Head of HR – Transport Industry
Location: Yorkshire
Reports to: Managing Director / Board of Directors
Type: Full-time, Permanent
Role Overview
The Head of HR will lead all people, culture, and workforce strategy across a multi site fast-paced haulage and logistics operation. This role oversees recruitment,employee relations, HR policy, and organisational development, ensuring the business remains legally compliant, commercially strong, and operationally efficient.
The position requires deep knowledge of UK employment law, the ability to manage a diverse workforce including drivers, planners, engineering teams, and office staff. Understanding of transport-specific compliance (DVSA, CPC, Working Time Regulations) would be an advantage.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic HR Leadership
- Develop and deliver the company's HR strategy aligned with operational and commercial goals.
- Lead workforce planning, succession planning, and organisational design across all departments.
- Advise the Board on people-related risks, trends, and strategic decisions.
- Assist in driving a positive, safety-focused culture across all sites and teams.
Recruitment & Talent Management
- Oversee end-to-end recruitment.
- Implement robust onboarding processes including right-to-work checks, licence verification, CPC validation, and induction training.
- Build talent pipelines across the business.
- Manage performance reviews, development plans, and internal promotions.
- Assist in undertaking training needs analysis of new and existing personal.
Compliance & Transport-Specific HR Governance
- Oversee driver qualification files, CPC training records, licence checks, and medical renewals.
- Work in conjunction with other department heads, lead accurate HR documentation including contracts, policies, handbooks, and disciplinary records.
- Support Managers with investigations, incident reviews, and safety-related HR actions.
Employee Relations & Culture
- Lead all HR matters including grievances, disciplinaries, capability, absence management, exit interviews, sponsorship requirements, right to work and conflict resolution.
- Build strong relationships with drivers and operational teams to improve retention and engagement.
- Promote a culture of fairness, accountability, and high performance.
- Manage union relationships where applicable, in line with current employment law.
Training & Development
- Oversee mandatory training including CPC, manual handling, health & safety, and compliance refreshers.
- Implement leadership development programmes / provide coaching in HR policies for supervisors and managers.
- Assist the Training department assist in ensuring training records are accurate, auditable, and up to date.
HR Operations & Systems
- Manage HR systems, payroll coordination, time-and-attendance, and workforce reporting.
- Analyse HR metrics (turnover, absence, recruitment costs, driver compliance) to drive improvements.
- Oversee benefits, reward structures, and company-wide communication.
- Lead defence of any HR Actions, Tribunals etc ensuring all procedures are followed and legal council is sought where necessary.
Health, Safety & Wellbeing
- Work closely with H&S teams to ensure safe working practices across depots, yards, and vehicles.
- Support accident investigations and assist in implementing corrective actions. Work with the management teams, undertaking Disciplinary investigation / action where required
- Lead wellbeing initiatives tailored to shift-based and driver workforces.
Skills & Experience Required
- Proven experience as Head of HR, HR Manager, or Senior HR Business Partner within haulage, logistics, transport, or recycling
- Strong knowledge of UK employment law,with transport-specific compliance (DVSA, CPC, WTD, Driver Hours) being an advantage.
- Experience managing large multi-site operational workforces including drivers and shift-based teams.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
- Strong HR experience with confidence handling complex cases.
- Ability to work at both strategic and hands-on operational levels.
- Experience implementing HR systems, policies, and cultural change programmes.
Personal Attributes
- Approachable, fair, and commercially minded.
- Strong decision-maker with high integrity.
- Able to influence senior leaders and operational teams.
- Resilient, proactive, and solutions-focused.
- Comfortable in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment.
This role is instrumental in driving a resilient, safety‐led people culture that supports the demands of a fast‐moving transport environment and empowers our workforce to deliver reliable, high‐quality service.
If this sounds like you, we'd love to receive your application.
Salary and Benefit's will be discussed at interview stage.
