Head of People

  • LJ Recruitment
  • Needham Market, Suffolk
  • May 06, 2026
Full time HR / Recruitment

Job Description

Head of People (Board Advisor)

Location: London or Suffolk (Hybrid - 2-3 days in office, plus regular site visits across Suffolk)
Salary: 90,000 - 110,000 + up to 40% bonus + 9,000 car allowance + private medical
Sector: Renewable Energy
Type: Full-time, Permanent

The Opportunity

A newly created Head of People role within a growing, investor-backed renewable energy business of c.300 employees. This organisation has expanded rapidly through acquisitions and is entering its next phase of transformation and growth.

Sitting as a trusted Board advisor, you'll play a central role in shaping the people strategy, driving organisational change, and building a scalable, high-performing People function aligned to ambitious growth plans.

The Role

This is a strategic, hands-on leadership position with oversight of a small team (HR Manager and 2 HR Administrators) and responsibility across a multi-site, multi-entity environment.

Key focus areas include:

  • Leading the People strategy to support ongoing transformation, integration, and growth
  • Acting as a Board-level advisor on organisational design, workforce planning, and culture
  • Driving change management and organisational restructuring following acquisitions
  • Creating a unified culture, communication strategy, and consistent policies across the business
  • Developing internal and external communications to enhance engagement and employer brand
  • Improving employee engagement, experience, and retention across a diverse workforce
  • Reviewing and optimising HR systems, processes, and policies to enable scalability
  • Delivering a new employee hub, ensuring successful implementation and adoption
  • Designing and embedding a standardised recruitment process to improve quality, consistency, and candidate experience
  • Leading on attraction, recruitment, and retention strategy
  • Overhauling reward and benefits frameworks, including pay, bonus, and harmonisation across entities

The Person

You'll be a commercially minded People leader who thrives in fast-paced, evolving environments.

We're looking for:

  • Proven experience in a Head of People / HR Director role within a multi-site, multi-entity organisation
  • Strong background in change, transformation, and organisational design
  • Experience in M&A, scale-up, or private equity-backed environments
  • Ability to operate strategically while remaining hands-on
  • Track record of improving engagement, culture, and employer brand
  • Experience building scalable HR functions, systems, and processes
  • Strong stakeholder management skills, with the credibility to influence at Board level
  • Comfortable working across a diverse workforce (blue- and white-collar)
  • Willingness to regularly visit sites, including agricultural locations

Advantageous:

  • CIPD qualification
  • Experience within energy, infrastructure, or similarly operational sectors

What's on Offer

  • 90,000 - 110,000 base salary
  • Performance-related bonus (0-40%)
  • 9,000 car allowance
  • 25 days holiday + bank holidays
  • Private medical insurance
  • Hybrid working (office, home, and site-based)
  • Significant opportunity for career progression as the business continues to grow through investment and acquisitions

Recruitment Process

  • Stage 1: Video interview
  • Stage 2: Face-to-face interview

We are open to candidates with notice periods and are committed to finding the right long-term fit.