Head of People

Main purpose of the job To build, lead and own the People function  Head of People is the single accountable owner of the employment relationship from offer to exit employment law compliance, employee relations, workforce regulatory compliance and right to work and leads the recruitment function so that hiring, onboarding and retention operate as one joined-up process rather than three separate ones.

The postholder brings professional HR discipline to a business that has grown quickly without a dedicated People function, removes employment risk from the Co-CEOs desks, and gives Unicare a workforce evidence base capable of withstanding CQC inspection, commissioner scrutiny and, in due course, a sponsor licence application. Main tasks of the job Employment framework and contractual compliance Own the full suite of employment documentation offer letters, Statements of Main Terms, restrictive covenants, working time opt-outs and role-specific agreements ensuring every employee receives a compliant written statement within the statutory timescale under section 1 of the Employment Rights Act 1996.

Ensure all documentation carries the correct legal employing entity and current terms, and retire outdated templates from circulation. Maintain, review and issue the Company policy suite (via Croner), keeping it aligned with current employment legislation, CQC requirements and Unicares actual practice. Manage contractual variations, secondments, flexible working requests and changes to terms, including consultation where required. Work with the Accounts & Finance Manager to ensure payroll instructions, deductions and benefit entitlements accurately reflect contractual terms.

Employee relations Lead and personally case-manage disciplinary, grievance, capability, appeal and dignity-at-work matters, ensuring full compliance with the ACAS Code of Practice. Coach and upskill Registered Managers, Care Managers and Team Leaders to handle first-line people issues confidently and consistently, reducing escalation to Board level. Assess and manage employment tribunal risk; prepare case files; liaise with Croner and external employment lawyers;

advise on settlement agreements and protected conversations. Track ER caseload, themes and outcomes, and report trends to the Senior Leadership Team. Oversee whistleblowing and Freedom to Speak Up referrals that have an employment dimension, working alongside the Compliance function. Right to work and immigration Conduct and quality-assure right to work checks for every worker employed, establishing and maintaining a statutory excuse against liability for illegal working under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.

Operate a reliable follow-up check process for workers with time-limited permission to work, so that no member of staff continues in employment beyond the expiry of their leave. Ensure recruitment activity is planned on the basis that Unicare cannot presently sponsor, and advise Operations where that constrains the candidate pool. Lead the preparation and submission of the Companys sponsor licence application, planned for April 2027 including bringing HR systems, personnel records, policies and record-keeping practice up to Home Office standard in advance, and evidencing the human resources and recruitment systems the Home Office requires an applicant to demonstrate.

On grant of a licence, be prepared to hold or support the Authorising Officer, Key Contact and Level 1 User roles and to establish compliant Sponsorship Management System, Certificate of Sponsorship and Appendix D record-keeping processes. Advise the Co-CEOs on changes to the immigration rules and on the cost, lead time and risk of a future sponsored recruitment route. Safer recruitment and regulatory workforce compliance Own compliance with Regulation 19 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 fit and proper persons employed and with Schedule 3 evidence requirements for every member of staff.

Ensure DBS checks, renewals, Update Service registrations, references, health declarations, qualifications and conduct history are obtained, verified and recorded before employment commences. Maintain inspection-ready personnel files and produce workforce evidence for CQC inspection, local authority contract monitoring and tender submissions. Own the workforce elements of the well-led and safe key questions, and lead mock inspection preparation in those areas. Recruitment, onboarding and retention Lead, supervise and develop the recruitment team, setting objectives, standards and performance measures.

Own workforce planning in partnership with Operations and Finance forecasting demand from new packages, mobilisations and expansion, and building recruitment pipelines ahead of need. Set and report recruitment KPIs including time to hire, cost per hire, offer-to-start conversion, first-90-day retention and agency spend. Own the induction and probation framework end to end,…