Chief Human Resources Officer - CHRO

The Opportunity

We are partnering with a fast-growing, promoter-led group to hire its first true CHRO — a builder who will design the human engine for a high-performance organisation in an intense growth phase. The business has hired strong senior leaders; the open seat is the person who will build the HR foundation that holds it all together.

This is a build role, not a maintenance one. You inherit a small team and a genuine free hand to design, hire, and set the standard. You will be measured on outcomes, not policy volume.

What Success Looks Like (First 12 Months)

• A first-principles HR operating system — policy, performance, onboarding, retention — that scales the organisation without adding friction for senior leaders.
• A performance and accountability culture that ties senior, high-cost talent to real output.
• A credible employer brand and EVP that attracts and retains top-tier leadership talent.
• A business-aligned HR strategy that turns the group’s growth plans into workforce plans the business can rely on.
• A capable, well-structured HR function built out beneath you.

What You Own

• The full employee lifecycle: onboarding, performance management, retention.
• HR policy, systems, and the operating model.
• The structure, capability, and hiring of the HR team.

Who You Are

• 3–4+ years genuinely heading the HR function (not talent acquisition alone), with full employee-lifecycle ownership.
• A startup / high-growth background, with a proven record of building and scaling the HR function from the ground up.
• A first-principles builder — you design what the business needs rather than importing a large-corporate playbook.
• Backbone — you will challenge senior stakeholders and hold the line on performance and culture.
• Business-first, comfortable with ambiguity and speed, and credible with a senior leadership group.

Not a Fit If

• Your depth is talent acquisition rebadged as HR leadership.
• You rely on the systems of a large corporate and struggle in greenfield.
• You default to process for its own sake over business outcomes.

Compensation

Senior leadership band, commensurate with experience — fixed plus variable, with equity/ESOP eligibility. Discussed with shortlisted candidates.