Head of People in London

About us Ten Health & Fitness is a premium multi-site wellness studio business operating across 10 London locations. We bring together Dynamic Reformer Pilates, Physiotherapy, Massage Therapy, and Clinical Exercise under one roof through our Circle of Care model, delivering integrated, evidence-based health and wellness to our clients. Our workforce is a blend of employed staff and self-employed freelance practitioners, including HCPC-registered physiotherapists and clinical exercise specialists. This mix creates a distinctive and rewarding HR environment for the right individual.

Role Overview This is a hands-on, operationally driven HR leadership role. The right person will be as comfortable managing a complex ER case on Monday morning as they are reviewing a compliance tracker on Friday afternoon. They bring calm authority, sound judgement, and a genuine passion for supporting people in a fast-moving environment. The Head of People leads the HR function across Ten Health & Fitness, taking ownership of employee relations, recruitment oversight, compliance, payroll coordination, manager capability, and HR process improvement. The role is supported by an HR Assistant and sits within the Senior Leadership Team. While this is primarily an operational role, there is meaningful scope to contribute to wider people strategy and culture initiatives as the function matures.

Key Responsibilities

• Employee Relations & HR Operations Lead all employee relations activity end to end, including disciplinaries, grievances, investigations, absence management, performance cases, ACAS conciliation, and Employment Tribunal support. Act as the primary point of guidance for managers and Heads of Department on people issues, ensuring decisions are legally sound, commercially sensible, and handled with care. Conduct a full review and overhaul of HR policies, employment contracts, and the employee handbook, ensuring alignment with current UK employment law and Ten’s operational reality. Manage the full employee lifecycle, including onboarding, contractual changes, and offboarding, with accuracy and a positive employee experience. Maintain accurate employee records and manage the HRIS (Factorial), ensuring data integrity and reporting capability.
• Payroll & HR Administration Partner with Finance to support timely and accurate payroll processing, covering salaried staff, hourly workers, freelancers, overtime, leave, sickness, and contractual changes. Manage payroll-related queries from employees, freelancers, managers, and Finance with professionalism and accuracy. Oversee HR administrative compliance processes linked to payroll, including training fee recovery where applicable.
• Compliance & Risk Management Own and maintain all HR compliance processes, including Right to Work, DBS checks, HCPC/CSP professional registration, insurance monitoring, Sponsorship/Visa compliance, First Aid certification, and mandatory training. Ensure compliance trackers are accurate, up to date, and regularly audited alongside the HR Assistant. Manage Occupational Health referrals, workplace adjustment processes, maternity risk assessments, and fitness for work cases. Liaise with external employment law providers, insurers, and specialist HR advisors as required.
• Recruitment & Workforce Planning Oversee end-to-end recruitment activity across all sites and disciplines, from briefing through to offer and onboarding coordination. Support hiring managers with process, advertising, interview structuring, and candidate assessment, including specialist clinical roles. Monitor workforce gaps, hiring progress, and headcount across studios, escalating risks to the Chief of Staff as appropriate. Ensure recruitment practices reflect Ten’s values, compliance obligations, and commitment to clinical quality.
• Manager Capability & Stakeholder Engagement Provide practical guidance, coaching, and training to managers on ER, absence management, performance management, and people processes. Deliver regular HR reporting and people metrics to the SLT, translating data into clear insights and recommendations. Coach and develop the HR Assistant, building their ER capability and operational HR knowledge. Contribute to HR system and workflow improvement projects that increase efficiency and reduce manual overhead.
• Employee Experience & Culture Support engagement initiatives, internal communications, and wellbeing activities that reflect Ten’s values and the nature of our clinical and wellness environment. Help leadership teams gather, understand, and act on employee feedback in a meaningful way. Champion an inclusive, professional, and high-performing culture across all ten studios.

Person Specification We’re looking for an HR professional who is confident, practical, and deeply credible in an operational setting. You’ll be as comfortable in front of a studio manager navigating a grievance as you are presenting people data to the SLT. You’re not someone who hides behind process; you use it as a tool to get the right outcomes for the business and its people.

Essential Experience

• Proven experience in a senior operational HR role within a fast-paced, multi-site service environment (hospitality, retail, fitness, wellness, healthcare, or similar).
• Comprehensive employee relations experience, including complex disciplinaries, grievances, investigations, ACAS conciliation, and ET support.
• Strong working knowledge and practical application of UK employment law and HR best practice.
• Demonstrable experience supporting managers through difficult conversations, complex cases, and high-risk people situations.
• Experience managing high-volume, multi-role, multi-location recruitment activity.
• Working knowledge of HR compliance requirements including Right to Work, DBS, professional registration checks, and Sponsorship licence compliance.
• Experience reviewing and updating HR policies, contracts, and handbooks in line with evolving UK employment legislation.
• Experience using Factorial (HRIS) or equivalent HR systems, alongside ATS platforms and reporting tools.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and professionally with a physio, a studio manager, or the Chief of Staff.

Desirable Experience

• Experience managing a blended workforce of employees and self-employed freelancers/contractors.
• Experience working within a clinical or allied health environment (physiotherapy, exercise medicine, or similar).
• Experience supporting HRIS implementation, automation, or HR process improvement initiatives.
• Experience producing HR dashboards, people analytics, and operational SLT-level reporting.
• Experience with immigration and Sponsorship licence administration.

Qualifications

• CIPD Level 5 or above preferred, or equivalent demonstrated through significant operational HR experience.
• Practical, hands-on HR expertise is weighted equally to, and in some areas above, formal qualification for this role.

Who You Are Ten is a premium, people-centred business. The culture is professional, warm, and high-standard. Our Head of People will embody all three: someone who holds a high bar without being heavy-handed, who supports people without creating dependency, and who earns trust through consistency and good judgement. Calm and decisive under pressure; you don’t escalate anxiety, you reduce it. Commercially minded; you understand that HR exists to serve the business, not the other way around. Resilient and resourceful; you’re used to a lean team and a full workload, and you manage both well. A clear communicator who adapts their style, from a clinical practitioner to a board-level audience. Organised, thorough, and proactive; you don’t let things fall through the cracks. Genuinely curious about wellness, health, and the kind of business Ten is building.

Additional Information This role is suitable for a highly operational HR professional who is confident working with pace and breadth. Strong prioritisation, resilience, sound ER judgement, and a genuine commitment to doing HR well are what will make someone exceptional in this role. An awareness of Dynamic Reformer Pilates, Physiotherapy, Massage Therapy, and Clinical Exercise (along with the regulatory context that comes with them) is beneficial but can be developed through onboarding and immersion in the business.