Head of HR

Head of HR
Manchester - Hybrid working
12 month FTC
c£80,000 per annum

I am delighted to be retained by a Manchester-based business to appoint an experienced Head of HR on a 12-month fixed-term contract, joining at a genuinely exciting point of transition and growth.

This is a role for someone who enjoys stepping into complexity and making things better. It combines credible senior HR leadership with a real opportunity to reshape how the function operates - moving it towards a more modern, efficient and insight-led model.

You'll be a key figure within the People leadership group, supporting the HR team on day-to-day delivery while also taking ownership of wider improvements across systems, data, automation and ways of working. The focus is firmly on building something stronger, more scalable and better equipped for the future.

Working closely with senior stakeholders across the business, you'll help evolve the HR function into something more streamlined, commercially aligned and capable of supporting continued growth with confidence.

In short, this is a high-impact interim opportunity to stabilise, modernise and elevate a People function at pace - leaving a lasting mark on how it operates.

What you'll be doing

• Provide senior HR leadership across operational delivery and employee relations
• Support and develop the existing HR team, acting as escalation point for complex matters
• Strengthen HR processes, governance and service delivery across the organisation
• Lead improvements in HR systems, automation and digital tools
• Enhance the quality and use of people data to support better decision-making
• Drive efficiency through improved workflows and reduced manual processes
• Partner with senior stakeholders to modernise and scale the HR operating model
• Embed more consistent, insight-led and commercially aligned HR practices

About you

You're an experienced HR leader who enjoys improving how things actually work, not just maintaining the status quo. You're comfortable stepping into complexity, bringing structure, and driving change at pace.

You'll likely bring:

• Strong senior HR leadership experience
• Deep knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice
• Comfortable operating both strategically and hands-on
• Experience across employee relations, governance and policy
• Hands-on exposure to HR systems, automation or digital HR tools
• Confidence using data and insight to drive decisions
• A pragmatic, delivery-focused approach in fast-moving environments

You'll be:

• Comfortable working in ambiguity and change
• Digitally curious, with an interest in smarter, more automated HR
• Credible with senior stakeholders
• Calm, resilient and solutions-focused
• Motivated by making measurable improvements quickly

Salary in the region of £80,000 per annum.

Please apply to Leanne Boddy at Macmillan Davies HR.