Gordon Murray Automotive
Head of People & Culture
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Head of People & Culture
Head of People & Culture
We are seeking a Head of People & Culture to lead the people agenda across Gordon Murray Group (GMG) at a critical moment of growth and transformation. This is a unique opportunity to build the People & Culture function, strengthening the strategic foundations the business needs while remaining close enough to the operational detail to drive progress every day.
About the Role
Reporting directly to the CEO, this role demands strategic partnership with the senior leadership team, translating commercial and operational priorities into a coherent people strategy. You’ll also need to be hands-on—rolling up sleeves to support your team through complex cases, personally leading change projects, and ensuring efficient execution when required.
This is a hands-on leadership position for someone who thrives in fast-paced, evolving environments, enjoys building structures and capabilities from scratch, and doesn’t shy away from ambiguity. You’ll lead simultaneous organisational design, HR system reforms, and cultural transformations, so resilience, pragmatism, and prioritisation skills are critical.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic Advisor: Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO and senior leadership, shaping and implementing a People & Culture strategy aligned with Group commercial objectives.
- Decision Enabler: Act as the key communication channel between senior leadership and the People team, ensuring timely decision-making and effective execution.
- Organisational Leadership:
- Lead design and evolution of organisational structure across GMG, GMA, and GMAE, including job architecture, grading, and reporting lines.
- Align structures to support a scaling, multi-entity business.
- Culture Framework: Define and embed a clear culture and values framework, reflecting innovation, pace, and engineering excellence.
- Data-Driven Accountability:
- Own the People function’s budget, KPIs, and reporting while providing data-led insights into workforce trends and risk risk for the CEO and Board.
- Monitor and report on employee metrics, policies, and succession risks.
- Change Leadership:
- Own change management initiatives, including stakeholder engagement, communication planning, and executive coaching.
- Personally drive and support complex HR projects and interventions when urgency demands.
- Employee Lifecycle Oversight:
- Provide hands-on support and overseer the full employee lifecycle, covering recruitment, onboarding, performance management, employee relations, and offboarding.
- Reward & Equity:
- Oversee compensation structures, benefits, and pay equity, ensuring the Group remains competitive and fair as it scales.
- Employee Engagement & Wellbeing:
- Champion engagement initiatives, pulse surveys, and listening mechanisms, ensuring feedback is aligned with strategic priorities.
- Talent & Succession Strategy:
- Develop career frameworks, retention programs, and succession planning to support key talent retention amid rapid change.
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Skills, Knowledge & Expertise
- Senior HR Leadership:
- Proven experience in fast-paced, scaling, or multi-entity businesses; ideally gained in engineering or manufacturing sectors.
- Change Management:
- Track record of business transformation, encompassing restructuring, system implementations, process redesign, or HR transitions (e.g., post-M&A).
- Generalist HR Expertise:
- Strong background in employee relations, employment law, reward, talent acquisition, and HR operations.
- HR Tech Acumen:
- Experience building or evolving HR functions, including HR tech stack adoption and implementation.
- Bilingual Approach:
- Comfortable moving between strategic visioning and daily operational execution—e.g., presenting to the CEO while managing complex cases.
- Commercial Mindset:
- Ability to connect people strategy to business outcomes, driving profitability, growth, and leadership alignment.
- Resilience & Adaptability:
- Energised by ambiguity and fast-paced change, with clear prioritisation judgment in dynamic environments.
- Stakeholder Influence:
- Strong skills in managing upwards and across business levels, negotiating and influencing key stakeholders.
- Legal & Compliance Knowledge:
- Sound, up-to-date understanding of UK employment law and best practice across HR functions.
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