Makers is a leading tech talent and training provider with a mission to shape the future of tech talent. Through our innovative platform, we help businesses transform their tech teams with future-focused talent and training programmes. We also help ambitious career switchers retrain in software engineering and launch successful tech careers. As the Head of People, your primary goal is to build a high-performing organisation and fostering a thriving, inclusive culture to deliver the company’s purpose: to transform lives and organisations by delivering transformative technical education to bridge people into future-facing careers. This role focuses on shaping and delivering the overall People strategy at Makers, in line with the Growing Smart initiative, while managing the day-to-day delivery of the function. Working closely with the Director of People & Operations, you’ll lead the People function and build a high performing organisation and culture to deliver the company’s purpose: to transform lives and organisations by delivering transformative technical education to bridge people into future-facing careers. You’ll be both hands-on and strategic, acting as a trusted advisor and leader to the Director of People & Operations, and the wider Senior Management Team across all things people & culture with a large amount of autonomy to build and improve our People approach. We’re looking for someone who has a minimum of 6 years HR experience, with a minimum of 2 years in a leadership or strategic role. CIPD Level 5 or 7 is desirable, but not a requirement. This role will require 2 days per week in the office in London. Key Job Responsibilities People Strategy & Leadership Lead the People strategy across five pillars: Culture, Talent Management, People Development, Reward & Recognition, and People Operations, collaborating with the Chief Joy Officer on Culture and People Development. Develop and execute roadmaps that prioritise key initiatives while ensuring the day-to-day excellence of the People function in line with the Growing Smart model. Act as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to the Director of People & Operations and SMT, offering guidance on cultural alignment, people challenges, and strategic initiatives ensuring alignment to our values. Foster a cultural environment aligned with the organisation’s values, embedding inclusivity and productivity at all levels. Listen to employee needs and maintain a close pulse on engagement and wellbeing to inform overarching People strategy and approach including people development and performance frameworks. Oversee embedding of culture and values through People Drumbeat (All Hands, Company Days etc). Work closely with the Chief Joy Officer on Makers D&I strategy, ensuring that Makers is an inclusive environment for all to thrive. Act as the Designated Safeguarding Lead for employees, maintaining oversight of safeguarding for all employees. Lead all internal company communications including All Hands and Quarterly Company Team Days to ensure key information cascades effectively and consistently. Culture and People Development Foster a cultural environment aligned with the organisation’s values, embedding inclusivity and productivity at all levels. Listen to employee needs and maintain a close pulse on engagement and wellbeing to inform overarching People strategy and approach including people development and performance frameworks. Oversee embedding of culture and values through People Drumbeat (All Hands, Company Days etc). Work closely with the Chief Joy Officer on Makers D&I strategy, ensuring that Makers is an inclusive environment for all to thrive. Act as the Designated Safeguarding Lead for employees, maintaining oversight of safeguarding for all employees. Lead all internal company communications including All Hands and Quarterly Company Team Days to ensure key information cascades effectively and consistently. Reward & Recognition Oversee pay, benefits and progression processes, working closely with the Director of People & Operations and the CFO to ensure sustainable and fair growth, reward and recognition. People Operations Ensure scalable people processes, policies and ways of working are implemented and maintained. Oversee robust people data and reporting through key people systems (ATS and HRIS). Maintain oversight of agency worker support and compliance through accelerator product. Oversee effective management of HR policies and compliance with employment law. Talent Management Partner with SMT and managers to ensure strategic workforce planning and resourcing, in line with Growing Smart. Oversee recruitment, retention, and development initiatives to maintain top talent and position Makers as a great employer. Oversee the employee onboarding and offboarding experience, ensuring all new joiners and leavers have an impactful journey aligned to our values & culture strategy. The Head of People takes direct line management responsibility for the People Team. Strategic Direction: Ensure the People team understands Makers' overall strategy, and translate this into actionable plans. Team Development: Focus on team growth, ensuring that each member has the necessary resources and training to succeed. Performance Management: Monitor team performance, providing regular feedback and coaching to ensure continuous improvement. Recruitment and Onboarding: Oversee the hiring process for the People team, ensuring that any new hires align with Makers' values and objectives. Quality of Delivery: Ensure that all People initiatives meet Makers' high standards of quality and deliver tangible results. Ambassadorship: Act as an ambassador for Makers, upholding and promoting the company's values both internally and externally What Success Looks Like The People team is seen as a supportive and effective function that enables other teams to succeed and drive impact. Makers culture is embedded across all that we do in our People processes, and each employee tangibly understands what it means to thrive at Makers. Employees and candidates have an amazing experience through their Makers journey and you can prove it with qualitative and quantitative data. The overwhelming majority of the team and senior leaders say they trust you and value your contributions. We have robust people data and metrics in place, and are able to use these to gain insight to inform our People & Talent strategy. We have the right people in the right place at the right time across the team. All work is compliant with UK employment law and operational policies, and delivered to the highest quality standards. We have efficient and seamless operational processes that enable the business to run effectively with a high-performance culture. At Makers, we want everyone in the team to: Connect to our mission - Be excited about our mission at Makers to change lives, and help to create an environment where our team can do their best work and thrive. Have a growth mindset - You love learning, are open to new opinions and approaches, and enjoy continuously developing yourself and others. Prioritise joy - You care about others and are able to empathise, communicate effectively, overcome challenges and help create a supportive and joyful place to work. Value trust over fear - You value trust in your working relationships and are able to work in an environment that values transparency, open feedback, clear communication, and challenging the status quo as key foundations. Our Benefits and Perks We have a minimum holiday policy, rather than a maximum. We encourage our team to take at least 30 days a year (excluding UK Bank Holidays), including a Winter and Spring break when we shut down between late December and January, and mid year for a week. The whole company takes a break, so you’ll have peace of mind in knowing that nobody is working, not just you; We embrace holistic health at Makers, where mental health matters and is just as important as physical health, which is why we offer unlimited fully paid wellness leave from day 1; Private Medical Insurance (after passing probation); £500 Learning & Development allowance per annum and paid time off dedicated to your training & learning; Join weekly yoga and daily meditation sessions run for the staff and students; Company pension contributions; Enhanced parental pay & leave - up to 20 weeks fully paid maternity leave, up to 8 weeks fully paid paternity & secondary caregiver leave, and up to 20 weeks fully paid adoption leave; Access to a Perks at Work account which provides access to a range of shopping and other leisure discounts. At Makers, diversity and inclusion are core to our mission. Ensuring our people feel included and valued is critical for us to live the Makers' values: Growth, Trust, and Joy. We are actively working towards fostering a strong culture of belonging for both our students and our people and encourage applications from all backgrounds, abilities, communities, and industries. We see the value behind the new ideas you could bring to help us achieve our mission. If reading this job description has given you any doubt about whether you’d feel welcome or included at Makers, first, we’re sorry. Second, we’d really like to hear from you about it so we don’t do it again. Contact the People Team at Makers if you have any questions or require accommodations / adjustments to be made.