Head of HR

We are currently recruiting a Head of HR for a Permanent contract. 

This role is hybrid, both working from home and in our Oxford or Edinburgh hub. Attendance in the hub is required at least monthly. 

We encourage our colleagues to work flexibly between home and the hub to suit their needs and preferences, in line with our hybrid working policy.

Colleagues are able to work their hours flexibly, in line with core business hours and requirements. We also offer formalised flexible working agreements.  

The starting salary is £67,830.

To apply, please send a CV and cover letter to HRsupport@actuaries.org.uk by the closing date of 25 June 2026. 

Initial interviews will take place in the week of 29 June.

The Head of Human Resources is a strategic leader responsible for shaping and delivering a high-impact people agenda aligned to organisational strategy and transformation priorities. The role drives the development of a high-performing, inclusive and values-led culture, ensuring that people strategies, frameworks and interventions enable organisational effectiveness, resilience and long-term sustainability. 

The postholder leads the design and evolution of core HR frameworks including employee relations, performance, reward, job architecture and governance, ensuring these are forward-looking, data-driven and aligned to organisational risk appetite. The role partners with senior leadership to proactively manage workforce risks, strengthen leadership capability and embed a culture of accountability, inclusion and continuous improvement.

Principal accountabilities

• Strategic people leadership and organisational effectiveness
• Organisational people risk and governance oversight
• Performance and talent management strategy
• DEI strategy and measurable workforce outcomes
• Job architecture, evaluation and reward governance
• HR policy, compliance and future-fit people frameworks
• Strategic workforce planning and capability development
• End-to-end people lifecycle strategy and governance
• Leadership capability and manager effectiveness
• Continuous improvement of HR operating model, systems and insights

Key responsibilities

• Lead the strategic direction of employee relations, shifting from reactive case management to proactive risk identification, trend analysis and organisational intervention
• Shape and embed a high-performance culture through ownership of a modern, outcome-focused performance management framework
• Partner with senior leaders to build organisational capability in performance, accountability and leadership effectiveness
• Lead the internal delivery of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy through measurable outcomes, data insight and systemic change to policies and practices
• Use workforce analytics to identify trends, risks and opportunities, informing strategic decision-making and targeted interventions
• Own and evolve job architecture, evaluation and grading frameworks to ensure alignment to organisational design, market positioning and equal pay principles
• Provide strategic employment law guidance, ensuring risk is anticipated and mitigated within a complex and evolving regulatory landscape
• Develop and maintain forward-looking HR policies that enable agility while ensuring compliance and fairness
• Lead strategic workforce planning, aligning capability, capacity and cost to organisational priorities
• Oversee recruitment strategy and governance, driving quality, diversity and cost-effective hiring approaches
• Champion wellbeing as a strategic priority, embedding sustainable approaches to workforce health, resilience and engagement
• Drive continuous improvement of HR operations, systems and service delivery, leveraging technology and data to enhance effectiveness
• Lead, develop and inspire the HR function, ensuring high-quality advice, consistency and a strong customer-focused ethos
• Ensure integrity, governance and strategic use of people data to inform organisational insight and reporting

Knowledge and experience

Essential:

• Experience of operating at a strategic HR leadership level
• Proven track record of shaping and delivering people strategies aligned to organisational transformation
• Deep expertise in workforce planning and performance frameworks
• Strong understanding of UK employment law, governance and risk management in a complex environment
• Demonstrable experience embedding DEI strategy with measurable outcomes
• Experience leading job architecture, reward or grading frameworks
• Exceptional influencing capability with senior stakeholders and boards
• Strong analytical capability, using data to drive insight and decision-making

Desirable:

• Experience within professional membership, charity or public sector organisations
• CIPD qualification or equivalent professional experience
• Experience supporting organisational transformation or restructuring programmes

Core competencies and behaviours:

• Values-led leadership
• Strategic thinking and judgement
• Collaboration and influence
• Emotional intelligence
• Inclusive and ethical decision-making
• Resilience and adaptability

Main contacts

Internal: 

• ELT / SLT
• Employee Forum

External: 

• IFoA Board
• Remuneration Committee
• Suppliers and providers

Decision-making and complexity

The postholder operates with autonomy in supporting the shaping and delivering the HR strategy and operating model. They are accountable for strategic decisions relating to people frameworks, workforce risks, job architecture and HR policy. The role influences the Director of People and Culture, Executive and Board-level decision-making through insight, analysis and expert advice, while operating within agreed governance and risk frameworks.

Alternative format and adjustments

Please email the HR Team if you require:

• any information regarding our vacancies in an alternative format
• any adjustments to support you to fully participate in any part of the application and recruitment process

Any information shared will be used only to enable us to make reasonable adjustments to support candidates to participate in the recruitment process. It will not inform selection decisions.

You can reach us at HRsupport@actuaries.org.uk.