Head of Human Resources in London

• Head of HR
• Purley, South London | Hybrid (3 days office / 2 days home)

About the Company

Our client is an established international creative services business with over 35 years’ experience supporting many of the world’s leading retail and consumer brands.

Specialising in brand strategy, packaging design, artwork, localisation and creative production, the business delivers end-to-end solutions from concept through to shelf across multiple international markets.

Headquartered in South London, with operations across Europe and the USA, the company is entering an exciting period of growth and is now looking to appoint an experienced Head of HR to lead the people agenda and support the next stage of its international expansion.

This is a commercially driven, entrepreneurial organisation where HR will play a key role in shaping the culture, developing the people strategy and building the foundations required to support continued growth.

The Opportunity

Reporting directly to the Directors and working as part of the Senior Leadership Team, the Head of HR will take ownership of the company’s people strategy across the UK and international operations.

This is a hands-on strategic leadership role for an experienced HR professional who enjoys working in a growing business environment, balancing strategic thinking with practical delivery.

You will partner closely with the Directors and leadership team to develop scalable HR frameworks, strengthen people processes, support organisational growth and ensure the business continues to attract, develop and retain exceptional talent.

Key Responsibilities

• HR Strategy & Leadership
• Develop and deliver a people strategy aligned with business growth objectives.
• Act as a trusted HR adviser to Directors and the Senior Leadership Team.
• Build and evolve the HR function to support future growth.
• Lead organisational design, workforce planning and succession planning.
• Provide insight and recommendations to support commercial decision-making.
• International HR & Business Growth
• Support HR strategy across UK and international operations.
• Provide guidance on employment practices across multiple jurisdictions.
• Support the establishment and integration of new overseas operations.
• Implement scalable HR frameworks, policies and processes to support international growth.
• Work with external advisers where required to ensure compliance across different territories.
• Talent Strategy & Recruitment
• Own the future talent strategy and workforce planning approach.
• Partner with leaders to identify future capability requirements.
• Support senior and specialist recruitment requirements.
• Work with trusted recruitment partners to attract and secure key talent.
• Develop employer brand and candidate experience.
• Employee Relations & Culture
• Provide commercially focused advice on employee relations matters.
• Manage complex ER cases including grievances, disciplinaries, capability and absence.
• Coach managers to become confident people leaders.
• Develop initiatives that improve engagement, retention and employee experience.
• Build a positive, high-performing and inclusive culture.
• HR Operations, Reward & Compliance
• Oversee HR operations, policies, processes and systems.
• Ensure employment documentation and HR practices remain compliant.
• Oversee payroll, benefits and reward processes.
• Support salary benchmarking and remuneration reviews.
• Maintain strong governance, GDPR and HR compliance processes.
• Provide HR reporting and people insight to the leadership team.

About You

We are looking for an experienced HR leader who is commercially minded, approachable and passionate about building great workplace cultures.

You will ideally have

• Senior HR leadership experience within a growing, commercially focused organisation.
• Experience working in a founder-led, entrepreneurial or scale-up environment.
• Proven experience building, developing or transforming an HR function.
• Experience supporting international business growth, including exposure to establishing or integrating overseas operations.
• Experience implementing scalable HR frameworks and ensuring employment compliance across multiple jurisdictions.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and employee relations.
• Experience working closely with Directors and senior stakeholders.
• The ability to operate strategically whilst remaining hands-on and pragmatic.
• Strong attention to detail, with the ability to manage complexity and change.

Experience gained within FMCG, consumer brands, retail, creative services, packaging, design, technology or another fast-paced commercial environment would be advantageous.

• Personal Attributes
• Strategic thinker with strong commercial judgement.
• Trusted adviser with excellent stakeholder management skills.
• Collaborative, approachable and solutions-focused.
• Comfortable working autonomously within a growing business.
• High integrity, discretion and professionalism.
• Passionate about developing people and creating a positive culture.
• What’s on Offer
• Salary: £70,000–£75,000 depending on experience.
• Hybrid working – 3 days office / 2 days home.
• Opportunity to shape and develop the HR function within a growing international organisation.
• A key leadership role with genuine influence on the future direction of the business.
• Career Development Opportunity

This is a rare opportunity for an experienced HR professional to join a growing international business at a pivotal stage of its journey.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to build and shape the HR function, make a real impact, and develop their career alongside the continued growth of the organisation, with the potential to progress into a Director-level role.