People and Culture Country Director

Vantage Data Centers; England; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Vantage Data Centers seeks a seasoned People and Culture professional to lead in-country HR, ensuring local compliance and strategic partnership with senior leaders across the UK/Ireland and South Africa regions. You will guide policy, employee relations, onboarding, and performance practices within a centralized ER framework.

The role requires 10+ years in senior HR with strong employment law knowledge, exceptional communication, and cross-cultural collaboration to support a fast-paced,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of senior HR experience, with focus on UK/Ireland employment law.
• In-depth knowledge of local employment laws, customs, and HR best practices.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Legal Compliance: Ensure HR policies comply with local laws.
• Advisory Role: Serve as go-to expert for UK/IE employment law.
• Policy Development: Develop HR policies aligned with local laws.
• Employee Relations: Manage employee relations issues fairly.
• Recruitment and Onboarding: Oversee recruitment and onboarding.
• Training and Development: Conduct training on local employment laws.
• Reporting: Present People metrics and compliance to senior management.

Skills

Leadership

Employment law

Stakeholder management

Communication

Analytical thinking

Cross-cultural awareness

HR policy

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR

Job description

About Vantage

Vantage powers, cools, protects and connects the technology of the world’s well-known hyperscalers, cloud providers and large enterprises. Developing and operating across North America, EMEA and Asia Pacific, Vantage has evolved data center design in innovative ways to deliver dramatic gains in reliability, efficiency and sustainability in flexible environments that can scale as quickly as the market demands.

Role Overview

Role holder will beseasoned People and Culture professional who will be a key part of the EMEA P&C LT, acting as the in-country People and Culture lead and providing senior stakeholder partnership, local employment law expertise, and accountability for people risks and priorities across the countries supported. As Vantage moves towards a centralised Employee Relations model, this role will retain oversight and accountability for ER outcomes while partnering with the EMEA ER team, who will manage day‑to‑day ER activity and case execution. The role will also be supported by a shared services model for routine people matters and employee queries, ensuring colleagues and managers are directed to the appropriate channels for timely and consistent support. The role will ensure that country‑level people priorities, project engagement, operational site engagement, local compliance, onboarding, benefits, policy implementation, and manager capability are aligned with business objectives and delivered consistently across the region. The P&C Country Director will provide strategic advice to senior leaders, support culturally sensitive and legally compliant people practices, and help foster a high‑performance, inclusive culture in a fast‑paced environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Legal Compliance: Ensure the company’s HR policies and practices comply with current and proposed local employment laws and regulations.

• Compensation reporting: Working with the Compensation team, submit pay reporting as required by government legislation

• Advisory Role: Serve as the go‑to expert for all matters related to employment law, customs, and practices in the UK, Ireland and South Africa.

• Policy Development: Develop and implement HR policies and procedures that align with local laws and cultural practices.

• Employee Relations: Manage employee relations issues, ensuring fair and consistent application of policies and practices.

• Point of contact for Navex cases: Look into cases raised and make Country leaders and P&C Partners aware of any cultural trends or insights

• Training and Development: Conduct/ Support training sessions for management and staff on local employment laws and HR best practices. Working with the EMEA L&D team

• Recruitment and Onboarding: Oversee the recruitment and onboarding process, ensuring compliance with local regulations and cultural fit.

• Performance Management: Implement and manage performance management systems that align with local customs and practices.

• Reporting: Prepare and present reports on People metrics and compliance issues to senior management. Supported by Generalist team and People Analytics team

• Employee engagement: work on local employee engagement with business leads.

• Setting behavioural expectations in country.

• Ambassador of P&C team: Provide a local presence for colleagues

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field.

• Experience: Minimum of 10 years of senior HR experience, with a focus on employment law and practices in the UK and Ireland.

• Knowledge: In‑depth knowledge of local employment laws, customs, and HR best practices.

• Skills: Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills. Strong analytical and problem‑solving abilities.

Personal skills

• Cultural Sensitivity: Ability to navigate and respect cultural differences in the workplace.

• Attention to Detail: Meticulous in ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

• Leadership: Strong leadership skills with the ability to influence and guide management and staff.

• Adaptability: Highly adaptable and comfortable in changing legal and business environments

• Stakeholder management excellent communication and collaboration skills across departments and ability to manage and influence senior stakeholders

• Proactive with a mindset for continuous improvement

• Strategic thinker with a proactive approach to problem‑solving.

_ Vantage does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firm agencies. Fees will not be paid in the event a candidate submitted by a recruiter without an agreement in place is hired; such resumes will be deemed the sole property of Vantage. _

We operate with No Ego and No Arrogance. We work to build each other up and support one another, appreciating each other’s strengths and respecting each other’s weaknesses. We find joy in our work and each other, actively seeking opportunities to inject fun into what we do. Our hard and efficient work is rewarded with an above market total compensation package. We offer a comprehensive suite of health and welfare, retirement, and paid leave benefits exceeding local expectations.

Throughout the year, the advantage of being part of the Vantage team is evident with an array of benefits, recognition, training and development, and the knowledge that your contribution adds value to the company and our community.

Vantage is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Vantage does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firm agencies. Fees will not be paid in the event a candidate submitted by a recruiter without an agreement in place is hired; such resumes will be deemed the sole property of Vantage.