HR and Talent Manager

Fanalysis - the home of real fan opinion. Football has a problem. Punditry is dominated by the same voices, while fan sentiment gets lost in the noise of fragmented social media. The people who understand the game best – the fans – have never had a platform that truly reflects them. We’re building that platform. Founded by Michael McIntyre and Gary Neville, and launched in partnership with Sky Sports for the 2025/26 Premier League season, we enable verified fans to rate players, managers and matches – turning supporter sentiment into structured insight that powers media, content and conversation across the game. We don’t amplify the loudest voices. We surface what real supporters actually think, at scale. We’re already home to a fast-growing global community, with fan perspectives reaching millions. Backed by leading venture investors and working with major media partners, we’re scaling quickly – with well‑known figures from football and entertainment already part of the conversation. Our mission is simple: to make fan sentiment the most powerful force in football, and give fans the platform they’ve always deserved.

The Role

This is a rare opportunity to own the people function at one of the most exciting early‑stage companies in sports media – and to build it properly from the ground up. As our first dedicated HR and talent hire, you'll work directly with the CEO and COO to bring in exceptional people and create the foundations that allow us to scale quickly and sustainably. The role is deliberately broad: you'll be involved in everything from sourcing and hiring through to contracts, onboarding, performance, and day‑to‑day operational matters. There is no separation between strategy and execution – you'll be expected to handle both. We're looking for someone early in their career but already operating at a high level – with strong judgement, a bias towards action, and low ego about what the work involves. You should be comfortable moving between hiring a senior engineer, drafting a policy, and resolving a practical issue as it arises. The scope is wide, and the expectation is that you take full ownership of it.

What you'll do

• HR & People
• Establish clear, proportionate HR processes suited to an early‑stage company – the right amount of structure, no more
• Own employment contracts, HR systems and employee records
• Ensure compliance with UK employment law and keep us on the right side of relevant regulation
• Manage onboarding and offboarding, making both experiences genuinely good
• Support managers with performance management, goal setting and feedback
• Help build progression frameworks and career development structures
• Handle employee relations matters with sound judgement and discretion
• Contribute to pay benchmarking and compensation reviews
• Talent & Hiring
• Lead hiring across all functions – tech, product, content, community and commercial
• Manage the full recruitment process across multiple roles simultaneously
• Hire developers and technical talent at pace, with a clear understanding of what strong engineering and product profiles look like
• Source candidates directly through LinkedIn, your own networks and non‑traditional channels
• Work with external agencies where needed, managing relationships and negotiating commercial terms confidently
• Help shape how Fanalysis is positioned to prospective hires as our employer brand develops
• General & Operational
• Take on office and operational responsibilities as required – we're a small team and everyone chips in
• Identify gaps or issues and address them directly, without waiting to be asked
• Support the leadership team in thinking through organisational structure and culture as we grow

About You

• Strong academic background with a consistent record of high performance
• Solid HR and recruitment experience gained in a startup, scale‑up or high‑growth environment – you know the difference between building and maintaining, and you've done the former
• Demonstrated experience hiring technical roles – developers, engineers, product people – quickly and well
• Working knowledge of UK employment law and HR compliance
• Clear and confident communicator, comfortable advising senior stakeholders and engaging candidates alike
• Highly organised and calm under pressure, able to manage multiple priorities without dropping the ball
• Pragmatic in approach – able to balance process with pace, and structure with common sense
• Low ego, high standards, and a genuine willingness to take ownership of whatever needs doing
• Motivated by building something from an early stage – a passion for football is a bonus, but hunger to be part of something from the ground up is essential

This is a full‑time role based in London. We're in the office at least three days a week and value time together as a team.