At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the UK HR function and drive a high-performance culture for 500 employees.
- Company: Join a dynamic team focused on strategic HR leadership in a collaborative environment.
- Benefits: Enjoy early finishes, competitive salary, generous holiday, and professional development opportunities.
- Other info: Flexible, family-friendly workplace with excellent amenities and career growth potential.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on employee engagement and organisational success while shaping HR strategy.
- Qualifications: CIPD qualified with senior HR experience and strong leadership skills.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 90000 £ per year.
Reporting to the Power Division HR Director, the Head of HR will lead the UK HR function, responsible for delivering a high-impact people strategy across the SEP UK site (c.500 employees). This is a pivotal leadership role focused on creating an engaging, high-performance culture that enables the business to achieve its strategic objectives. As a key member of the Site Senior Leadership Team, you will shape and drive the full HR agenda, ensuring the organisation attracts, develops, and retains the talent needed for continued success while maintaining the highest standards of compliance, governance, and employee experience.
Responsibilities
- Lead and develop the site HR function, including direct leadership of the HR team and wider people agenda.
- Act as a strategic HR Business Partner to the General Manager and Senior Leadership Team, aligning people strategy to business objectives.
- Deliver the site People Plan, ensuring effective workforce planning, organisational design, and talent deployment.
- Manage employee relations, including leading Union relationships and consultation forums.
- Drive employee engagement, culture, and wellbeing initiatives aligned with global frameworks.
- Oversee talent management, succession planning, and capability development to address current and future skills needs.
- Ensure full compliance with employment legislation, company policies, and regulatory standards.
- Lead payroll governance, HR operations, and budget management (c. £1M), ensuring efficient and compliant service delivery.
- Oversee internal communications strategy, ensuring clear and consistent messaging across the site.
- Lead HR change and transformation projects, embedding best practice change management approaches.
- Ensure robust absence management and occupational health provision to support workforce wellbeing.
- Act as process owner for HR systems, KPIs, and continuous improvement initiatives (including EN9100 standards).
- Collaborate with regional and global HR teams to implement group-wide initiatives and drive organisational alignment.
Qualifications
- CIPD qualified - Chartered level essential, Chartered Fellow desirable. Completion of the Advanced Diploma or equivalent.
- Proven experience in a generalist role at a senior level with strong generalist HR experience including coaching, employee relationship management, communications, absence, capability, conduct, L&D, resourcing and change management, across all levels of an organisation.
- Demonstrable experience of leading and motivating others, with proven experience of leading an HR team to high levels of performance.
- Ability to manage performance and lead others through change.
- Experience of working within a complex matrix structure, adding value to a site whilst deploying corporate initiatives.
- Experience of working in and leading a unionised site relationship with proven experience of pay negotiations.
- Experience of working with senior business leaders and able to establish personal credibility.
- High level of knowledge of current UK employment legislation and employee relations (e.g. GDPR, TUPE).
- Drive and deploy the site communications strategy, ensuring information is channeled professionally through a variety of resources.
- Proven results in delivering engagement improvement initiatives at a site level.
- Proven experience of leading and driving change programmes and proven track record of delivering HR projects.
- High energy and naturally collaborative approach.
- Adept at problem solving, with an ability to persuade and influence at all levels.
- Passion for continuous improvement (organisation and self).
- Flexible, responsive and highly customer focused.
- Emotionally resilient and able to plan and deliver at pace.
- Effective prioritisation of workload to meet stretching deadlines.
- Able to demonstrate confidentiality, tact and diplomacy.
- Comfortable in a fast paced global environment.
- Good attention to detail.
Benefits
- Early finish on Fridays.
- Competitive salary and annual bonus and pay review.
- 25 days' holiday + bank holidays (option to buy/sell).
- Strong Pension scheme and life assurance.
- Professional development, ongoing training, mentoring.
- Onsite amenities: parking, restaurant, bicycle storage, showers.
- Family-friendly and accessible workplace policies.
We are committed to fair and equitable employment practices for everyone.
UK Head of HR: Strategy, Culture & Site Leadership in London employer: Safran
As the UK Head of HR at SEP, you will be part of a dynamic and inclusive work environment that prioritises employee engagement and wellbeing. With a strong focus on professional development and a commitment to fostering a high-performance culture, SEP offers competitive benefits including an early finish on Fridays, generous holiday allowances, and a robust pension scheme. This role not only allows you to shape the HR strategy for a significant site but also provides opportunities for meaningful impact within a collaborative leadership team.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land UK Head of HR: Strategy, Culture & Site Leadership in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to connections in the HR field, especially those who work in similar industries. A friendly chat can lead to insider info about job openings or even a referral.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company culture and values. Tailor your responses to show how your experience aligns with their goals. We want to see you shine as a perfect fit!
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Conduct mock interviews with friends or mentors to build confidence. The more you rehearse, the more natural you'll feel when it’s time to impress the hiring team.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive and engaged with our platform.
We think you need these skills to ace UK Head of HR: Strategy, Culture & Site Leadership in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV is tailored to the role of UK Head of HR. Highlight your experience in leading HR functions and driving people strategies that align with business objectives. We want to see how your background fits with our vision!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about creating an engaging culture and how your leadership style can contribute to our high-performance environment. Let us know what makes you tick!
Showcase Your Achievements:Don’t just list your responsibilities; showcase your achievements! Use specific examples of how you've improved employee engagement or led successful change initiatives. We love seeing results and impact!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother process. It helps us keep track of your application and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates. Plus, it’s super easy!
How to prepare for a job interview at Safran
✨Know Your HR Stuff
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of UK employment legislation and employee relations. Be ready to discuss how you've navigated complex HR issues in the past, especially in a unionised environment. This will show that you’re not just familiar with the theory but have practical experience too.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Head of HR, you'll need to demonstrate your ability to lead and motivate a team. Prepare examples of how you've successfully managed HR teams and driven high performance. Think about specific initiatives you've led that improved engagement or transformed culture.
✨Align with Business Objectives
Understand the company's strategic goals and be ready to explain how your people strategy can support these objectives. Bring ideas on workforce planning and talent management that align with the business's needs, showing that you can think strategically and operationally.
✨Engagement and Wellbeing Initiatives
Be prepared to discuss your experience with employee engagement and wellbeing initiatives. Share specific examples of programmes you've implemented that have made a positive impact on culture and employee satisfaction. This will highlight your commitment to creating a high-performance environment.
