People function.This is a pivotal leadership role with responsibility for creating the people infrastructure, operating models, policies, systems and capability required to support sustainable growth. The successful candidate will partner closely with the Executive Leadership Team and regional leaders to ensure that the business has the right people, skills, leadership capability and organisational structures to deliver for clients across the world.The Head of People will lead the development and delivery of an integrated People strategy spanning international employment, workforce planning, organisational development, talent acquisition, employee experience, learning and development, leadership capability, performance, reward, employee relations, mobility and compliance.The role will combine strategic leadership with a strong operational focus. The successful candidate will be comfortable establishing new frameworks and functions, improving existing practices, solving complex people challenges and ensuring that People initiatives translate into measurable commercial and organisational outcomes. Key ResponsibilitiesPeople Strategy and Organisational Leadership•Develop and deliver a clear, commercially aligned People strategy that supports the company's growth ambitions, UK and international expansion and long-term business objectives.•Act as a trusted strategic adviser to the Executive Leadership Team, providing insight and guidance on organisational capability, workforce risks, leadership effectiveness and people-related opportunities.•Build a scalable People operating model that supports growth while maintaining consistency, quality and an employee-centred culture.•Lead the development of effective organisational structures, workforce plans and succession strategies across all business regions.•Use people data and workforce insight to support evidence-based decision-making and identify opportunities to improve organisational performance.•Establish clear People priorities, governance and measures of success, ensuring that initiatives deliver meaningful outcomes for employees and the business.•Build and lead a high-performing People team with clear accountability, strong capability and a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement. Uk and International Growth, Employment, Mobility and Compliance•Lead the People aspects of the UK and international expansion, supporting the establishment of new branches, subsidiaries and operating locations.•Develop scalable People infrastructure to support sustainable growth across multiple countries and jurisdictions.•Partner with senior leadership, legal advisers, finance teams and regional leaders to establish compliant and effective employment arrangements in new markets.•Develop regional People operating models that balance global consistency with local legal, cultural and commercial requirements.•Ensure the business has appropriate local employment contracts, policies, employee handbooks and people processes in place across each operating location.•Oversee international employee mobility, including cross-border assignments, transfers, secondments and project-based deployment.•Ensure effective visa, immigration, right-to-work and relocation processes are in place to enable the business to mobilise employees efficiently and compliantly.•Work with specialist advisers to manage employment tax, social security and other people-related considerations arising from international assignments.•Monitor international employment legislation and regulatory developments, ensuring that the organisation remains compliant and responsive to changing requirements.•Create practical frameworks that enable the business to deploy the right people to the right projects while maintaining a positive employee experience. Talent Acquisition and Workforce Planning•Recruit and build the Talent Acquisition function and ensure recruitment activity is aligned with business growth plans and future capability requirements.•Develop and deliver an integrated global talent acquisition strategy.•Establish robust workforce planning processes that anticipate future resource requirements across regions, disciplines and project portfolios.•Strengthen the organisation's ability to attract, engage and secure high-calibre technical, professional and leadership talent.•Continue to develop the company's employer brand and employee value proposition across international markets.•Ensure recruitment processes are efficient, consistent, inclusive and scalable.•Develop effective talent pipelines for critical and hard-to-fill roles.•Use recruitment data and market insight to improve hiring outcomes, reduce risk and support informed workforce decisions.•Ensure that recruitment activity supports both immediate project requirements and long-term organisational capability. Learning, Development and Capability•Provide strategic oversight of the company's Learning