HR Director - Thames Valley, UK
Are you an HR professional who thrives on continuous improvement and excels in an international, fast-paced environment? Are you always looking for ways to increase efficiency and deliver commercial value to your business?
This global organisation is entering an exciting phase of growth across Europe, fuelled by innovation, new product development, and strategic acquisitions. To support these ambitions, they are seeking a versatile and commercially minded HR professional who combines strong generalist expertise with a pragmatic, hands-on approach and a passion for driving positive change to mature HR capability in the country.
Reporting directly to an inspiring Head of Europe, you’ll own the full day-to-day HR agenda for the UK, supporting a diverse workforce across the commercial, medical and corporate functions. You’ll act as a trusted advisor and advocate for progressive, business-enabling HR practices.
There is no shortage of priorities to work through inclusive of:
Transforming HR from a reactive, policy-driven function into a proactive and commercially focused business partner
Building effective stakeholder relationships based on business enabling partnerships, rather than the very frustrating “just read the handbook” approach
Coaching leaders to strengthen performance management, employee development, and people leadership practices
Supporting workforce planning, talent acquisition, and organisational integration initiatives
Driving adoption of HR systems and consistent people processes to improve compliance, scalability, and HR effectiveness
Building strong employee and workforce relationships through proactive stakeholder engagement
Managing employee relations matters in line with local employment legislation
Ensuring full compliance with employment legislation and proactively mitigating risk
To succeed in this role, you will need:
Background working within the pharmaceutical, life sciences and/or biotech sectors
A stable career history, with proven success operating in international, matrixed environments (apologies but career contractors cannot be considered for this hire)
Experience supporting multiple European countries would be advantageous for future development
Strong expertise in UK employment law
A self-starter who is comfortable with ambiguity
Strong analytical capability with a data-driven approach
Excellent communications and stakeholder management skills
Fluent written and spoken English; additional European languages would be advantageous
Package includes a base salary from £90,000 to £100,000 (depending on experience level), plus benefits and performance bonus.
The role is based in The Thames Valley region with a 3 day per week hybrid office arrangement and occasional, planned international travel.
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