Are you ready to lead and shape the people strategy of an ambitious and growing hospitality business?
HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR
Staines-upon-Thames | £95K plus bonus | Full-time (40 hrs/week)
We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced HR Director to join the team at Accent Catering. Reporting to the Finance Director, this is a key senior leadership role responsible for leading the HR function and delivering a professional, practical and commercially focused people strategy across our multi-site contract catering business.
Working closely with the senior leadership team, you will play a pivotal role in helping Accent continue to be recognised as one of the best employers in the industry. You will help shape and drive the culture of the business, supporting people development, management capability and employee engagement while ensuring a consistent, compliant and commercially balanced approach to HR across the company.
This role combines strategic leadership with hands-on operational support in a fast-paced environment where managers require clear, confident and commercially sound guidance. You will lead on complex employee relations matters, organisational change, safeguarding, recruitment strategy, HR systems development and the practical use of AI and technology to improve efficiency, reporting and decision-making across the HR function.
We are looking for a commercially minded and highly credible HR leader with significant generalist Human Resources experience within a multi-site environment. You will be confident influencing senior stakeholders, leading and inspiring teams, driving projects and supporting managers through complex people matters with professionalism, resilience and sound judgement.
Benefits of working with Accent as an HR Director:
Competitive salary with annual review
Annual performance bonus
Free on-site parking
Life insurance, company sick pay and pension
Private medical insurance
25 days holiday plus bank holidays
Career development opportunities and study support
Multiple Discounts on our Accent Engage platform - shops, restaurants, gifts, leisure and more
HIT apprenticeships for all experience levels
Team events, awards and competitions throughout the year
Access to our Employee Assistance Programme for wellbeing and financial support
As our HR Director, you will be:
Leading and developing the HR team to deliver a consistent, responsive and commercially focused HR service
Partnering with senior leaders to shape and deliver the company people strategy
Supporting the business to recruit, develop and retain the best talent across the organisation
Driving a positive, accountable and high-performing management culture
Leading on complex employee relations matters including disciplinary, grievance, absence, capability and safeguarding cases
Providing practical and commercially balanced advice on employment law, risk and organisational change
Working with Operations Directors and senior managers to identify training needs and deliver practical management training, building confidence in areas such as absence, conduct, performance, difficult conversations, safeguarding, recruitment and policy application
Leading and supporting the company’s ongoing pursuit and achievement of recognised catering industry employer accreditations and awards, helping to drive continuous improvement and reinforce best practice across the business.
Monitoring changes in employment legislation and implementing effective policies and practices across the business
Supporting TUPE transfers, restructures, consultations and mobilisation activity
Leading HR projects, systems development and process improvements including the use of AI and automation
Using HR data, reporting and insight to identify trends, improve decision-making and reduce risk
Supporting initiatives focused on employee engagement, wellbeing, sustainability and people development
Working closely with Operations teams to support workforce planning and reduce agency spend
What you will bring:
Significant senior HR experience within a fast-paced, multi-site organisation
Strong generalist HR knowledge including employee relations, organisational change, recruitment, TUPE and management development
Detailed knowledge of UK employment law, HR best practice and current legislative developments
Experience handling complex ER matters confidently, effectively and assertively
Strong commercial awareness with the ability to balance business needs, legal compliance and employee experience
Experience advising and influencing senior leaders and stakeholders
Strong leadership skills with experience developing and inspiring HR teams
Excellent communication, relationship building and organisational skills
Experience improving HR systems, reporting, automation and digital processes
Interest and understanding of how AI and technology can support modern HR practices
High attention to detail with a proactive and solutions-focused approach
A CIPD qualification at Level 7 or equivalent
About Accent Catering...
We are an ambitious and ever-growing fresh food company, providing innovative food service solutions to a variety of Schools and Businesses. With turnover in excess of £55m, more than 1,400 employees, and operations across over 170 catering sites, we have won numerous awards for our service, including The Caterer’s prestigious Best Places to Work in Hospitality. At Accent we’re passionate about food quality and people development, making this a fantastic place to build your career in a supportive and professional environment. We are independently owned, so you’ll never be just another number to us - our people are at the heart of everything we do, and we take pride in recognising every individual’s contribution.
SALARY
Salary £95K per annum plus bonus
HOURS
40 hours per week, Monday to Friday
LOCATION
Based at our prestigious riverside offices in Staines-upon-Thames with occasional travel to sites as required.
Apply now and join our Award Winning team!
The Company treats personal data collected during the recruitment process in accordance with its data protection policy. Information about how your data is used and the basis for processing your data is provided in the Company’s privacy notice which can be found on our website.
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