Director HR UK

Oakleaf Partnership; Greater London; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Oakleaf Partnership is seeking a standalone Director of HR for the UK, based in London. The role leads day-to-day employee relations, stakeholder management, and UK HR operations, with a small US-based team providing support on group matters.

You will balance strategic partnership with hands-on delivery, drive organisational development, lead recruitment across the UK, and ensure compliance with UK employment law.

Qualifications

• You have significant, progressive HR experience in the UK.
• You have led standalone HR functions.
• You possess strong knowledge of UK employment law.
• You have hands-on experience with employee relations casework.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary HR advisor to UK leaders and employees.
• Lead employee relations, investigations and disciplinary processes.
• Partner with senior stakeholders on org development and workforce planning.
• Own UK HR processes, documentation and compliance.
• Oversee UK recruitment, onboarding and talent integration.

Skills

Standalone HR

UK employment law

Employee relations

Stakeholder management

Influencing skills

Education

CIPD qualification

Job description

London | 4 days per week onsite initially, reducing to 3 days per week

About the Role

Director of HR, UK

London | 4 days per week onsite initially, reducing to 3 days per week

About the Role

We're looking for an experienced, standalone HR professional to take on the newly created role of Director of HR, UK. This is a true generalist leadership position, you will be the most senior HR presence in the UK, owning everything from day‑to‑day employee relations through to senior stakeholder management, while a wider HR team based in the US is on hand to support with group‑level or particularly complex matters.

This role suits someone who has genuinely operated as a standalone HR function before, comfortable being the only HR person in the room, confident making autonomous decisions, and able to flex seamlessly between strategic partnership and hands‑on execution.

Key Responsibilities

HR Business Partnership & Leadership

• Act as the primary HR advisor to leaders and employees across the UK business.
• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, coaching and influencing on people matters.
• Partner with managers on organisational effectiveness, team performance, and workforce planning.
• Balance commercial objectives with sound HR practice and legal compliance.
• Confidently challenge and influence leaders while remaining collaborative and solutions-focused.

Employee Relations & Employment Law

• Lead employee relations across the UK workforce, including investigations, disciplinaries, grievances, performance management and absence.
• Ensure compliance with UK employment legislation and company policy at all times.
• Escalate and partner with the US HR team on sensitive, complex, or group-level matters.

Organisational Development & HR Operations

• Own the development and implementation of HR processes, programmes and policies for the UK.
• Drive consistency in manager practice, documentation and people decision‑making.
• Maintain accurate, confidential HR records and documentation.
• Lead annual HR cycles, performance reviews, compensation planning, talent discussions and engagement initiatives.

Talent Acquisition

• Lead full‑cycle recruitment for the UK business across permanent, fixed‑term and contractor hires.
• Partner with hiring managers to shape requirements and recruitment strategy.
• Own candidate experience and oversee onboarding and integration of new starters.

What We're Looking For

• Significant, progressive HR experience gained supporting UK-based workforces.
• Proven experience operating as a standalone HR function, covering everything from senior stakeholder management to day‑to‑day HR delivery.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and best practice.
• Hands‑on experience leading employee relations casework and workplace investigations.
• A confident, independent operator who can manage competing priorities without close oversight.
• Excellent communication, relationship‑building and influencing skills.
• Ideally, experience gained within a founder‑led or entrepreneurial organisation.
• Background outside of the media, digital or related sectors is preferred.
• CIPD qualification or equivalent is desirable but not essential.