Head of People
UK Remote | Part-time | 5 days per week, flexible hours
Occasional UK and European travel
Recruitment Chief is supporting a high-profile, founder-led digital media and events business with the appointment of a commercially minded and modern Head of People.
This is a rare opportunity to shape the people agenda for a remote-first, fast-moving SME operating at the centre of the HR, technology and future-of-work space.
The business has around 50 employees, with teams primarily based in the UK and Europe. They are ambitious, entrepreneurial and entering an important stage of growth, with a clear need for stronger people foundations, improved performance structure, scalable hiring practices and more consistent leadership support.
This is not a heavy operational HR role or a policy-only position. The business already has internal HR support in place. The need now is for a senior people leader who can provide structure, direction, confidence and strategic input, while still being practical enough to get things moving.
You will act as a trusted adviser to the CEO/Founder and wider leadership team, helping the business move from reactive HR support to a more structured, credible and forward-thinking people function.
The role will focus on:
* Developing a clear, practical people strategy aligned to commercial priorities
* Building a meaningful performance management framework
* Improving recruitment, hiring processes and onboarding ahead of planned growth
* Reviewing job descriptions, structure, role clarity and accountability
* Supporting salary, reward and benefits review at a practical SME level
* Coaching managers and helping leaders make better people decisions
* Strengthening employee experience across a remote and international team
* Bringing sensible, commercially grounded thinking around AI, productivity and the future of work
* Providing senior guidance on employee relations, compliance and organisational change where needed
About you
You will likely be operating as a Head of People, People Director, Senior HR Business Partner or equivalent, with experience in an SME, scale-up, founder-led or fast-growth environment.
You do not need to come from events, but experience across media, digital, technology, creative, SaaS, HR tech or future-of-work environments would be highly relevant.
You will be someone who can bring structure without being rigid, challenge senior leaders without causing unnecessary friction, and build processes that people will actually use.
You’ll need:
* Senior HR / People experience in an SME, scale-up or founder-led environment
* Strong business partnering experience with founders, CEOs or leadership teams
* Experience building or improving people foundations, not just maintaining mature processes
* Strong UK employment law knowledge
* Experience improving performance management and hiring processes
* Confidence reviewing organisational structure, job descriptions, role levels and salary frameworks
* Commercial judgement, calm confidence and the ability to influence remotely
This could be a brilliant fit if you are:
* Practical, modern and commercially sharp
* Comfortable with ambiguity and strong personalities
* Confident enough to challenge constructively
* Hands-on when needed, but able to operate at a senior strategic level
* Energised by building something properly
* Interested in AI, productivity and the future of work
The role is part-time, working across 5 days per week with flexible hours. It is fully remote and UK-based, with occasional in-person leadership meetings and European travel.
For the right person, this is a rare blend of flexibility, senior influence, strategic challenge and genuine market visibility.
To apply or find out more, please submit your details via LinkedIn or contact Recruitment Chief for a confidential conversation.