Head of Compliance and HR

Head of Compliance and HR

Recruitment Business | Reporting to the Directors

Location:

St Albans, Hertfordshire
Salary:
Competitive, based on experience
Working Days:
Monday – Friday

Working Hours:

08:00 – 17:00

We are seeking an experienced and commercially focused Head of Compliance and HR to join our recruitment business and play a key leadership role in maintaining the highest standards of operational compliance, governance, people management and client assurance.

Reporting directly to the Directors, this role will be responsible for leading the compliance and HR function across the business, ensuring that our policies, procedures, systems and working practices remain legally compliant, auditable, practical and aligned to the needs of our clients, candidates and internal teams.

• Lead, manage and continuously improve the company’s compliance and HR framework across all areas of the recruitment operation.
• Ensure compliance with relevant employment legislation, recruitment industry regulations, agency worker requirements, client contractual obligations and internal governance standards.
• Oversee HR policies, employee relations processes, disciplinary and grievance matters, absence management, onboarding, training and performance‑related processes.
• Manage and maintain auditable systems, records, risk registers, process documentation and internal controls to support client audits and external accreditation requirements.
• Lead on ISO 9001 quality management processes, ensuring continuous improvement, process consistency, customer satisfaction and effective corrective action management.
• Lead on ISO 27001 information security requirements, ensuring appropriate controls are in place to protect company, client, candidate and worker data.
• Support the Directors with strategic compliance planning, risk management, operational governance and business improvement initiatives.
• Prepare for and manage client audits, supplier reviews, accreditation assessments and internal compliance checks.
• Work closely with operational teams to ensure compliance processes are embedded, understood and followed consistently across all branches and client accounts.
• Maintain awareness of changes in employment law, data protection, recruitment compliance, quality standards and information security requirements, ensuring the business remains proactive and protected.

• Maintain and develop the company’s compliance framework across recruitment operations, ensuring all processes meet legal, contractual, regulatory and audit requirements.
• Oversee right-to-work processes, worker onboarding, compliance checks, training records, licence and qualification verification, and ongoing eligibility monitoring.
• Ensure policies, procedures and working practices remain aligned with recruitment legislation, agency worker requirements, client contractual standards and industry best practice.
• Lead internal audits, branch compliance reviews, corrective actions and continuous improvement initiatives to ensure consistent standards across the business.
• Manage external audits, client compliance reviews and accreditation requirements, including ISO 9001 quality management and ISO 27001 information security standards.
• Maintain effective document control, data protection processes, risk assessments, business continuity arrangements and incident reporting procedures.

• Lead the HR function across the business, providing professional advice and practical support to Directors, managers and operational teams.
• Manage employee relations matters, including disciplinary, grievance, absence, capability, performance and conduct processes in line with company policy and employment legislation.
• Review, update and maintain HR policies, contracts, handbooks, templates and procedures to ensure they are legally compliant, commercially practical and consistently applied.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, induction, training, development and retention initiatives for internal employees.
• Provide guidance on organisational structure, workforce planning, succession planning, management capability and employee engagement.
• Promote a…