Group HR Manager - South England

Shape the Culture. Influence the Strategy. Drive Real Change.

This is not a routine HR administration role.

This is a rare opportunity to step into a transformational HR leadership position where you will shape culture, influence senior leaders, and directly impact business performance across a growing group of companies.

Based at our client’s Head Office, you will own and lead HR operations across multiple sites — but more importantly, you will be the architect of a winning workplace culture that enables people and performance to thrive.

You’ll work closely with the CEO and senior leadership team as a trusted advisor, coach, and challenger — bringing insight, data, and commercial thinking to every people decision. If you’re passionate about using HR as a force for competitive advantage
, this role is built for you.

As Group HR Manager, you will deliver both excellent HR operations and bold, future-focused people strategies
. You’ll balance day-to-day HR excellence with long-term transformational change — ensuring the business has the talent, capability, and culture it needs to succeed.

You will be accountable for clear, measurable business impact
, using HR to move the dial on engagement, leadership effectiveness, capability, and performance.

• Lead all transactional HR operations across multiple sites, while driving group-wide transformational HR initiatives
• Own recruitment, onboarding, learning, and development — building strong pipelines of talent
• Design, implement, and continuously improve HR policies and people practices
• Act as a trusted advisor to managers on employee relations
  , including grievance and disciplinary matters
• Ensure full compliance with employment legislation and ethical standards
• Partner with senior leaders to align people strategy with business goals
• Oversee payroll, benefits, and compensation frameworks
• Build and lead talent development and succession planning across the group
• Champion a positive, inclusive, high-performance culture
• Professionally guide the business through organisational change and growth
• Use data, insight, and commercial understanding to solve complex people challenges
• Influence senior management with confident, well-informed recommendations
• Deliver tangible business results through effective HR strategy and execution

• Degree-qualified HR professional, ideally MCIPD
• 3+ years’ post-qualification HR experience, preferably in a manufacturing or operational environment
• Strong analytical and numerical capability — comfortable using data to inform decisions
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to coach executives and managers
• Credibility at all levels — from shop floor to boardroom
• Previous team management experience is an advantage

• Broad HR generalist expertise with a commercial mindset
• Learning & Development and Talent Management
• Employment law and legal compliance
• Payroll, compensation, and benefits oversight
• Strong business acumen and organisational awareness
• Confidence to challenge, influence, and support senior leaders

The CEO is looking for more than an HR manager. They want someone who can act as a sounding board, coach, challenger, and facilitator for the senior leadership team.

If you’re energised by complexity, influence, and the chance to leave a lasting cultural legacy
, this role offers the platform to do exactly that.