Details
Location: Bury St Edmunds
Contract Type: Fixed Term
Apply: Apply Online
Job Description
Vacancy: Interim People Director
Reference: IPD/04/26
Date: April 2026
Contract: 6 Month FTC (April 2026 – Oct 2026 with possibility of extension)
Hours of Work: Full Time (36.25 hours per week) or Part Time Considered
Location: Hybrid Working from our Bury St Edmunds office
Xperience helps SMEs unlock the full potential of their business using Digital Solutions, built with Xperience. Our industry experts get to know our client’s business inside and out, exploring processes, pain points and people, to build tailored technology across Cloud & IT Services, Cyber Security, CRM, and ERP. With solutions designed around client operations, we provide the freedom to be more productive and focus on what is important for your business – without getting sidetracked by administration. At Xperience, we create digital solutions with the power to improve and protect your business, both now and in the future.
Our people are what make us different. They are the primary reason our clients recommend us. Their unique skills and infectious energy help our clients focus on what matters most. Our people actively engage with clients using a collaborative style that prioritises teamwork and trust. As a rapidly growing business, we look for people who share our values (of integrity, collaboration, ambition and success) to come on our growth journey with us and create an amazing career #BuiltwithXperience.
About The Role
The Interim People Director is a delivery-focused transformation role responsible for driving the standardisation, scalability and effectiveness of the Group’s People function through to 31 December 2026.
This is a time-bound mandate aligned to the Group’s value creation plan, with a clear focus on harmonising legacy structures, improving data quality and reporting, implementing scalable systems and processes, and enabling the business to operate more efficiently across a multi-entity, multi-jurisdiction environment.
As a seasoned people professional, you will provide strategic advice to the C‑suite, Board and private equity stakeholders, while personally owning and delivering a prioritised People transformation roadmap. You will balance strategic thinking with hands‑on execution, with a strong bias toward delivery, simplification and measurable outcomes. While overseeing BAU People operations through the existing team, your primary focus will be on driving change at pace and embedding sustainable, scalable frameworks.
This role is ideally suited to an individual with experience operating in a private equity‑backed, high‑growth environment, with a proven track record of delivering transformation across multiple People disciplines.
Key Priorities
* Harmonise contracts, benefits and policies across all entities
* Establish a single source of truth for people data, ensuring accuracy, consistency and auditability
* Implement or optimise a scalable recruitment platform and hiring processes
* Deliver a standardised People operating model aligned to business needs
* Support M&A integration through consistent frameworks and playbooks
* Improve visibility and reporting of headcount, cost, attrition and productivity metrics
Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
* Own and deliver a prioritised People transformation roadmap aligned to the organisation’s commercial and investor objectives
* Partner closely with executive leadership to design and implement organisational strategies that improve efficiency, scalability and performance
* Drive measurable outcomes across People initiatives, including cost optimisation, risk reduction and operational effectiveness
* Provide clear prioritisation of initiatives based on value, impact and delivery feasibility
* Lead, develop and support the People Team to ensure strong BAU delivery, enabling focus on transformation priorities
Performance Management
* Implement and embed a robust, data‑driven performance management framework aligned to business objectives
* Drive a performance‑led culture, improving accountability and visibility across the organisation
* Enhance the use of technology and analytics to improve insight and decision‑making
* Continuously refine performance processes to ensure simplicity, consistency and effectiveness
Reward Management and Harmonisation
* Lead the end‑to‑end harmonisation of contractual terms, benefits and reward structures across acquired entities
* Simplify fragmented legacy arrangements to create a consistent, scalable and commercially aligned framework
* Implement a job evaluation process and market benchmarking exercise across all roles
* Develop a structured pay framework including job families, banding and progression
* Design a total reward framework covering salary, bonus and benefits aligned to business performance and cost control
* Introduce standardised policies and providers (e.g. pension, PMI), including salary‑sacrifice options where appropriate
People Operations and Compliance
* Oversee BAU People operations through the People Operations Manager, ensuring stability, consistency and compliance
* Ensure policies and procedures are standardised, up to date and aligned across all entities
* Maintain a robust approach to employment law and employee relations across GB and NI
* Identify opportunities to simplify processes and reduce operational complexity
Systems and Reporting
* Own the evolution and optimisation of the HCM system (HiBob), with a focus on:
o Establishing a single, clean and reliable source of people data
o Improving data accuracy, governance and consistency across the Group
o Enabling self‑service processes and automation
o Driving adoption and engagement
* Develop clear, consistent and commercially relevant People reporting, including:
o Headcount and cost analysis
o Attrition and retention metrics
o Productivity and performance insights
* Support Board and investor reporting with high-quality data and insight
* Ensure alignment with Finance systems and reporting requirements
* Own the People budget and ensure robust financial management
* Oversee payroll processes in collaboration with Finance, ensuring accuracy and control
Talent Acquisition
* Review, select and implement a scalable recruitment platform and hiring framework
* Standardise recruitment processes across the Group to improve efficiency and candidate experience
* Introduce data‑driven hiring metrics (e.g. time‑to‑hire, cost, quality)
* Reduce reliance on external agencies and improve ROI on recruitment spend
* Support strategic sourcing approaches, including contractors and offshoring where appropriate
M&A
* Support due diligence from a People perspective across acquisitions
* Develop and implement a repeatable People integration playbook
* Drive rapid Day 1–90 integration across:
o Contracts and policies
o Systems and data
o Reporting and metrics
o Culture and communication
* Ensure acquisitions are aligned to Group standards quickly and effectively
* Identify and deliver operational and cost synergies post‑acquisition
ESG & Employee Engagement
* Support delivery of the ESG strategy, translating priorities into actionable outcomes
* Ensure compliance with mandatory reporting (e.g. Gender Pay Gap)
* Drive employee engagement initiatives, with clear measurement and action planning
* Continuously evolve the Employee Value Proposition
* Support internal communications aligned to organisational priorities
Organisational Development
* Support organisational design aligned to scalability, efficiency and performance
* Provide guidance on restructuring, including redundancy and TUPE processes where required
* Drive clarity on roles, accountability and organisational structure
* Support development of leadership capability in line with business needs
* Embed a culture of continuous improvement across the organisation
Stakeholder Collaboration
* Build strong relationships with executive leadership, Board and private equity stakeholders
* Act as a trusted advisor on People‑related matters, balancing commercial and people considerations
* Collaborate effectively across functions to ensure alignment on priorities
* Operate as a key member of the leadership team, demonstrating organisational values
Competencies
Building Relationships and influence
Effectively influences key stakeholders to take positive action that will advance business goals. Presents themselves with self‑assurance, has presence. Demonstrates consistency between words and behaviours. Lives and promotes the values of the organisation and encourages others to do so. Provides direction, inspires and motivates without relying on status or position. Understands others, complex or underlying needs, motivations, emotions or concerns and adjust communication effectively. Treats employees fairly by applying consistent management principles.
Teamwork & Collaboration
Creates and supports an environment that allows people to work collaboratively to deliver results. Builds positive and collaborative working relationships with peer groups to achieve common goals. Resolves conflict among team members sensitively and fairly. Appropriately involves others in decisions and plans that affect them. Encourages team members to understand other departments’ perspectives and constraints removing barriers to cross departmental collaboration.
Judgement and decision making
Takes calculated risks, weighing up pros and cons of decisions. Able to articulate business risk, impact and mitigation for resolution. Knowing when to stand firm and when to accommodate. Makes quality business decisions based on data and facts, not emotion, and weighs up alternative solutions. Considers impact of decisions made on other departments. Makes the right decisions, not taking the easy option.
Experience Required
Essential Criteria
* Proven experience operating as a senior People leader within a private equity‑backed, high‑growth environment
* Demonstrable track record of delivering People transformation initiatives, including the following:
o Reward and harmonisation
o HR systems implementation
o M&A integration
o Performance management
o Organisational design
* Experience harmonising People frameworks across multi‑entity or acquired businesses
* Strong experience implementing or optimising HR systems and recruitment platforms
* Demonstrable ability to improve data quality, reporting and analytics for decision‑making
* Strong commercial acumen with experience managing budgets and aligning People strategy to business outcomes
* Ability to prioritise effectively and deliver at pace in a complex, fast‑moving environment
* Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, including at Board level
* Current knowledge of GB and NI employment law
* High levels of integrity and professional standards
Desirable Criteria
* Previous experience working through a value creation or exit‑readiness phase
* Degree level qualification (in Business / HR)
* Chartered Fellowship of the CIPD
* Previously experience within the IT MSP space
Benefits
* Private Medical Insurance on completion of probationary period for you, with option to add spouse and children and reduced cost
* Salary Sacrifice Pension Scheme, 3% ER, 5% EE contributions
* Death in Service Benefit x3 time base salary from commencement of employment
* Generous 30 Day Annual Holiday Entitlement (Jan‑Dec)
* 8 Public Holidays
* Additional Guaranteed Birthday Leave – 1 Day
* Volunteering Day per year to support an Xperience chosen charity, or a charity of your choice
* Enhanced Sick Pay on completion of probationary period
* Bereavement Leave Policy
* Enhanced Parental Leave Policy
* Wellbeing Benefits (Mental Health Support, Flu Vaccinations etc)
* Long Service Awards commencing from 1 year’s service
* Monthly/ Annual Recognition Awards
* 36.25 hours working week
* Hybrid Working
* Salary Sacrifice Cycle to Work Scheme
* Salary Sacrifice EV Scheme coming soon
* Employee Referral Bonus of £1500 per hire
* Discounted IT Purchase Scheme
* Company Funded Social Events
* Easily accessible and free car parking
Apply Now
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