HR Manager

About the Role

We're 50 people. We're growing. And we need someone who knows how to build a people function that keeps pace with a business like ours.

This is a standalone HR role - which means you'll have real autonomy, real responsibility, and real impact. Reporting into the Fractional Chief People Officer, you will work directly with a leadership team that truly values HR as a commercial partner - shaping how we hire, developing and looking after our people, all while keeping things commercial, pragmatic and human.

You'll also play a hands-on role in recruitment - owning searches, working with hiring managers and helping us bring the right people into the business as we scale.

If you're the kind of HR Manager or Business Partner who thrives with ownership, gets things done without waiting for perfect conditions, and genuinely cares about the experience people have at work — this is for you.

Ideal Experience

• Established experience at either HR Manager or BP level, ideally with time spent in a startup, scale-up or fast-moving media or tech environment where you were comfortable with ambiguity

• A genuine generalist background - you're comfortable with ER, culture, policy, onboarding and recruitment without needing a specialist for every situation

• Experience operating as a standalone HR function, or at least close to it - you will have the support of the CPO but you are comfortable being the only HR voice in the room

• Hands-on involvement in recruitment - not just briefing agencies, but actively co-ordinating searches and being a positive first point of contact for candidates

• Solid, up-to-date knowledge of UK employment law and the confidence to apply it pragmatically

• CIPD qualified (Level 5 or above) or the experience to match it

• High agency — you spot what needs doing, make sensible calls and get on with it

Core Responsibilities

Be the go-to for people matters: From a tricky conversation a manager needs help navigating to a policy that needs updating - you're the person people come to, and you give them pragmatic, commercial answers they can actually use.

Own the employee lifecycle: Onboarding, performance, development, offboarding - you make sure every stage feels intentional and reflects the kind of company we want to be.

Lead recruitment: Partner with hiring managers to define what good looks like, manage searches and help us make smart, fast hiring decisions as we grow. You are the first point of contact for potential candidates, and can positively and commercially articulate our strategy.

Proactively manage HRIS: As well as ensuring records are up to date, you proactively ensure our performance and feedback cycles are delivered on time.

Build something that scales: We're 40 people now. Help us put the foundations in place — processes, frameworks and a culture — that will still work when we're 100.

Coach the team: Help our managers get better at managing. Give them the tools, the confidence and the honest feedback they need to lead well.

Our Hiring Process

We believe in a transparent process designed to put you at ease so you can show us your best work. Here is how we get to know each other:

• Mutual Fit Chat - A conversation to ensure our expectations align. This is a two-way introduction to the role, the company’s direction, and what you’re looking for in your next career move.
• Manager Deep Dive - A focused session with your potential lead. We’ll explore your experience, your technical approach, and how you tackle the types of challenges we face daily.
• F2F Practical Exercise & Culture Peer Session - An in-person visit to our office where you’ll work through a real-world task. This is followed by a session with your potential peers focused purely on cultural alignment, ensuring our values and working styles mesh.
• Next Steps - Following these stages, we aim to provide clear, honest feedback. In some cases, if specific questions arise from the peer session, we may invite you for a final follow-up to ensure we’ve covered everything before making a decision.