Head of People in Manchester

The Company

Our client is a fast-growing residential real estate organisation specialising in single-family and multi-family build-to-rent homes.

Backed by significant industry expertise and investment, the business combines the scale, stability and ambition of a major residential platform with the agility and entrepreneurial spirit of a growing organisation.

With a strong focus on creating homes and neighbourhoods that work for everyday people, the business is entering an exciting phase of growth.

As the organisation evolves, it is building the foundations, culture and infrastructure that will support long-term success.

This is an opportunity to join at a pivotal stage and play a key role in shaping how the business grows, develops and supports its people.

The Role

Reporting to the Finance Director, the Head of People will take full ownership of the people agenda, leading all aspects of the employee lifecycle while building a high-performing, commercially focused People function.

This is a hands-on leadership role suited to someone who enjoys operating strategically while remaining close to the day-to-day delivery of HR.

You will be responsible for ensuring the business has the right people, structures, policies and processes in place to support growth, while maintaining a culture that is fair, pragmatic and people-focused.

Key responsibilities will include

• Leading recruitment activities end-to-end, attracting high-quality talent while reducing reliance on external agencies.
• Owning HR operations including contracts, onboarding, payroll oversight, benefits administration and HR systems.
• Managing employee relations matters, providing practical support and guidance to managers across performance, disciplinary, grievance and exit processes.
• Leading people-related aspects of organisational change, including TUPE transfers and M&A activity.
• Developing talent management, succession planning, learning and development initiatives across the business.
• Overseeing reward frameworks, salary benchmarking and incentive schemes to ensure fairness and alignment with business objectives.
• Maintaining employment policies and ensuring compliance with employment legislation and regulatory requirements.
• Establishing effective employee engagement channels, including employee representation and consultation forums.
• Managing the People budget and ensuring the function remains efficient, commercial and value-driven.
• Acting as a trusted advisor to the leadership team on all people-related matters.
• The Person

We are seeking an experienced and commercially minded People leader who thrives in a growing, fast-paced environment and enjoys taking ownership.

You will bring

• Significant generalist HR and People experience across the full employee lifecycle.
• Strong and up-to-date employment law knowledge, with the confidence to manage the majority of employee matters in-house.
• Experience leading recruitment, employee relations, reward, talent development and HR operations.
• A pragmatic, solutions-focused approach with the ability to balance commercial priorities with employee wellbeing.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills and the credibility to influence leaders across the organisation.
• Experience building and improving people processes without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
• A hands-on mentality with the ability to move seamlessly between strategic planning and operational delivery.
• Experience within property, real estate, residential, housing or another fast-scaling business environment would be advantageous.
• CIPD qualification is welcomed, although proven capability and track record are considered more important.

This role offers an exceptional opportunity to shape the people strategy of a growing organisation and make a lasting impact on its culture, capability and long-term success.

The Management Recruitment Group (MRG) have been retained as advisors on this role and all applications should consist of a CV be sent to James Gregory and Chris Mackenzie.