Head of Human Resources (12 Month Maternity Cover) in London

***WE WILL ONLY CONSIDER APPLICATIONS FROM CANDIDATES WHO ARE ABLE TO START MID SEPTEMBER 2026***

• What we’re after: - Head of HR (12 Month Maternity Cover)
• Reporting Line: - HR Director
• Lily’s Headquarters: -

Goodge Street, Fitzrovia (with hybrid working between the office (2 days per week) and working from home)

Your Lily’s Kitchen Promise – Pets, People & Planet :-

Every single member of the Lily’s Kitchen team pledges to uphold our B Corp and broader sustainability strategy personally, within their respective departments, and across the entire company.

This commitment is demonstrated through actively advancing areas of responsibility within their teams, adhering to sustainability targets set by the company and departments, actively participating in sustainability discussions and decision-making processes, and fostering a team culture that is deeply passionate about the overall wellbeing of people, the planet and of course, pets.

Your place at the Lily’s Kitchen Table: -

A true ambassador for Lily’s Kitchen, providing proactive, end-to-end generalist HR support across all areas of the people function, including business partnering, employee relations, learning & development, benefits, payroll, talent acquisition, performance management and strategic project work covering areas such as salary benchmarking, engagement, wellbeing and B Corp initiatives.

This is a highly operational role, requiring someone who is equally comfortable driving strategic people initiatives while remaining closely involved in the day-to-day delivery of HR activity and being hands on to drive results.

Acting as a trusted partner to managers and leadership teams, the role oversees the full employee lifecycle, supports a broad range of people matters, drives engagement and wellbeing initiatives, and ensures HR processes, systems and policies operate effectively, compliantly and in line with business goals.

The role also provides support and cover for the HR Director when required.

• Employee Relations & Performance Management
• Lead and manage complex employee relations cases including disciplinaries, grievances, absence management and performance management issues.
• Manage Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs), ensuring structured monitoring, documentation and coaching support for managers and employees.
• Provide commercially focused, legally compliant HR advice to managers on all ER matters, ensuring consistency, fairness and adherence to company policy and employment law across all ER activity.
• Support managers with capability management, coaching and difficult conversations.
• Support employees throughout maternity and shared parental leave processes, including guidance on entitlements, documentation, key milestones, return-to-work coaching, phased return plans, payroll amends, workplace risk assessments, and implementing appropriate workplace adjustments for maternity or health-related returns.
• Manage and support employees with health-related issues, including long-term conditions, ensuring appropriate occupational health referrals where required.

Develop and implement tailored wellbeing and phased return-to-work plans to support recovery, sustain performance and reduce absence recurrence.

• Business Partnering
• Act as a strategic and operational HR partner across all business functions
• Build strong, trusted relationships with stakeholders and department heads to influence people strategy and decision-making.
• Support organisational design, talent development and succession planning across all areas of the business.
• Drive improvements in performance, engagement, culture and team effectiveness across all departments.
• Support managers and leaders with conversations and decision-making around pay, salary reviews, remuneration and employee benefits.
• Drive the Head of Department working group, bringing together cross-functional teams to identify opportunities, implement change initiatives and drive continuous improvement across the business.
• Talent Acquisition & Recruitment
• Own and deliver the end-to-end recruitment process across all roles, levels and disciplines.
• Proactively source, headhunt and recruit freelancers and permanent hires via Linked In Recruiter and other channels.
• Prescreen every candidate before CVs are shared with hiring managers to ensure quality and alignment.
• Manage interviews, candidate assessment, task preparation, offer and salary negotiation, and contract creation.
• Oversee onboarding and integration of all new hires, working closely with the HR Assistant to ensure a seamless experience.
• Conduct IR35 checks and CEST assessments annually and/or at the start of each new freelancer engagement.
• Draft and manage complex contractor agreements and onboarding documentation aligned to how individuals are set up to trade (e. g., sole trader, limited company).
• Learning & Development
• Oversee the annual Learning & Development calendar in partnership with the HR Assistant.
• Design and implement company-wide training aligned to organisational objectives, OMP and business performance goals.
• Develop initiatives that enhance areas such performance, leadership capability and employee wellbeing.
• Identify, tender and manage external training providers where required.
• Design and deliver internal training sessions, workshops and materials (including Power Point-led sessions).
• Champion a culture of continuous learning and development across the organisation.
• Payroll & HR Administration
• Support the HR Assistant in preparing monthly payroll, ensuring accuracy of employee data and updates within the Payroll Establishment Report.
• Carry out first-stage payroll checks and validation prior to submission.
• Produce and share the payroll monthly summary for review and sign-off by the Finance Business Partner and HR Director.
• Manage peak payroll periods, including annual salary reviews, bonus processing and associated contractual changes.
• Oversee HR administrative processes and ensure accuracy of employee records, documentation, letters and reporting.
• Engagement, Wellbeing & Culture
• Drive employee engagement initiatives, and lead on people projects such as creating and managing the annual engagement survey design, analysis, and action planning – presenting results and action plan to Leadership Team and wider business
• Use data insights to influence culture, engagement and retention strategies.
• Support initiatives that promote inclusion, wellbeing, mental health, collaboration and positive workplace culture.
• With support from the HR Assistant, lead on people-related B Corp initiatives, including partnering with the Head of Sustainability & Impact to prepare, collate and present evidence for B Corp recertification and wider sustainability-focused people practices.
• Act as a key point of contact between Lily’s Kitchen and the Nestlé BCorp Beyond the Core HR and Talent teams, building strong relationships and regularly sharing business insights, talent updates and people priorities.
• HR Projects & Data Analysis
• Lead and support a wide range of HR projects and partner with external organisations to deliver salary benchmarking exercises and compensation analysis
• Analyse HR data and produce insights to support decision-making across the business.
• Contribute to HR system improvements, reporting enhancements and process optimisation.
• Policy, Compliance & Governance
• Oversee HR policies ensuring they remain compliant, current and fit for purpose.
• Ensure adherence to employment legislation and HR best practice across the business.
• Support audit requirements and governance reporting.
• Oversee policy administration and HR reporting activity completed by the HR Assistant.
• Team Management & Support
• Manage and develop the HR Assistant, providing clear direction, coaching and workload prioritisation.
• Ensure the HR function operates efficiently, accurately and with a high level of service delivery.
• Act as cover for the HR Director and attend Leadership and other meetings during periods of absence.
• Support the HR Director and act as a sounding board and contributor to wider people strategy and organisational planning.
• Support business change, transformation and leadership initiatives as required.

How will I contribute to the team?

• Proven experience in a senior HR Manager or Head of HR role, ideally within an FMCG, retail or consumer goods environments.
• A strong, hands-on HR generalist who enjoys being close to the detail and delivering independently while making a real impact.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, with experience business partnering with a wide range of stakeholders from junior to senior level across all teams
• Confident and experienced in employee relations and performance management, with a calm and pragmatic approach to complex situations.
• Strong recruitment and direct sourcing capability, from proactive headhunting and candidate engagement through to offer management and onboarding, with a good understanding of FMCG role profiles.
• Experience managing freelancers, IR35 processes and contractor compliance would be highly beneficial.
• Confident in delivering training and presenting updates and key HR initiatives to the wider business and leadership teams in a clear, engaging, and professional manner.
• Solid understanding of UK employment law and HR best practice.
• Experience managing payroll processes and producing accurate, insightful HR reporting.
• Analytical mindset with proven project management capability.
• Able to balance bigger picture thinking with a very hands-on, delivery-focused approach.
• Pragmatic, commercially aware and solutions focused.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Highly organised with strong attention to detail.
• Resilient, calm under pressure, and confident navigating ambiguity and complexity.
• Collaborative, approachable leadership style, with a genuine passion for people and creating a positive culture.