Head of HR

We are seeking a highly experienced and commercially astute Head of HR to lead a People function in a complex, unionised, multi-site environment. This is a senior leadership role requiring proven expertise in Mergers & Acquisitions, TUPE, trade union negotiations, and employment relations alongside strong operational HR leadership.

Location: Porthmadog (Hybrid, with travel across sites)

Reports To: Managing Director

Salary: £60,000 – £65,000 plus benefits

Job Type: Full-Time

Consultant: vic@lilyshippen.co.uk – Please direct all enquiries to Vic.

The successful candidate will be responsible for shaping and executing a people strategy that supports organisational growth, enhances performance, ensures compliance, and drives cultural alignment. You will be a trusted partner to the Managing Director and senior leadership team, balancing strategic input with hands-on delivery across all HR disciplines.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic HR Leadership

• Develop and deliver a people strategy that underpins organisational growth, change, and commercial objectives.
• Provide expert advice to the Board and senior leaders on complex HR matters, including workforce planning, restructuring, succession, and organisational design.
• Act as the HR lead on M&A projects, managing due diligence, TUPE transfers, integration planning, and cultural alignment.

Employment Relations & Trade Union Engagement

• Lead on all employee relations (ER) matters, ensuring fair, consistent, and legally compliant handling of grievances, disciplinaries, performance, and conduct issues.
• Build and maintain constructive relationships with trade unions and employee representatives, managing collective consultations, negotiations, and agreements across multiple sites.
• Advise senior managers on unionised workforce dynamics, ensuring industrial relations are managed proactively to support business continuity.

Operational HR Excellence

• Oversee HR operations, ensuring compliance with employment law, ACAS guidance, and internal policies.
• Drive consistency in HR practices across all sites, embedding robust policies and frameworks.
• Partner with operational managers to build their capability in people management, absence management, and employee engagement.

Talent, Performance & Succession

• Lead a high-impact approach to talent acquisition, retention, and succession planning to meet future business needs.
• Implement structured performance management processes aligned to business objectives, ensuring accountability and continuous improvement.
• Design and deliver leadership development programmes to build management capability and future pipeline.

Employee Engagement & Culture

• Partner with managers to foster an inclusive, high-performance culture where employees feel valued, recognised, and engaged.
• Lead initiatives that drive positive employee experience, monitor engagement levels, and implement improvements.
• Ensure company values are lived and demonstrated through recruitment, onboarding, and day-to-day leadership behaviours.

Training & Development

• Commission and deliver training to address skills gaps, leadership capability, and compliance requirements.
• Oversee the implementation of learning tools and platforms to enable continuous employee development across multi-site teams.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• CIPD Qualified
• Significant HR leadership experience in a multi-site, unionised environment.
• Proven track record of leading M&A and TUPE projects, including due diligence, consultation, and integration.
• Deep knowledge of employment law and working collaboratively with unions reps.
• Strong background in operational HR, ER case management, and people policy development.
• Commercially minded with the ability to balance people strategy with business objectives.
• Experience of working closely with trade unions and managing complex negotiations.
• Skilled in succession planning, leadership development, and talent management.
• Excellent influencing, communication, and interpersonal skills with credibility at senior leadership and Board level.

Lily Shippen is a leading business and executive support recruitment agency in the UK. We recruit top-tier talent across HR, executive support, and business operations roles, ensuring organisations can access the expertise needed to thrive.

We recruit for a broad range of positions, including Executive Assistants, Personal Assistants, Office Managers, Chief of Staff, and HR roles. Our services span across Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester, London, and the wider UK, including remote and international roles. Whether you’re hiring for permanent, temporary, or fixed-term contracts, we offer tailored recruitment solutions to meet your needs.