HR Director - opportunity in early 2026

Overview We are anticipating further growth in our North East team, and welcome interest from candidates looking to transition to a Portfolio career in Q1 of 2026. Commercial, dynamic, energetic, creative, curious, pragmatic, influential, inspiring, empathetic. Do these words describe you? If yes, then this is a fantastic opportunity to join and collaborate with like-minded HR Director superstars in the People Puzzles community. Where? Ideally based in or around Leeds and the surrounding areas. Who are you? A highly successful CPO, CHRO, People or HR Director or Senior HR Consultant that loves to help businesses unlock their potential and drive through people solutions that change lives. You might be looking for an alternative to corporate life and are excited to work with SME businesses/entrepreneurial leaders. Yes, you are technically (HR) astute, but notably you understand business and feel completely at home building and executing a business strategy to flow through to a People strategy. You may want more control over your working life? Perhaps you have dipped your toe into the consulting world… and now you are looking to take the plunge? Or you may already be consulting but miss the peer network of like-minded, commercial People Directors as well as the support that a thriving UK business can provide. You enjoy building trusting relationships across all levels and are comfortable influencing at board level. You like your trusted advisor status and have excellent stakeholder management skills. You tend to always exceed expectations and wow! You are seeking to have a more flexible work-life balance with good earnings potential. You want to control how many days you work (with the earnings potential that matches it). You thrive in a fast-paced environment and enjoy discovering and implementing innovative, commercially viable solutions whilst engaging everyone in the process. In essence, you are a catalyst for action, leveraging your intelligence, charisma, and vibrant energy to get things done. And what about us? We are a team of passionate people experts and a prestigious, award-winning leader in the People Director space across the UK. Our mission is to deliver strategic HR services and transformative people solutions that truly make a difference in the lives of flourishing SMEs. With nearly 90 board-level Portfolio People Directors collaborating with over 200 clients, our impact is significant—and we’re excited to keep expanding! Main Responsibilities Lead the delivery of HR solutions to our client businesses; business and strategic HR planning, culture change, business transformation, change management, leadership development, organisational design, D