At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead HR strategy and oversee recruitment while supporting employee experience.
- Company: Innovative tech company focused on AI and digital assets.
- Benefits: Annual training allowance, team events, stock options, and birthday off.
- Other info: Opportunity for professional growth in a fast-paced, innovative setting.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a dynamic tech environment during maternity cover.
- Qualifications: Proven HR leadership experience and strong knowledge of employee lifecycle.
The predicted salary is between 40000 - 50000 £ per year.
Job description
Our client is an innovative technology company helping regulated organisations navigate artificial intelligence, digital assets and privacy-focused infrastructure.
They are seeking an experienced Head of People to lead their HR and recruitment function during a period of maternity leave.
This fixed-term contract includes an overlap at the beginning and end to support a thorough handover.
Reporting directly to the CEO, you will own the people strategy, oversee the full employee lifecycle and manage two team members responsible for day-to-day HR and recruitment.
This is primarily a leadership and oversight role, but you will remain close to operational delivery and provide hands-on support during busy periods.
Key responsibilities People and HR
- Lead the companys people strategy and employee experience.
- Oversee performance reviews, regular one-to-ones and employee surveys.
- Assess retention risks and support employee engagement.
- Manage employee relations, including grievances, disciplinaries and conflict resolution.
- Oversee compensation, benefits and salary-review processes.
- Maintain HR policies, the employee handbook and employment-law compliance across international markets.
- Support training, development, coaching and employee wellbeing.
- Manage onboarding, offboarding, absence, leave and family-leave processes.
- Oversee employment contracts, references, right-to-work checks and HR records.
- Provide people metrics and reports to senior leadership.
- Conduct exit interviews and ensure appropriate follow-up actions.
- Recruitment
- Oversee the complete in-house recruitment lifecycle.
- Partner with hiring managers to define role requirements.
- Manage candidate experience, offers and recruitment pipelines.
- Oversee the applicant tracking system and recruitment reporting.
- Manage relationships with external recruitment agencies.
- Write and refine job descriptions and role scopes.
- Develop recruitment marketing and employer-branding activity.
- Support CV reviews, interview coordination and HR interviews during peak hiring periods.
- Monitor recruitment metrics, including time-to-hire.
- Leadership
- Line-manage and develop two HR and recruitment team members.
- Act as the senior escalation point for people-related matters.
- Work closely and confidentially with the CEO.
- Balance strategic leadership with hands-on support when required.
Essential experience
- Proven experience leading an HR or People function as a Head of People, HR Manager or similar.
- Strong knowledge of the full employee lifecycle and HR best practice.
- Experience supporting employment matters across multiple jurisdictions.
- Understanding of Employer of Record arrangements.
- Strong recruitment experience, including hiring-manager engagement, interviewing and agency management.
- Previous line-management experience.
- Confidence handling sensitive employee-relations matters.
- Strong interpersonal, communication and stakeholder-management skills.
- Ability to work autonomously and become effective quickly.
- Comfortable adopting new technology, including AI-enabled tools.
- Availability for the full contract from early September 2026 to mid-May 2027.
- Full UK right to work without sponsorship.
Desirable experience
- Managing international or distributed teams.
- Working with Employers of Record.
- Recruitment marketing and employer branding.
- Experience in a fast-paced technology, software, startup or scale-up environment.
- Knowledge of or interest in artificial intelligence, blockchain or digital assets.
Qualifications
- Proven experience leading an HR or People function as a Head of People, HR Manager or similar.
- Strong knowledge of the full employee lifecycle and HR best practice.
- Experience supporting employment matters across multiple jurisdictions.
Why is This a Great Opportunity
- 1000 Annual Allowance for Training (up to 50% of this value can be used for you to buy workstation equipment to work from home)
- 5 days/per year for Training
- In-person fun team events/team buildings every 3 months
- Company equipment and Onboarding kit
- Annual Bonus (dependant on company and personal performance)
- Stock Option Plan
- Birthday Off
- Amazing referral programme
- Salary Type : Per day
- Salary Min : £ 400
- Salary Max : £ 450
- Currency Type : GBP
Head of People – Maternity Cover in London employer: NPAworldwide Recruitment Network
Join a mission-driven technology consultancy that values engineering excellence and continuous learning, where your contributions will directly impact national security projects. Enjoy a flexible working environment with a strong emphasis on collaboration, mentorship, and professional growth, alongside benefits like private healthcare and a dedicated learning budget. This is an exceptional opportunity to work in a supportive culture that champions diversity and inclusion while tackling meaningful challenges in the UK Government and Defence sector.
Contact Details:
NPAworldwide Recruitment Network Recruitment Team
