Director of People (12m FTC Mat Cover)

Marshmallow; City of Westminster; Hybrid; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading tech startup in the UK is looking for a senior People leader to drive their People functions across London and Budapest. You will be responsible for leading the People strategy, partnering with executive leadership, and ensuring effective operations. Ideal candidates will have extensive experience in fast-paced environments, with strong influencing and communication skills. This role offers flexible working arrangements, competitive bonuses, and a supportive workplace culture, aiming to create an inclusive environment for all employees.

Benefits

Flexible working hours

Competitive bonus scheme

Flexible benefits budget

Mental well-being support

Learning & development opportunities

Private health care benefits

33 days holiday and pension plan

Qualifications

• Experienced senior People/HR leader with background in fast‑paced environments.
• Capable of owning and delivering a People strategy aligned with business goals.
• Experienced across the full People lifecycle including Talent Acquisition and Operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end People function across London and Budapest.
• Own and deliver the People strategy for high performance and engagement.
• Partner with leadership to drive organisational effectiveness with data.

Skills

Confident influencing at exec level

Strong communication skills

Resilient and calm under pressure

Data-driven decision making

Stakeholder management

Job description

A systemic problem of this magnitude requires a team of curious thinkers who relentlessly pursue solutions. Those who constantly challenge the why, dismantle assumptions, and always take action to build a better way. A Marshmallow career is built on a cycle of continuous growth, with learning at its core. You will be challenged to raise the bar on your capabilities and supported with the right tools and guidance to do so. This ensures you can deliver impactful work and drive change. If life at Marshmallow sounds like it could be for you, explore our Culture Handbook to find out more. Move our mission, and your career, forward. Our People team is responsible for creating the environment where everyone at Marshmallow can do their best work and grow. We bring together Talent Acquisition, People Partnering, People Operations, Learning & Development, Internal Communications and Facilities to support our teams across London and Budapest. We partner closely with the Exec and senior leadership to align our people strategy with our business goals, build a high-performance and inclusive culture, and ensure a smooth, engaging experience across the entire employee lifecycle. From hiring and onboarding, to development, well-being, and workplace experience, the People team is at the heart of how Marshmallow operates and evolves.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end People function (Talent Acquisition, People Partnering, People Operations, L&D, Internal Communications and Facilities) across our London and Budapest locations.
• Own and deliver the People strategy for the 12‑month cover period, aligning it with business goals and supporting high performance and engagement.
• Partner closely with the CEO, Exec and senior leadership to drive organisational effectiveness, using people data and insights to inform strategic decisions.
• Oversee inclusive, effective hiring and proactive people support, ensuring managers are equipped to lead, develop and engage their teams.
• Ensure robust, compliant People operations, including accurate people data, governance and continuously improving systems, policies and employee lifecycle processes.
• Champion an inclusive, learning‑focused culture by supporting impactful L&D, transparent internal communications and a safe, welcoming workplace environment.

Interview Process

• A skill‑based past‑experience interview with Senior People Partner (1 hour).
• A technical task style interview, where you will likely complete a presentation on a topic related to this role.
• A culture and values interview with senior leadership (1 hour) and an informal conversation with senior leaders (45 min).

We’ll let you know if you’re invited to an interview or not. But, as a small team with many applications, we can’t give individualized feedback. Background checks are part of our commitment to maintaining a safe and trustworthy environment; we’ll carry out standard checks (DBS, Cifas). If concerns arise, it may affect eligibility for certain roles.

Qualifications

• Confident influencing at exec level, strong communication skills and the ability to build trusted relationships across the business.
• Motivated by creating inclusive, engaging, high‑performance cultures where people can do their best work.
• Resilient and calm under pressure, comfortable leading through ambiguity and change while keeping teams aligned and supported.
• Experienced senior People/HR leader with background in fast‑paced, scaling environments and exec‑level reporting.
• Experienced across the full People lifecycle – Talent Acquisition, People Partnering, People Operations, L&D, Internal Communications, and Facilities.
• Capable of owning and delivering a People strategy that supports business goals and high‑performance culture across multi‑location teams.
• Data‑driven in decision‑making, using People data, reporting and insights to influence senior stakeholders.
• Exceptional at communication and stakeholder management, pragmatic, hands‑on approach to solving complex people challenges.

Benefits

• Flexible working – spend 3 days per week in our London office, own your own working hours; the rest is up to you.
• Competitive bonus scheme – designed to reward and recognise high performance.
• Flexible benefits budget – £50 per month to spend on a Ben Mastercard, covering whatever you want (subscriptions, classes, etc.).
• Mental well‑being support – access therapy and mental‑health sessions through Oliva.
• Learning & development – personal budgets for books and training courses, plus 2 days per year on us to further your skill set.
• Private health care – benefits from Vitality, reduced gym memberships and discounts on smartwatches.
• Medical cash plan – helps with dental, optical, physio costs.
• Tech scheme – get the latest tech for less.
• 33 days holiday (incl. bank holidays), pension, cycle‑to‑work scheme, monthly team socials and company‑wide socials every month.

Everyone belongs at Marshmallow – we want to hire people from all walks of life with the passion and skills needed for our company mission. We are committed to hiring without judgement, prejudice or bias.