HR and Recruitment Director

Gekko Group; Newbury; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading field marketing agency in Newbury seeks an HR Director to lead employee strategy, ensuring compliance and engagement. This role offers the opportunity to drive culture initiatives and manage HR operations effectively. The ideal candidate has over 3 years of HR leadership experience and holds a CIPD certification. The position offers a salary up to £50,000, with hybrid working, benefits like a bonus, car allowance, and gym membership, while maintaining proximity to the Newbury office.

Benefits

22 days holiday plus bank holidays

Hybrid working model

Employee assistance scheme

Perkbox subscription

Company bonus

Car allowance

Gym membership

Workplace pension

Qualifications

• 3+ years of senior HR leadership experience.
• Experience in HR from any sector; recruitment experience preferred.
• Recent experience with employment legislation and GDPR.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive People Strategy.
• Drive diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
• Oversee the full employee lifecycle.

Skills

Negotiation

Communication

Team Leadership

Employee Relations

Strategic Planning

Education

CIPD Level 5 or equivalent certification

Job description

We are looking for a visionary HR Director to spearhead our people strategy and champion a culture of Inclusion, Innovation and Excellence. As a pivotal member of our senior leadership team, you will bridge the gap between business objectives and employee experience, ensuring our workforce is engaged, compliant and future‑ready.

Gekko Group is looking for an experienced Human Resources professional to join our team. This is your chance to lead the way in building efficiencies and sharing knowledge about how to cut through on Personnel attraction, management and retention. With a HR & Recruitment team you’ll work closely with our Managing Director, helping to build strong relationships, head up a talented team and leverage your experience to bring new ideas and growth towards achieving ambitious business targets and a pleasant working environment for all.

Gekko Group is a leading field marketing and experiential agency valuing trust, insight, and honesty in all we do. As an inclusive employer, we encourage our teams to grow together, in a relaxed but professional environment. At Gekko Group, our vibrant culture is evident in our teams and the energy we bring to work every day.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Develop and execute a comprehensive People Strategy that aligns with Gekko Group's long‑term commercial goals.
• Culture & Wellbeing: Drive initiatives that foster diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) while prioritising employee mental health and engagement.
• Talent Management: Oversee the full employee lifecycle, from executive recruitment and onboarding to succession planning and performance management.
• Compliance & Risk: Ensure all HR policies adhere to current employment law and manage any complex employee relations with professionalism.
• Systems & Data: Lead the optimisation of a HR system to provide actionable data and insights for the business.
• Budgetary Oversight: Manage the HR & Recruitment budget, ensuring cost‑effective service delivery across all functions.
• Turning insights into initiatives: Improve performance and retention.
• Maintaining and managing Gekko Group policies: Keeping teams safe, valued and communicated with.
• Directing HR & Recruitment: Assist the HR & Recruitment team to ensure statutory requirements are met and that valuing our people is at the front of mind for all, from recruitment to employment.
• Leading and Supporting: Drive teams to do their best work and show others how to be commercially smart when it comes to client budgets.

Qualifications

• Experience: 3+ years of senior HR leadership experience.
• Qualifications: CIPD (Level 5 or above) or equivalent professional HR certification.
• Experience in HR from any sector. Recruitment experience is ideal.
• Recent and proven experience in Employment Legislation, GDPR etc. is essential, as is being able to communicate with all employees in a professional and factual manner.
• A leader with integrity who can intelligently balance the demands of the day‑to‑day and strategic expectations along with motivating a team, building strong internal and external relationships.
• A strong commercial understanding and the ability to translate this into effective HR and business decision making.
• Skills: Exceptional negotiation and communication skills, with a proven ability to support stakeholders and clients to board level.
• Mindset: A "hands‑on" leader who can pivot from high‑level strategy to operational delivery when required.
• Proximity to our Newbury office is required and a CIPD or similar qualification desirable.

Benefits

• A salary up to £50,000 (DOE), plus a bonus and car allowance.
• A permanent spot on our team (Monday‑Friday) with commutable proximity to our Newbury office.
• Hybrid working: 4 days in our Newbury office, working from home every Friday - Non Negotiable.
• 22 days holiday (increasing to 26 days based on tenure) + bank holidays + buy & sell holiday options.
• Support through our employee assistance scheme and access to a Perkbox subscription.
• Company Bonus
• Car Allowance
• Gym Membership
• Perkbox
• Automatic enrolment of workplace pension