Group People Manager

London Source: WhatJobs

£90,000–£130,000

Blue Gem Holdings is a fast-paced, hands-on business in the high-growth flexible office market, with a strong culture and a high-performance ethos. The group is growing, and HR needs to grow with it: new systems, AI tools and streamlined processes are being introduced to support that growth. The Group People Manager will be the group's sole HR lead, reporting to the Chief of Staff. You will set HR strategy and build the systems and processes behind it, while also running the full employee lifecycle day to day: recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, absence, performance, policy and offboarding. You will be the trusted HR adviser to the leadership team and keep the business fully compliant with UK employment law. At the heart of the role is judgement. People will bring you sensitive, confidential and sometimes difficult situations, and they need to trust that you will handle them fairly, discreetly and correctly. With no wider HR team to lean on, this is a role for an experienced practitioner who is as comfortable shaping strategy as running a disciplinary hearing.

Responsibilities

HR strategy, set with the Chief of Staff and implemented pragmatically in line with Blue Gem's goals
Acting as the trusted HR adviser to the Chief of Staff and leadership team, including reporting at Board level
Introducing a new HR system and AI tools, starting with mapping every process across recruitment, onboarding, paperwork, inductions, training, appraisals, career journeys and offboarding
End-to-end recruitment: workforce planning with managers, writing job descriptions and adverts, managing agencies and job boards, shortlisting, interviewing and issuing offers
Pre-employment checks, including right to work, references and any background checks, completed and recorded before start dates
Onboarding and inductions, so every new starter has their contract, equipment, system access and first-week plan in place on day one
Employee relations: advising managers on conduct, capability, grievances, absence and flexible working, and managing complex cases through to resolution, using external employment law advice where needed
Running formal processes, including letters, invite packs, hearings and outcomes, in line with the ACAS Code of Practice
Absence management, including tracking sickness, return-to-work meetings, occupational health referrals and family leave
Probation, performance management and appraisals, making sure managers complete them on time and on record
Leading organisational change, planning and communicating it, and managing any resistance or conflict that comes with it
Writing and maintaining HR policies, the employee handbook, contracts and HR letters, updated as legislation changes
HR records and the HR system, kept accurate, complete and GDPR compliant, with clear filing so information can be found quickly
Monthly payroll inputs: starters, leavers, changes and absence, checked and passed to payroll by the deadline
HR reporting, including headcount, turnover, absence and recruitment figures
Managing HR suppliers, including recruitment agencies, payroll, benefits and training providers, reviewing contract terms and costs
Training and development, engagement and wellbeing activity across the business
Offboarding, including resignations, exit interviews, final pay information and leaver records

Qualifications

At least five years' experience in an HR Generalist role, handling the full employee lifecycle rather than one specialism
A degree and a CIPD Level 5 qualification. CIPD Level 7 or other HR certifications are an advantage
Strong knowledge of the hiring process, from workforce planning to the first day, including right to work and fair, consistent selection
A sound, up-to-date understanding of UK employment law, HR best practice and the ACAS Code of Practice, with the confidence to apply it to real situations
A track record of developing and implementing HR policies, processes and systems, ideally including an HR system rollout
Excellent judgement and problem-solving, able to work through complex HR issues on your own and know when to bring in external advice
Experience supporting organisational change, and handling the resistance, conflict and emotion that can come with it
Business acumen: you understand how financial, operational and strategic decisions affect people, and can analyse supplier contracts and their costs
A customer-focused approach to HR, treating managers and employees as people you are there to help, with a high level of discretion and professionalism
Excellent verbal communication skills, able to have difficult conversations calmly, explain policy in plain English and report concisely at Board level
Strong written skills for drafting policies, contracts and HR documents that follow brand guidelines
Strong interpersonal skills and cultural awareness, with the ability to build trust with people at every level and from every background
Able to work well with col