Head of HR (12‑Month Maternity Cover)

Reporting Line: HR Director Location: Goodge Street, Fitzrovia (Hybrid Working) Equality and Inclusiveness at Lily’s Kitchen At Lily’s Kitchen, we want to build and maintain a values-driven culture of trust and inclusion, one that empowers people safely and comfortably to express every characteristic of their personal identity and experience. We’re committed to supporting and encouraging a diverse and inclusive workforce. Whatever your ethnic origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age or disability status, you’ll receive the opportunities, respect and support you’d expect from a passionate business that cares about its people (as well as its pets). We strongly encourage people of colour, LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, parents, people with disabilities and other underrepresented groups to apply. Lily’s Kitchen is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes everyone to our team. If you need reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process, please let us know. Feel free to note your pronouns in your application. This is a hybrid role, with approximately 2 days a week (or more if preferred) in our central London office (Goodge Street) and the remainder working from home. Every member of the Lily’s Kitchen team pledges to uphold our B Corp and broader sustainability strategy. This includes advancing sustainability within their departments, meeting company targets, participating in sustainability discussions, and fostering a culture passionate about the wellbeing of people, the planet and pets. Aligned with our ESG commitments, financial compensation is linked to annual objectives, including the achievement of a social and environmental goal. A true ambassador for Lily’s Kitchen, providing proactive, end‑to‑end generalist HR support across all areas of the people function, including business partnering, employee relations, learning & development, benefits, payroll, talent acquisition, performance management and strategic project work. This is a highly operational role, requiring someone comfortable driving strategic initiatives while remaining closely involved in day‑to‑day HR delivery. Acting as a trusted partner to managers and leadership teams, the role oversees the full employee lifecycle, supports a broad range of people matters, drives engagement and wellbeing initiatives, and ensures HR processes, systems and policies operate effectively and compliantly. The role also provides support and cover for the HR Director when required. Lead and manage complex ER cases including disciplinaries, grievances, absence and performance issues. Manage Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) with structured monitoring and coaching. Provide commercially focused, legally compliant HR advice to managers. Support capability management, coaching and difficult conversations. Support maternity and shared parental leave processes, including documentation, milestones, coaching and workplace adjustments. Manage health‑related cases, occupational health referrals and tailored wellbeing plans. Act as a strategic and operational HR partner across all business functions. Build trusted relationships with stakeholders and department heads. Support organisational design, talent development and succession planning. Drive improvements in performance, engagement, culture and team effectiveness. Support pay, salary reviews, remuneration and benefits discussions. Own and deliver end‑to‑end recruitment across all roles and levels. Proactively source and headhunt freelancers and permanent hires. Prescreen all candidates before sharing with hiring managers. Manage interviews, assessments, offers, salary negotiation and contracts. Oversee onboarding and integration of new hires. Conduct IR35 checks and CEST assessments. Draft and manage contractor agreements aligned to trading setup. Oversee the annual L&D calendar. Design and implement company‑wide training aligned to organisational objectives. Develop initiatives enhancing performance, leadership and wellbeing. Identify and manage external training providers. Design and deliver internal training sessions and materials. Support monthly payroll preparation and accuracy checks. Carry out first‑stage payroll validation. Produce payroll summaries for Finance and HR Director review. Manage peak payroll periods including salary reviews and bonuses. Drive employee engagement initiatives and manage the annual engagement survey. Use data insights to influence culture, engagement and retention strategies. Lead people‑related B Corp initiatives and evidence preparation. Lead HR projects including salary benchmarking and compensation analysis. Analyse HR data to support business decision‑making. Contribute to HR system improvements and reporting enhancements. Oversee HR policies ensuring compliance and relevance. Ensure adherence to employment legislation and HR best practice. Manage and develop the HR Assistant. Ensure efficient and accurate HR service delivery. Act as cover for the HR Director. Support business change and leadership initiatives. Proven senior HR Manager or Head of HR experience, ideally in FMCG or retail. Hands‑on HR generalist with strong operational capability. Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills. Strong ER and performance management experience. Strong recruitment and direct sourcing capability. Experience managing freelancers, IR35 and contractor compliance. Confident delivering training and presenting HR initiatives. Solid understanding of UK employment law. Experience managing payroll processes and HR reporting. Analytical mindset with strong project management skills. Commercial, pragmatic and solutions‑focused. Highly organised with strong attention to detail. Resilient, calm and confident navigating complexity. Collaborative, approachable and passionate about people. Dogs at work. Flexible working options including flexitime, WFH and part‑time. Pension plan with ethical options and life assurance. Private medical and dental, EAP, mental first aiders, cycle‑to‑work and electric car schemes. Volunteering allowance and team‑focused culture. And more… Lily’s Kitchen are pet food pioneers, providing proper food for cats and dogs worldwide. Founded in 2009 by Henrietta Morrison to feed her dog Lily natural food she could trust, Lily’s Kitchen is now the No.1 premium natural pet food brand. A founding member of the UK B Corp movement and the first pet food brand globally to achieve B Corp status, Lily’s Kitchen continues to use business as a force for good. We proudly partner with Dogs Trust and support charitable causes. Our natural recipes are sold in over 1,000 UK stockists and in more than 30 countries worldwide. We’re all about warming hearts, feeding souls and enriching lives for both customers and employees. Respectful. Dedicated. Audacious. Passionate. Responsible. We seek out and develop talented people who love to succeed and make a positive difference in everything they do.