Head of People

TYNE & WEAR (Ref 744) 14 month FTC to start March 2026

£55k + hybrid flexible working, unlimited holidays, PMI and more!

We are delighted to partner with our client, a growing, scale-up SME in the tech sector. This role is for 14 months, to cover maternity, although this is not a baby sitting job – there’s a lot to do, including taking ownership of high-impact projects and help shape the next stage of the People function as the business scales.

What’s involved:

Strategic People Leadership

• Lead the development and delivery of the People strategy to support business growth
• Provide expert advice to the ELT, SLT and People Managers
• Oversee workforce planning, talent mapping and succession planning

Generalist HR Management

• Oversee the People Experience Advisor in supporting the full employee lifecycle: recruitment, onboarding, performance, development, employee relations, engagement and offboarding
• Provide guidance on policies, procedures and best practice to managers at all levels
• Lead on employee relations matters
• Review, update, and streamline HR policies and processes
• Ensure HR systems and data remain accurate, efficient, and secure

Recruitment & Resourcing

• Strengthen and mature the recruitment processes to support growth
• Work closely with hiring managers to plan resourcing needs and improve candidate experience
• Enhance direct sourcing strategies
• Train and support hiring managers on recruitment best practice
• Support employer brand development and recruitment marketing

Culture, Engagement & Wellbeing

• Promote a positive, inclusive, values-driven culture
• Lead engagement initiatives, employee voice activities and wellbeing programmes
• Ensure cultural initiatives are embedded
• Champion recognition and reward initiatives to support retention

Learning & Development

• Oversee the design and embedding of learning pathways, career frameworks and development programmes
• Support manager training and capability development
• Oversee funded qualifications, professional development opportunities, and early-talent schemes (e.g., Graduate programme)

Change & Organisational Development

• Support the business through periods of growth, team expansion, and role changes
• Ensure structural changes are clearly communicated and handled sensitively
• Use people insights and data to guide organisational decision-making

Compliance, Risk & Governance

• Ensure compliance with employment legislation and HR best practice
• Maintain ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 requirements relating to HR

Experience required

• Strong relationship-builder: approachable, empathetic and credible at all levels
• Confident generalist with the ability to balance hands-on HR tasks with strategic thinking
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
• Highly organised, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-growing environment
• Proactive, adaptable and able to work with ambiguity
• Values-led and passionate about supporting people and culture in a scaling organisation
• Proven experience in a senior People/HR leadership role (generalist)
• CIPD Level 7 or working towards.
• Experience supporting high-growth, fast-changing or SME environments
• Strong understanding of HR best practice, employment law and people operations
• Experience leading change, advising senior leaders and building people capability