Head of People

We’re looking for a strategic, culture-first Head of People to drive organisational clarity, team unity, and operational effectiveness as we grow our team in Somerset West (in-office). 

This isn’t a traditional HR role. We need a builder, a leader, and a people architect—someone who gets scale-ups, knows how to scale people systems, and thrives in high-change environments. 

OUTCOMES: 

What success looks like 

• Aligned & Engaged Teams 
• Cohesion across functions, with shared values and a clear rhythm of work. Strong internal communication. High trust. Low drama. 
• Efficient, Compliant People Ops 
• Payroll runs clean. Contracts are handled. Governance is sharp and scalable. Policies make sense for both people and the business. 
• Great People in the Right Seats 
• A repeatable hiring system that puts the right talent into key roles—quickly, thoughtfully, and without chaos. From 70 to 100+ people without culture erosion. 
• Culture as a Strategic Asset 
• Values are not slogans. They’re practiced. You make sure culture is reinforced through hiring, onboarding, feedback, recognition, and how we lead. 

CONTEXT:

Where the work happens 

You’ll work as a core member of the leadership team in a fast-growing, high-ambition environment. The business is moving through a scale-up phase, with growth expected well beyond the current 70+ team size. Things move fast, but intentionally. 

This role will operate across all levels of the organisation—from shaping strategy with senior leaders to implementing foundational systems. You'll also be responsible for building a People function over time, including recruitment and admin support. You’ll have wide influence, but autonomy too. 

Culture matters here—a lot. The expectation is not just HR operations, but culture stewardship. That includes fostering alignment, psychological safety, and deep engagement. 

COMPETENCIES: 

What you bring 

• Strategic thinking with a bias for action. 
• Experience at pace, preferably in startup or scale-up environments. 
• End-to-end talent expertise, including hiring, performance, engagement, and retention. 
• HR governance chops—contracts, payroll, compliance—done with confidence and clarity. 
• Culture builder, not culture manager. You know how to make values tangible. 
• Emotional intelligence and people intuition. Trusted, calm, reflective. 
• Comfort with ambiguity, and a builder mindset. You don’t wait for perfect systems—you create them. 
• Learning mindset—open, adaptive, and constantly refining. 

CUSTOMER: 

Who this work serves 

• The team: Every employee deserves clarity, care, and opportunity. This role ensures they get it. 
• The leadership: A trusted partner in navigating growth, structure, hiring, and team dynamics. 
• The business: Efficient operations, strategic talent, and cultural alignment drive performance. That’s what this role fuels. 

IDEAL PROFILE SNAPSHOT 

• 5–10+ years in people leadership roles. 
• Strong exposure to scale-up environments, ideally having supported growth from 70 to 100+ people. 
• Not purely operational, not purely cultural—you bring both. 
• You’ve hired and led recruitment teams or built people ops from scratch. 
• High EQ, low ego, sharp instincts. 
• You’ve done this before—or you’ve been close enough to know exactly how to do it now.