We are looking for an established, commercially minded Head of HR who can lead an excellent end-to-end service now and build the HR function PPL will need as we grow.

About PPL

PPL is a management consultancy with a difference.

As a social enterprise and certified B Corp, we work with the NHS, local government and civil society to improve services and outcomes for people and communities across the UK.

Our social purpose is central to our operating model. We donate over 50% of our profits to support charities and wider social impact and provide every member of the team with 10 days of paid volunteer leave each year. It also shapes how we work: with care, integrity, high standards and a strong sense of responsibility for one another.

We are in the middle of an ambitious period of growth. Our Shared Services functions are central to that journey. They provide our leadership team with clear insight and assurance, make it easy for the wider team to do great work, and build the systems and disciplines that will allow PPL to grow without losing what makes it special.

The opportunity

Working closely with our joint CEOs, Directors, Practice Leads and People Managers, you will translate our people and organisational priorities into a clear HR plan and ensure that the HR function is responsive, trusted and legally sound.

Your role will involve leading in-house colleagues and outsourced providers covering employee relations, workforce planning, recruitment, performance and appraisal, professional development, HR systems and data, policy, risk and reward. You will be responsible for the HR team and manage specialist support, whilst helping managers take confident and consistent ownership of their people responsibilities.

This is a newly created role, joining PPL at an important point in our growth. We currently have around 70 people and plan to grow significantly over the next few years. You will lead a small in-house HR team, supported by specialist external providers, with the opportunity to shape how the function develops as PPL grows.

As PPL grows, you will shape the function's operating model, strengthen its data and systems, improve management practice and put in place clear, proportionate processes that support performance without creating unnecessary bureaucracy. You will help PPL retain its culture while becoming a larger and more complex organisation.

What you will lead

Lead a trusted HR service

Set and deliver a clear HR plan aligned to PPL's organisational priorities, with useful measures and visible accountability for delivery.
Lead and develop the HR team, setting clear standards, delegating appropriately and ensuring that administrative work is properly quality assured.
Provide practical, credible and legally sound advice to senior leaders and People Managers, with clear recommendations where decisions are required.
Lead complex employee relations matters and ensure cases are handled fairly, consistently, promptly and with appropriate confidentiality.

Strengthen employee experience and management practice

Turn workforce priorities into practical recruitment, retention and succession plans, identifying emerging capacity and capability risks.
Oversee recruitment and the full employment lifecycle, including onboarding, employment changes, contracts, checks, benefits, pensions, leave and offboarding.
Own the operational design and delivery of performance and appraisal processes, and help managers set expectations, give feedback, manage probation and address underperformance.
Use team feedback, casework and workforce data to recommend practical improvements to the employment experience, culture, inclusion and wellbeing.

Build systems controls and insight for growth

Own PPL's HR systems and data, ensuring records are accurate, secure and accessible to the right people.
Improve and integrate HR processes and systems, reducing duplication and manual work while maintaining appropriate controls.
Provide useful workforce information and insight to the Directors, senior leadership team and Board.
Maintain a proportionate policy, risk and control framework and lead the response to relevant changes in employment law and HR practice.
Own the HR elements of payroll, with accurate inputs, documented checks and clear responsibilities between HR, Finance and external providers.

What you will bring

You will already have led, or held substantial senior accountability for, an end-to-end HR function. The role requires the judgement that comes from established functional leadership and will particularly appeal to an experienced Head of HR or senior HR generalist seeking a purposeful sideways move.

CIPD Level 7, or equivalent senior HR experience.
Substantial experience in a senior generalist HR role with accountability across the employment lifecycle.
Strong knowledge of UK employment law and confident leadership of complex employee relations matters.
A track record of translating organisational priorities into a practical HR plan, policies, processes and measurable delivery.
Credibility with Directors and senior leaders, combining professional judgement with a clear understanding of commercial and operational realities.
Experience of workforce planning, recruitment and performance management in a growing or changing organisation.
Strong capability in HR systems, workforce data, reporting and process improvement.
Experience leading and developing people, with the judgement to delegate while retaining appropriate assurance.
Discretion, sound judgement and a strong commitment to PPL's mission, values and social purpose.

Experience in consultancy, professional services, a social enterprise or another purpose-led organisation would be valuable. We would also welcome experience of building or significantly improving an HR function during growth, implementing an HR information system, or supporting changes to roles and structures.

What PPL offers

A salary of £70,000-£80,000pa (depending on experience), plus bonus and a wider benefits package including private health insurance.
A genuinely influential role, working closely with PPL's joint CEOs, Directors and senior leaders.
The mandate to shape your function near the beginning of PPL's growth journey, including its priorities, systems, capability and ways of working.
Purposeful work in a social enterprise where commercial success funds wider social impact.
An exceptionally capable and generous team, with a culture that combines high standards with trust, flexibility and mutual support.

Our selection process is expected to include an initial panel interview, followed by an in-person final-stage interview with our co-founders and joint CEOs.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

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