Global Head of HR

Thought Machine; Greater London; On-site; GBP 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Thought Machine is seeking a Global Head of HR to bridge global people strategy with local execution across EMEA, AMER and APAC. You will lead and empower HRBPs, shape policies, and scale our people operations as we expand.

You will drive performance cycles, mobility, and compliance, partnering with the CPO to ensure a fair, high-performing culture in a rapidly growing fintech with offices in London, Lisbon, and beyond.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of HR leadership experience, including 2–3 years leading a team of HRBPs.
• Global or multi-regional exposure in at least two regions (EMEA, AMER, APAC).
• Proven track record in managing complex, high-risk Employee Relations cases.
• Experience setting up HR frameworks, policies, or contracts in new international territories.
• CIPD accreditation or equivalent.
• Strong stakeholder management and advisory capabilities.
• Discretion, diplomacy and ability to handle confidential information.

Responsibilities

• Directly manage, mentor, and align a global team of HRBPs across EMEA, AMER, and APAC.
• Serve as escalation point for complex employee relations issues worldwide.
• Lead HR workstreams for opening new entities and offices globally.
• Drive global HR policies and handbooks, ensuring local compliance frameworks.
• Oversee annual people cycles (performance reviews, succession, compensation) with the CPO.
• Oversee inter-company transfers, visas, relocations and onboarding.
• Synthesize regional MI to provide actionable insights on retention and headcount.

Skills

HR Leadership

Global/Multi-Regional

Employee Relations

HR Policy & Compliance

Stakeholder Management

Discretion & Diplomacy

Education

CIPD accredited (or equivalent)

Tools

Excel/Google Sheets

Job description

Thought Machine's mission is bold – to properly and permanently rid the world's banks of legacy technology. To achieve this, we have developed the foundations of modern banking through core and payments technology which run natively in the cloud. What we are attempting is hard and means we need great people working together to build great technology.

We have grown rapidly in the past few years – growing our team to more than 550 individuals across offices in London, New York, Singapore, Sydney and our newly established Engineering Hub in Lisbon. We have raised more than £500m in funding and our investors include Molten Ventures, Eurazeo, Intesa Sanpaolo, Temasek, Nyca Partners, JPMorgan Chase Strategic Investments, Standard Chartered Ventures, and more.

We have created a culture that enables our team to produce the best work in the industry while ensuring we have fun along the way. We're regularly cited as having a fantastic workplace culture and have been recognised by Sifted magazine as having one of the highest Glassdoor ratings for a UK fintech company and the industry's most generous employee share package. Named one of the world's most innovative fintechs by Global Finance Magazine, we were also recognised by the Financial Times as one of Europe's fastest-growing companies for two consecutive years—and a UK Best Employer for 2026.

Reporting directly to the Chief People Officer (CPO), the Global Head of HR will lead and

empower our regional HR Business Partners across EMEA, AMER, and APAC. In this role, you

will bridge the gap between global people strategy and local execution, ensuring our HR

policies, employee relations, and expansion frameworks are robust, compliant, and scalable.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a seasoned HR leader who thrives on managing

high-performing distributed teams, navigating complex Employee Relations and successfully

operationalising global growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Team Leadership & Management: Directly manage, mentor, and align a global team of HRBPs across EMEA, AMER, and APAC, fostering a collaborative and high-performing team culture.

• Complex Employee Relations: Serve as the ultimate escalation point and expert guide for complex, high-risk, or sensitive ER issues globally, ensuring fair, compliant, and consistent resolutions.

• Global Expansion & Office Launches: Lead the HR workstreams for opening new entities and offices globally, defining local HR policies, compliance frameworks, localised benefits, and onboarding structures.

• Policy & Compliance Ownership: Drive, review, and maintain the company’s global HR policies and handbooks, ensuring they balance global cultural alignment with strict adherence to local labour laws.

• Performance & Talent Management: Oversee the execution of annual people cycles (performance reviews, succession planning, compensation cycles) across all regions, working in tandem with the CPO.

• Global Mobility & Transfers: Oversee inter-company transfer processes, including international visa requirements, relocation logistics, and smooth cross-border onboarding as the business grows.

• Data-Driven Insights: Synthesise regional People metrics and management information (MI) to provide the CPO and Senior Management Team with actionable global insights on retention, engagement, and headcount.

Essential Experience & Skills

• Proven HR Leadership: 8+ years of HR experience, with at least 2–3 years specifically managing a team of HR Business Partners or HR professionals.

• Global/Multi-Regional Exposure: Demonstrated experience navigating employment practices, labour laws, and cultural nuances across at least two of our key regions (EMEA, AMER, APAC).

• ER Expertise: A proven track record of successfully managing complex, sensitive, and high-risk Employee Relations cases to resolution.

• Growth & Expansion Execution: Practical experience setting up HR frameworks, policies, or employment contracts in new international territories/offices.

• Qualifications: CIPD accredited (or equivalent international HR/legal qualification).

• Stakeholder Management: Exceptional communication and advisory skills, with the ability to build immediate rapport and influence senior leaders and regional stakeholders.

• Discretion & Diplomacy: Unwavering judgement, high emotional intelligence, and the ability to maintain absolute confidentiality.

Desired:

• Data & Numeracy Literate: Strong Excel / Google Sheets skills and comfort using data to back up HR initiatives and track regional team performance.

• Coaching Background: A formal coaching qualification or a strong, demonstrable coaching leadership style.

This is a critical leadership position focused on bringing stability, process excellence, and

strong execution to a fast-growing global footprint. You will have the autonomy to run the

global HR engine while keeping our regional teams deeply connected and supported.