Head of HR

Head of HR

Location: Rotherham, South Yorkshire
Salary: £70,000 to £80,000 + progression opportunity

Shillito Group are partnering with a global, market-leading manufacturing business to appoint a Head of HR - a pivotal leadership role with clear scope to evolve into a European Head of HR position within the next few years.

This is a rare opportunity for a high-potential HR leader who has built strong foundations in their career and is now ready to step into a broader, more strategic remit within a PLC environment.

We are looking for someone with energy, ambition and commercial instinct-an individual who wants to make a tangible impact, shape a modern HR function, and accelerate their career at pace.

The Opportunity

This role is designed for someone on an upward trajectory.

You'll take full ownership of the UK HR function, working closely with senior leadership to drive performance, enable growth, and modernise how HR adds value to the business.

You'll operate as both a strategic partner and hands-on leader, bringing structure, pace and innovation-while building the credibility and experience needed to step into a European leadership role.

A key part of your remit will be leading the evolution of HR through data, systems and AI, positioning the function as forward-thinking, efficient and commercially aligned.

What the Head of HR will be responsible for:

Acting as a strategic partner to the UK leadership team, translating business objectives into a clear, commercially focused people agenda
Driving organisational performance by aligning structure, capability and culture with growth, productivity and profitability goals
Leading workforce planning and organisational design, ensuring the business is optimally structured to deliver against current and future demand
Partnering with senior stakeholders to improve accountability, leadership capability and decision-making across the organisation
Identifying and delivering cost efficiencies and productivity improvements through smarter people strategies, resource planning and process optimisation
Leading and embedding data-driven HR, using analytics and insights to inform strategic decisions, track performance and challenge thinking
Acting as a key advisor on business-critical change programmes, including restructures, transformation initiatives and cultural evolution
Building and positioning HR as a value-adding commercial function, shifting perception from support service to strategic driver
Championing digital transformation within HR, including the implementation of systems, automation and AI tools to enhance efficiency and insight
Ensuring robust governance and risk management, balancing commercial pace with compliance and best practice
Owning and evolving the performance management framework, driving a high-performance culture with clear expectations and measurable outcomes
Supporting leadership in talent strategy and succession planning, ensuring capability pipelines for future growth, including international expansion
Leading, coaching and developing your direct report while building scalable HR capability for future growth

What the right Head of HR will look like:

This role will suit an ambitious, career-driven HR professional who is ready for their next step up.

You'll likely have:

5+ years' HR experience, with recent time spent in a senior HR role (e.g. HR Business Partner, Senior HR Manager, or similar)
Experience operating in fast-paced, commercially driven environments (manufacturing or industrial experience advantageous)
A strong grounding across core HR disciplines, including ER, performance, L&D, reward and workforce planning
Proven experience supporting or leading change and transformation initiatives
Strong knowledge of UK employment law and practical application in complex situations
A commercial mindset - you understand how HR drives business performance
A proactive, resilient approach with the confidence to challenge and influence
A genuine interest in modern HR, data, systems and AIMost importantly, you'll have the drive and potential to grow into a broader international leadership role.

Why Join

Clear and realistic pathway to European Head of HR
High visibility role with direct impact on business performance
Opportunity to shape and modernise an HR function
Work within a global PLC environment with strong growth trajectory
Autonomy, ownership and the chance to build your leadership profile

If you're ready to step into a bigger role, accelerate your HR career, and position yourself for international leadership, we'd love to hear from you.

For more information, please contact Georgia at Shillito Group

Shillito Group is a specialist recruitment and executive search partner, working with ambitious businesses to secure high-impact talent across commercial and engineering markets. Our reputation is built on deep expertise, trusted relationships and delivering results that go beyond the brief