Head of People

The Team & Environment

• Reporting Line: You will report to Michelle Davies, VP Operations. You will manage our People and Culture Manager, Anastasia.
• Team Dynamics: You will work closely with the VP Operations and wider Leadership teams.
• Cross-Team Collaboration: You will regularly interact with the wider company.
• Hybrid Flexibility: We’d like you to come into the office at least two days a week - we are flexible on which days. This role is only open to those commutable to London.

About the role

The Head of People plays a pivotal role in driving the people strategy within Greyparrot. This role is instrumental in fostering a culture that encourages employees to embody our company values, and increase employee satisfaction and operational efficiency. The Head of People oversees all aspects of talent acquisition, onboarding and engagement, development, performance management, succession planning and workforce planning.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Collaborate with the VP Ops and CEO to evolve and implement people strategies that support the company's mission, vision, and business objectives. Provide strategic guidance and ‘business partner’ style input on all matters related to people operations, including workforce planning, talent management, and organisational design. Drive initiatives to enhance employee engagement, retention, and performance across the organisation.
• Performance management end-to-end: goal-setting cadence, review cycles, calibration, feedback culture, underperformance handling.
• Manager capability: practical training, coaching and tooling so managers have the tools and support they need to lead their teams.
• Talent Acquisition and Management: Lead the development and execution of talent acquisition strategies to attract, recruit, and retain top talent. Oversee the design and implementation of effective onboarding, training, and development programs to foster employee growth and career advancement. Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to create a supportive and inclusive work environment. Conduct all screening calls for new roles.
• Employee Relations and Culture: Serve as a champion of employee wellbeing, ensuring policies and programs support work-life balance and employee satisfaction. Address employee relations issues effectively and in compliance with relevant laws and regulations. Stewarding and evolving the culture framework - making our values (Customer Champion, Impact, Agility, Integrity, Curiosity) visible in how we hire, manage, recognise and develop people. Translating frameworks into behaviours, rituals and decision-making frameworks managers actually use - not posters on a wall. Owning the cadence of culture work: shout-outs, recognition, listening, all-hands rhythm, onboarding-into-culture.
• Organisational Effectiveness: Partner with cross-functional teams to assess organizational needs and implement solutions that enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness. Drive continuous improvement efforts to streamline HR processes and enhance the employee experience. Ensure compliance with all relevant employment laws, regulations, and industry standards.
• Leadership Development: Provide leadership and guidance to the people ops team, fostering a high-performance culture and a collaborative work environment. Employee listening loops - surveys are the easy bit; the value is closing the loop visibly. Curiosity in practice: treating feedback as a catalyst for change. Scaling the function in line with Agility - building structure where there isn’t any, and being intentional about what we keep, drop and evolve as we grow. Company culture ambassador - being an example of our company values and requiring that of others in the day-to-day. Hold employees accountable for upholding the company's values and ethical standards in their day-to-day work.

Job requirements

• 4–7 years in People / HR with meaningful time in an international scale-up that has lived through the growth curve (50 → 150+). You’ve seen the stage we’re heading into, not just the one we’re in.
• A track record of designing and implementing people strategies from scratch rather than just maintaining existing systems.
• Deep knowledge of UK employment law (essential for the London location) and a general understanding of international labor regulations.
• Ability to define, track, and report on People KPIs (e.g., eNPS, turnover, time-to-hire) to provide the Board with data-driven insights.
• Proficiency with modern HRIS, ATS, and performance management tools (e.g., Hibob, Greenhouse, Lattice) to drive the operational efficiency mentioned.
• Strong mediation skills to handle complex employee relations issues and ensure legal compliance.
• Experience leading teams through organisational shifts or restructuring as the company expands.
• Demonstrated success in implementing measurable Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) frameworks.
• A genuine passion for sustainability and the circular economy to effectively act as a Cultural Ambassador for Greyparrot’s specific mission.

About Greyparrot

The world is in a waste crisis. Currently we produce 2.1 billion tons of solid waste per year. Data collection of the waste we produce is non-existent, meaning no systematic transparency and no accountability. It means that recycling targets are not upheld, dumping of waste into our oceans remains nobody's responsibility, recyclables get sent to landfill or incineration, and producers get away with sub-standard packaging. Thus, recycling rates stubbornly remain at 10% and, unless we change, by 2040 the plastic stock in the ocean will have quadrupled - a problem that already costs society $1.5 trillion each year.

Our mission is to digital waste flows to accelerate the circular economy. Currently, our camera system and AI software are deployed in recycling plants and waste facilities around the world to measure material flows and provide waste analytics. We have compiled a team of experts to deploy our technology and we’re looking to expand our team.

On offer:

• Competitive London-based salary (salary band available upon application) + Employee stock option scheme
• Customised hybrid working between office and home
• 25 Days Holiday plus Bank Holidays in UK (or statutory country-equivalent if higher): Additionally, carry over up to 3 unused holiday days each new year.
• Paid sick leave for physical and mental health needs.
• Unlimited Healthy Snacks: Fuel your day with a variety of fresh fruit, tea, coffee, and healthy snacks every time you’re in the office.
• Enhanced Parental Leave: Experience comprehensive support with enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption, or shared parental leave.
• Learning and Development Budget: Invest in your professional growth with a dedicated budget of £500 per year.
• 1-1 Mental Health Support: Prioritise your mental well-being with personalised support and 1-1 therapy provided by Spill.
• Summer Friday Half-Days: Celebrate the warmer months with Friday half-days.
• Cycling Benefits: Take advantage of our cycle to work scheme, allowing you to purchase a bicycle through salary sacrifice, saving at least 26%, or opt to rent a bicycle for up to 12 months.
• Home Office Budget: Enhance your remote work setup with a yearly budget of £500 dedicated to equipping your home office with the tools and resources you need for optimal productivity.
• Nomad Working: Immerse yourself in the freedom of nomadic work with our 12-day allowance, usable within a 1-3 hour time difference.

A few things to note:

• This role will be at least two days a week in the office in Bermondsey, London.
• Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and priority is given to candidates who are available immediately.
• Only applicants who have the right to work in the UK will be considered at this time.
• Please note that we will manually filter screening questions for authenticity; pure AI-generated answers or lack of answer will result in automatic disqualification. We want to hear your voice and personal experience.
• We are 100% committed to building a diverse and representative team. Whatever your race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability - we want to hear from you.