HR Manager
Location: Hybrid – 3 days on-site near Southampton
Salary: £40,000 – £50,000 per annum (depending on experience)
Company Overview
Our client is a growing SaaS vendor entering an exciting new phase of scale. With a strong product, ambitious leadership, and a culture that values innovation, they’re now ready to make their first dedicated hire into HR. This is a pivotal opportunity to shape the people function from the ground up creating the foundations that will support the company’s continued growth and success.
Role Overview
As the company’s first HR hire, the HR Manager will play a hands-on and strategic role, balancing day-to-day HR operations with longer-term people and culture initiatives. This is a true 360 position, covering everything from recruitment and onboarding to employee engagement, performance management, and shaping people strategy.
The ideal person will thrive in a fast-paced, start-up environment, someone who can switch between strategic thinking and rolling up their sleeves to deliver. You’ll be a trusted partner to the leadership team and a key influence in defining the employee experience across the business.
Key Responsibilities:
* Act as the go-to person for all people-related matters, providing HR support, advice, and guidance across the business.
* Develop and implement HR policies, processes, and frameworks that scale with company growth.
* Lead recruitment and talent acquisition efforts, from role scoping and job descriptions to interviews and onboarding.
* Conduct regular one-to-ones and support managers with performance and development conversations.
* Drive initiatives around employee engagement, wellbeing, learning & development, and company culture.
* Oversee all HR administration, including contracts, onboarding/offboarding, compliance, and reporting.
* Partner closely with the leadership team on workforce planning, structure, and succession.
* Champion a positive, transparent, and high-performance culture aligned with company values.
Skills & Experience:
* Proven experience in an HR generalist or HR Manager role, ideally within a start-up or scale-up environment.
* Strong understanding of UK employment law and HR best practices.
* Experience managing recruitment end-to-end across multiple functions.
* Ability to build trust and influence stakeholders at all levels.
* Confident working autonomously as the first HR hire, balancing operational and strategic priorities.
* Excellent communication, organisation, and relationship-building skills.