People And Culture Lead

Innovative Trials Limited; Watford; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave 24 days + Bank Holidays

Discretionary bonus

Pension

EAP

EV Car Scheme

Cycle to Work

Free on-site parking

Life assurance

Job summary

Innovative Trials Limited is seeking a pragmatic People & Culture Lead to shape a best-in-class strategy, ensuring the right culture and capability to scale responsibly. You will advise the Board and senior leaders, coaching managers and building a high-performing People Team in a growth phase.

You will drive HR technology adoption, navigate employment law complexities, and champion wellbeing, inclusion, and safety across the business, while maintaining a warm, inclusive culture.

Qualifications

• Certified HR professional with CIPD Level 5 or higher.
• Experience leading a people function or high-volume recruitment during growth.
• Adaptable, able to span Learning & Development, talent acquisition, and strategic HR partnering.
• Strong Employment Law background with root-cause analysis and training.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic board advisory on workforce planning and design.
• Coach line managers to handle performance and team dynamics with empathy.
• Lead People Team with coaching and service-led culture.
• Champion HR tech, AI, and automation to streamline daily operations.
• Drive culture, wellbeing, engagement, inclusion, and safety initiatives.

Skills

CIPD Level 5

CIPD Level 7

HR generalist

Learning & Development

Talent acquisition

Employment Law

HR leadership

Education

CIPD Level 5

CIPD Level 7

Tools

HRIS

HR analytics tools

Job description

Job Description

At Innovative Trials, we believe our greatest asset is our people. We are currently going through an exciting period of growth and are looking for a passionate People & Culture Lead to help us scale while maintaining the warm, inclusive, and responsible culture we pride ourselves on. We operate with strong values at our core, ensuring that as we grow, we remain a psychologically safe environment where diverse perspectives are genuinely heard, respected, and valued.

In this role, you will act as a trusted, strategic advisor to our Board of Directors and senior management team. Your mission is to shape a best-in-class people strategy, ensuring we have the right culture, capability, and workforce to achieve our ambitious goals and become a true destination for top talent.

What You Will Achieve

• Strategic Board Advisory: Partner directly with the Board and operational leaders, utilising HRIS data and analytics to provide actionable insights for workforce planning and organisational design.
• Empowering Leadership: Act as a proactive capability builder, coaching and upskilling our line managers so they have the confidence to handle performance, team dynamics, and early-stage resolutions with care and empathy.
• Cultivating Our Team: Inspire and lead our established People Team through high-impact coaching, fostering a service-led culture that delivers exceptional, human-centric support across the business.
• Modernising HR: Champion the thoughtful integration of HR technology, AI, and automation to streamline our daily operations, freeing up time to focus on our people.
• Nurturing Culture & Wellbeing: Guide complex employee relations with fairness and compliance, while actively driving initiatives around engagement, inclusion, wellbeing, and safety.

Who We Are Looking For

• A certified HR professional (minimum CIPD Level 5 Qualified, though CIPD Level 7 is highly preferred).
• A leader with proven experience guiding a people function or high-volume recruitment during a significant organisational growth phase.
• A highly adaptable team player who can comfortably flex their focus between Learning & Development, talent acquisition, and strategic HR partnering based on the team's needs.
• Someone with a strong background in complex case management and Employment Law, using this expertise not just to resolve issues, but to identify root causes and implement preventative training.

How We Support You

We know that to take care of our business, we must first take care of you. We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your life inside and outside of work:

• Your Time & Flexibility: Flexible working arrangements, 24 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays, and regular company events to celebrate our collective success.
• Financial & Future Security: A competitive salary, discretionary bonus, People's Pension, a recruitment referral programme, and long service rewards.
• Health & Wellbeing: Comprehensive healthcare, life assurance, flu jabs, and a dedicated Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support your overall wellbeing.
• Lifestyle & Commute: An EV Car Scheme, a Cycle to Work scheme, and free on-site parking.

Salary

55000 - 65000 GBP (yearly)