People and HR Lead; North of England

Job Description

Location:

Hill Care Ltd, Unit 5, Dunston Place, Dunston Road

This is a standalone senior HR role with significant autonomy and influence. You will be the primary point of contact for all people and employment matters across the organisation, working closely with operational leaders and our external HR advisers.

The role is both strategic and very hands‑on. You will advise managers day‑to‑day on employee relations and employment law, while also developing and embedding an HR strategy that supports quality care, compliance, retention, and leadership capability across our homes.

This role is not a HR Business Partner position and does not involve managing an internal HR team.

The role will involve regular travel to care homes located across the North of England, as well as ad hoc meetings at the Central Support Office in Chesterfield (some hybrid/remote working is possible). It attracts a salary of circa £55,000 per annum (dependent on experience), plus a monthly car allowance of £600.

The Hill Care journey began in 2001 with John Hill’s first care home, Burton Closes Hall in Bakewell, and today we proudly operate 30 care homes across the North of England, including Chesterfield, Sheffield, Rotherham, Manchester, Liverpool, Chester, Yorkshire and the North East.

Over the past 20 years, the organisation has grown into a well‑run and highly respected provider of residential, nursing and dementia care. A significant acquisition in 2017/18 doubled the size of the business. Our focus is on safe, compassionate, and well‑led services, supported by strong management and compliant employment practices.

We do not operate a traditional in‑house HR department. Instead, we work closely with a specialist employment law firm for legal advice and complex case support. We are now looking to appoint a senior, experienced HR professional to act as our internal people lead, providing practical, sector‑specific guidance to our Regional Managers, Home Managers and Central Support colleagues, while shaping our people strategy.

• Operational HR & Employment Support
• Act as the go‑to HR and employment expert for Regional Managers and Home Managers
• Provide clear, practical advice on disciplinary and grievance processes; absence management and capability; performance management; employee relations and conflict resolution
• Ensure consistent, fair, and legally compliant people management across all homes
• Support managers with investigations, hearings, and documentation
• Employment Law & Compliance
• Maintain strong working relationships with our external HR advisers, ensuring effective use of external support
• Interpret and apply UK employment law and sector‑specific regulations in a practical way
• Keep the business informed of changes to labour law and employment best practice
• Ensure policies, procedures, and contracts remain compliant and fit for purpose
• Provide advice that reflects the realities of elderly social care, including staffing pressures and rota challenges;
  Care Quality Commission (CQC) expectations; safeguarding considerations
• Support managers in balancing compassionate care delivery with robust people management
• Develop and implement a people and employment strategy aligned with Hill Care’s operational plans
• Deliver training to upskill key stakeholders in their understanding and application of policy and people management. Coach and mentor to ensure practices are fully embedded and policy is adhered to.

• Recruitment and retention
• Leadership capability at Home Manager and Regional level
• Engagement, culture, and accountability
• Lead policy development and standardisation across the group
• Support succession planning and workforce planning
• Stakeholder Engagement

• Regional Managers
• Home Managers
• Senior leadership

• Significant HR experience within the elderly social care sector (or closely related regulated care environment)
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and labour legislation
• Proven experience supporting managers with employee relations issues
• Experience operating in a standalone or…