People Puzzles
Fractional People Director
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Build a portfolio career with independence, not isolation.
Earnings:
Typically from £60,000 in your first year, rising to £135,000+ once established.
Are you an experienced HR Director, People Director, VP People, Head of People, CPO, CHRO, or Senior HR Consultant looking for more flexibility, autonomy, and impact?
People Puzzles, the UK's largest team of fractional People Directors, is looking for an experienced People Director to work with ambitious businesses across Cambridge and the surrounding area.
You'll build your portfolio one client at a time, until it suits you. With each of our clients, you'll act as a Board-level member of their leadership team. Behind you is a national brand, a dedicated marketing and business development team, and a community of around 70 People Directors working in local teams.
Why Cambridge
Cambridge is one of the UK's most distinctive business ecosystems. Our clients here include life sciences and biotech companies, deep tech and software businesses, university spin-outs, and established mid-sized organisations. Over time, you could be working on:
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- Scaling a business from a founding team to a structured organisation
- Attracting and retaining scarce scientific and technical talent
- Designing reward and equity approaches for VC-backed scale-ups
- Building a first leadership team, or leading change, culture, and growth
Many of our clients are founder-led or owner-managed, and most have no HR team. You'll move between Board-level strategy and hands-on delivery, often in the same week.
What you'll bring
- Senior people leadership experience, with a track record of delivering results at Board level
- A commercial mindset and the confidence to challenge leaders' thinking
- The ability to build trusted relationships and influence senior stakeholders quickly
- A pragmatic, hands-on approach alongside strategic thinking
- Confidence using technology, people data, and AI to improve business and people outcomes
- A home base within easy reach of Cambridge, as most client work is onsite
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You don't need to tick every box. If you meet most of these and the rest excites you, we encourage you to apply.
What you'll get
- Earnings typically from £60,000 in your first year as you build your portfolio, rising to £135,000+ once established
- Marketing, lead generation, and business development support
- Referral opportunities through the wider People Puzzles network
- Ongoing CPD, proven tools, and methodologies
- A brand trusted by over 1,000 business leaders
Full details of how our model works are shared with applicants through our recruitment portal.
How to apply
Before applying, please watch the short video on our careers page. It explains how our recruitment process works, what to expect at each stage, and answers the questions we're asked most often. You can also read the full role description.
We welcome applications from People Directors of every background.
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Jessica, London