Senior People Manager in England

Obesity has become a global epidemic; in the UK, we spend £9 billion a year alone on diseases like type 2 diabetes (that’s 10% of the NHS budget). What’s shocking is most of this is preventable – through sustained lifestyle and habit change. Enter Second Nature. We’re here to help people take control of their health. By bringing together the latest behavioural science, psychology, technology, and the talents of our incredible team, our mission is to eradicate the global epidemic of chronic lifestyle diseases once and for all. Our habit-change programme – delivered digitally through mobile and web apps – helps people to transform their lifestyle, lose weight, and ultimately reduce their risk for serious conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

About us:

• We’ve positively changed the lives of over 250,000 people
• We’re rated 'Excellent' by over 7k of our members on Trustpilot
• We’re growing extremely quickly & are now a profitable business
• We’re one of the few consumer health brands that are commissioned by the NHS and leading health insurer, Vitality Health
• We’re a leading B2C provider of GLP-1 medication-assisted weight loss programmes, and 1 of 5 NICE-approved providers to deliver these services within the NHS in the future
• Our team members stay with us for an average of 4.3 years

The role: What You’ll Do

• Be a trusted senior people partner to managers across the business, confidently handling performance, conduct, absence, and contract matters with fairness and good judgement.
• Work closely with hiring managers and external recruiter partners to deliver a consistent, high-quality recruitment experience that sets people up for success from day one.
• Make sure the whole employee lifecycle hangs together, from recruitment and onboarding through development, performance, and exits, so nothing feels clunky or disconnected.
• Design and deliver practical manager learning and development that builds real-world leadership skills, confidence, and accountability.
• Own and continuously improve our performance framework, including performance criteria, calibration cycles, and progression principles, using people data to keep things fair and consistent.
• Lead reward and pay processes, including pay reviews, pay changes, benchmarking, and alignment with our pay scales and progression framework.
• Line manage our People Ops Coordinator and Specialist, setting clear expectations, supporting their development, and helping streamline people and office operations.
• Oversee HRIS and people systems, keeping data accurate, workflows smooth, and insights useful for workforce planning and decision-making.
• Keep people records, documentation, and HRIS data in great shape, well-organised, accurate, and meeting internal and regulatory standards.
• Take ownership of people-related compliance in a CQC-registered environment, making sure People practices are consistent, appropriate, and audit-ready.
• Own GDPR-compliant handling of people data, ensuring accuracy, integrity, and responsible use across systems and processes.
• Spot people-related compliance or data risks early and deal with them proactively, escalating where needed.
• Support teams and leaders through change, helping bring clarity, structure, and better ways of working as the business grows.
• Help shape a great workplace by guiding office management, team events, and social initiatives that build connection, celebrate success, and support performance.

Who you are

• Purpose-Driven: Genuinely cares about people, performance, and doing things properly, and is always looking for ways to make the People experience better.
• Accountable: Owns decisions, follows things through, and doesn’t wait to be asked. Spots issues early and gets stuck in.
• Great Communicator: Comfortable talking to anyone, from new starters to senior leaders, and able to handle tricky conversations with clarity and care.
• Pragmatic: Knows when to be flexible and when to hold the line, making sensible, fair decisions that work for both people and the business.
• Adaptable: Enjoys the pace and change of a growing startup and can bring structure without slowing things down.
• Always Learning: Curious, reflective, and keen to keep developing, both personally and in how managers and teams grow.

What you’ll bring

• Significant experience in a senior People or HR role, with hands-on ownership of employee relations, performance management, and reward processes.
• Proven experience supporting recruitment alongside hiring managers and external recruitment partners.
• Demonstrated experience managing and developing direct reports, including handling complex or challenging situations with confidence and consistency.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and experience across a range of contract types and working arrangements.
• CIPD Level 5 qualification (or above), or substantial equivalent experience within a People function.
• Experience designing and delivering manager development or people-related training that is practical and applied.
• A pragmatic, commercially aware approach to people management, balancing empathy with clarity, standards, and accountability.

Benefits

• A competitive salary, alongside share options in a growing and profitable health-tech company
• 25 days holiday plus national holidays
• 2 days/week in our London office (for most core roles)
• Remote flexibility: work from abroad up to 4 weeks at a time (within 2-hour UK time zone)
• £200/year professional development budget, plus extra for role-specific training
• Salary Sacrifice and Cycle to Work schemes
• Quarterly in-person socials and company meet-ups
• A friendly, mission-driven team where your work really matters