People Director

First-time strategic appointment
High growth international organisation, on a steep curve and exciting change

About Our Client

Our customer is a fast-growing tech and digital business with a global presence across the UK, Europe, the Americas and Asia. Formed through the integration of multiple high-performing teams, they deliver creative, data-led brand experiences for global customers. With significant investment and ambitious growth plans - including international expansion and M&A - this is a pivotal time to join and shape the future of their People function.

Job Description

This is an exciting opportunity to join the business as its first People Director, leading both strategy and delivery during a pivotal period of transformation. As part of the senior leadership team, the successful candidate will be responsible for designing and delivering a People strategy that evolves alongside the business.

You'll lead a small team and act as a trusted partner to colleagues across multiple international locations. This is a hands-on leadership role, suited to someone who is comfortable balancing strategic thinking with practical execution.

Strategic Focus:

Develop and deliver a scalable People strategy to support organic growth and M&A activity
Lead on organisational design, workforce planning, and inclusive leadership development
Shape reward, recognition, and performance frameworks aligned to business growth
Embed an equitable and inclusive approach to talent development, learning, and progression
Align people practices to wider commercial and cultural objectives
Strengthen global employer brand and internal communications

Operational Excellence:

Oversee People Operations to ensure consistency, compliance, and quality across all regions
Support the integration of newly acquired teams, preserving and evolving organisational culture
Lead and coach a People team, fostering confidence, capability, and collaboration
Drive inclusive hiring and talent acquisition, with a focus on candidate experience and quality of hire
Deliver learning and development programmes for both technical and behavioural growth

Stakeholder Engagement & Leadership:

Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, building engagement and alignment across regions
Influence cross-functional collaboration and promote people-first thinking throughout the organisation
Provide confident leadership across international locations, ensuring local relevance and global consistency

Data & Transformation:

Use people data and insights to guide decision-making and provide board-level reporting
Lead transformation initiatives, including HR systems evaluation, procurement, and implementation
Drive structural change and continuous improvement across People processes and policies

The Successful Applicant

We're looking for a seasoned People leader with experience in creative, digital or high-growth, fast-paced environments - someone who's shaped and delivered people strategies that support both organic growth and acquisitions, ideally in complex or scaling businesses.

Private equity experience is essential. You'll have led the HR function in a PE-backed business, with direct exposure to investors and the confidence to influence at that level.

You'll bring deep expertise across organisational design, talent development, cultural transformation, and complex employee relations, underpinned by strong UK employment law knowledge. A background in employment law? Even better.

We need someone with hands-on experience in People shared services, HR policy and process development, and HRIS optimisation - from analysis and overhaul right through to full-scale procurement and implementation, if needed.

International experience is a must. You've led across global teams, particularly in the United States, and know how to drive consistency while respecting local nuance and building trust across cultures.

Inclusive, commercially focused, pragmatic and credible at board level, you'll be a natural relationship-builder with a clear, engaging communication style and a collaborative, people-first approach.