Head of People & Talent

amicable; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private Health Insurance

Group Life Assurance

Employee Assistance Programme

28 days holiday + bank holidays

Electric Vehicle Scheme

Share Incentive Plan

Cycle to Work Scheme

Job summary

amicable is seeking a Head of People & Talent to attract, develop and retain brilliant people as the business scales. Reporting to the Operations Director, you will set HR priorities, advise leadership, and drive practical people solutions across a growing team.

This hands-on, hybrid role requires building relationships, guiding managers, and delivering clear people strategies while supporting inclusion and wellbeing.

Qualifications

• Track record delivering people outcomes in a fast-paced, growing business.
• Ability to advise on people priorities and employment law with sound judgement.
• Experience leading a small People team and partnering with leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the People & Talent team and collaborate with L&D.
• Oversee talent acquisition, onboarding and recruitment processes.
• Improve performance, recognition and development programs with data-driven insights.
• Set people policies, champion inclusion, wellbeing and responsible AI usage.
• Partner with senior leadership to align People & Talent with business goals.

Skills

People leadership

Employee relations

UK employment law

Talent management

Stakeholder management

Tools

HRIS

Job description

About us

Our mission is to help people navigate relationship change with kindness, clarity and practical support. From moving in together to getting married, separating, co-parenting or blending families, amicable helps thousands of couples have better conversations and make clearer decisions.

Our digital, human approach combines technology with expert support to make things simpler, fairer and more accessible, reducing the cost and stress of navigating relationship change.

amicable is growing quickly as demand increases and the way people approach relationships continues to evolve.

Our values bring our purpose to life: we are Kind to everyone we encounter, we embrace Trust & Professionalism, and our Customer Focus drives us to be more Pioneering.

We are proud to be part of the Octopus Group.

About the role

People are at the centre of everything we do at amicable - for the couples we help, and for each other. We’re looking for a Head of People & Talent to help us attract, develop and retain brilliant people as we grow.

Reporting to our Operations Director, you’ll set People & Talent priorities in line with our business objectives. You’ll be a trusted adviser to the Operations Director, management team and people managers across amicable, bringing sound HR judgement, constructive challenge and a practical approach to solving problems.

You won’t wait for people to come to you. You’ll proactively build relationships across the business, take the time to understand how different teams work, and seek out the challenges facing managers and employees. You’ll use what you learn to spot issues early and turn business needs into practical action.

This is a hands-on role for someone who understands what it takes to help a business scale from around 100 people. You’ll lead and develop our Talent Manager and People & Talent Assistant, work closely with our fractional L&D Partner, and combine setting direction with getting things done.

Working arrangements: This is a full-time, hybrid role. You’ll mainly work from home, with a minimum of one day a week in the office - either in Richmond or at the Octopus office in the central London. There will be occasions when you’ll need to attend a particular location.

The role is 35 active working hours a week, with core hours of 10am-3pm and an hour lunch break.

What success looks like

In your first year, you’ll:

• Build trusted relationships across the business, establish clear People & Talent priorities and take ownership of delivering them.
• Review and improve our performance review process, helping managers have better performance and development conversations.
• Give leadership a clearer view of hiring, retention and people risks - and recommend practical action.
• Develop and support the People & Talent team, setting clear goals and helping them grow.

Key responsibilities

People partnering & leadership

• Advise the Operations Director, management team and people managers on people priorities, employee relations and UK employment law.

Hiring & onboarding

• Oversee talent acquisition and onboarding, working with the Talent Manager to maintain a high bar and set new hires up for success.
• Improve our recruitment processes and coach hiring managers, balancing quality with the pace of the business.

Performance, reward & development

• Improve our approach to performance, recognition and development, working closely with our fractional L&D Partner.
• Bring evidence-led pay recommendations to the Operations Director and help develop our benefits offering.

Data, policy & culture

• Use people data to identify patterns, risks and opportunities, and turn insight into clear recommendations.
• Oversee people policies and programmes, championing inclusion, engagement and wellbeing, while exploring responsible uses of AI and modern tools.

About you

• You have a track record of delivering people outcomes in a fast-paced, growing business, adapting quickly when priorities change and working confidently through uncertainty.
• You have strong employee relations and UK employment law knowledge. You’re calm and confident advising on complex issues, and willing to have difficult conversations.
• You’ve led a small People team, setting clear goals and helping others develop. You’re happy to combine leadership and strategy with hands-on delivery - building and improving things yourself when needed.
• You’re a natural business partner who builds trust and can influence at every level. You’re confident challenging and guiding senior leaders, but equally comfortable moving forward constructively when the business takes a different direction.
• You’re curious about how a business works and proactive about building relationships. You seek out the challenges facing managers and employees, rather than waiting to be asked.
• You have experience overseeing talent acquisition and understand what good looks like across employer brand, hiring quality and onboarding. You’ll work alongside our Talent Manager to continually improve our in-house recruitment process.
• You’re comfortable with reward, including pay reviews, benchmarking and making evidence-led recommendations.
• You’re experienced in HRIS and people data. You follow the evidence, look beyond the numbers and use insight to drive decisions.
• You’re excited about using AI and modern tools to work smarter. You’re comfortable not having all the answers, testing ideas before they’re perfect, learning quickly and taking calculated risks.
• You’re a proactive, hands-on problem solver who spots what needs fixing, balances strategy with delivery and stays clear on priorities.
• You’ve made a measurable difference to culture and engagement, and you instinctively work with our values in mind.

Compensation, perks & benefits

• Salary:£80,000-£90,000 per year, depending on skills, experience and qualifications
• Joining a mission-driven, high-growth company where impact, innovation and collaboration are at the heart of everything we do
• Private Health Insurance
• Group Life Assurance
• Employee Assistance Programme
• 28 days’ holiday plus bank holidays per annum
• Electric Vehicle Scheme
• Share Incentive Plan
• Cycle to Work Scheme

We respect and value people’s differences and believe that our teams are at their best when their members feel safe to bring their whole self to work. We are committed to creating an inclusive experience as well as equal opportunities for growth and development for all.

Our interview process

1. Screening call- an initial conversation to learn more about you and the role, via Teams.
2. Technical interview - a conversation with our Operations Director about your experience and approach, via Teams.
3. Panel interview - you’ll be given a task in advance to present and discuss with the panel, via Teams.
4. Values interview and final conversation - you’ll meet our Co-founders, Kate and Pip in person.

You have a track record of delivering people outcomes in a fast-paced, growing business, adapting quickly when priorities change and working confidently through uncertainty. You have strong employee relations and UK employment law knowledge. You're calm and confident advising on complex issues, and willing to have difficult conversations. You've led a small People team, setting clear goals and helping others develop. You're happy to combine leadership and strategy with hands-on delivery - building and improving things yourself when needed. You're a natural business partner who builds trust and can influence at every level. You're confident challenging and guiding senior leaders, but equally comfortable moving forward constructively when the business takes a different direction. You're curious about how a business works and proactive about building relationships. You seek out the challenges facing managers and employees, rather than waiting to be asked. You have experience overseeing talent acquisition and understand what good looks like across employer brand, hiring quality and onboarding. You'll work alongside our Talent Manager to continually improve our in-house recruitment process. You're comfortable with reward, including pay reviews, benchmarking and making evidence-led recommendations. You're experienced in HRIS and people data. You follow the evidence, look beyond the numbers and use insight to drive decisions. You're excited about using AI and modern tools to work smarter. You're comfortable not having all the answers, testing ideas before they're perfect, learning quickly and taking calculated risks. You're a proactive, hands-on problem solver who spots what needs fixing, balances strategy with delivery and stays clear on priorities. You've made a measurable difference to culture and engagement, and you instinctively work with our values in mind.