Head of People (12 month FTC)

PUREGYM; København; On-site; DKK 1,000,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Travel-friendly role

Job summary

PureGym Denmark is seeking an experienced Head of HR to join the Gym Operations team in Copenhagen on a 12‑month fixed‑term basis. The Head of HR will partner with senior leaders, lead the People Plan, oversee talent, recruitment, retention, succession planning and workforce forecasting, and manage a small HRBP team.

Travel to offices four days per week is required; fluent in Danish and English, with a hands-on ownership mindset and strong people leadership as core strengths.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership in senior HR roles across multiple sites.
• Strong communication and influencing skills.
• Experience leading HR teams and partnering with executives.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Gym Operations leaders to execute the People & HR strategy.
• Oversee recruitment, retention, succession planning and workforce forecasting.
• Lead a small HRBP team and manage complex employee relations cases.
• Governance, data analysis and compliance oversight of HR practices.

Skills

Senior HR Leadership

Communication

Team Development

Collaboration

Commercial Thinking

Multi-site HR

Talent Attraction

Ownership

Employee Engagement

Job description

We’re looking for an experienced Head of People to join our Gym Operations team in, Copenhagen Denmark!

About PureGym:

The PureGym Group is the market leader in the UK Gyms and Fitness sector, and the 2nd largest operator of gyms in Europe. With over 700 gyms across the Group Estate, the Group’s footprint currently ranges from the UK, USA, Denmark and Switzerland. Our growth plans include disrupting new markets globally and going from strength to strength with strong Private Equity backing. Our PureGym Denmark estate has c. 130 gyms across the country, with a leading position in the fitness and leisure space. We are currently seeking a Head of HR to join the Danish Gym Operations Team on a 12 month Fixed Term basis, to help drive the People Plan across PureGym Denmark to improve engagement and retention of our Gym team members. This role will work closely with the CH Managing Director, Group People Director, Operations Director and Regional Managers across the Danish Business. We will need Head of HR to have the ability to travel to the offices 4 days per week, and fluent in Danish and English.

The Role

The Head of HR will act as a trusted and influential partner to Gym Operations, building strong relationships with Operations Directors, Regional Managers, Central Operations and gym leadership teams. Taking an ownership mindset, the role will execute the People & HR strategy across the estate, providing both support and constructive challenge to ensure the business remains a great place to work. A key focus will be partnering with leaders to proactively educate and coach managers on people-related matters, increasing capability in people management and driving alignment with the broader People Plan. TheHead of HR will continuously review organisational design, oversee compliance with the resource model, support the introduction and testing of new operating models, and ensure effective workforce planning across the estate. Given the organisation’s growth ambitions, the role will take ownership of key elements of the employee lifecycle, including recruitment, retention, succession planning and resource forecasting. Through analysis of attrition trends and workforce data, the Head of HR will develop targeted retention strategies that enhance employee engagement, morale and job satisfaction across gym teams. The role will also provide leadership to a small team of HR Business Partners and HR project resources, ensuring a consistent and commercially focused HR service. While day-to-day Employee Relations activity will be managed by the HRBP team, the Head of HR will oversee complex and high-risk cases, conduct regular reviews of ER activity, support the development of emerging HR talent, act as an appeal point for senior employee cases where required, and work with legal counsel when necessary. Through effective governance, data analysis and compliance oversight, the role will ensure HR practices are applied and support success.

The Person

The candidate will be a blend of ‘hands on do-er’ with extreme ownership, and a strategic thinker, capable of writing the plan to deliver in partnership with operations. Passion for our people is an essential attribute – our gyms are our business and our people in them are our priority.

We are looking for someone to strengthen and further develop the function with fresh thinking and energy. The candidate will be ambitious to be part of the ‘next leg’ of the PureGym journey.

• Proven leadership experience in a Senior HR Business Partner / Head of HR role, ideally in a similar people centric and social, service driven sector.
• Strong communication and influencing skills
• Experienced team leader, able and happy to manage and develop a combination of junior and senior HR Professionals
• Highly collaborative and care about getting a great result for the benefit of the people team and business
• Strong technical generalist with the ability to think commercially and see the bigger picture
• Experience of a Multi-site business operation. Experience of a growth business would be beneficial.
• Proven track record of talent attraction and delivery of high-volume resource requirements.
• Hands-on style and approach with a complete ‘ownership’ mentality.
• Value and display a strong work ethic, while being energetic and personable.
• Proven ability of personal collaboration, and creating an environment where others work well together in a fast moving, growth business.

Our Values

• Make a difference. Excite and inspire others. ‘Own it’ and be the best we can be.
• Shoulder to Shoulder. Collaborate and share with each other. Include everyone and embrace uniqueness.
• Focus on the detail. Care about the little things. Have determination and resilience to get the job done.
• Play to Win. Improve and innovate – never get complacent. Challenge ourselves and each other. Celebrate our success.

PureGym is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. Our company mantra is ‘Everybody Welcome’ and we are dedicated to promoting a diverse and inclusive place to work. From a hiring standpoint, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to ensuring that our PureGym colleagues reflect the diversity of the nation as well as our millions of gym members we serve.