pencil - People Partner
Requirements
• Deep expertise in UK employment law and employee relations • Experience building people infrastructure at a growing company • Comfort with tough conversations and coaching teams to excel (or exit) • Ability to think strategically and execute tactically • Product company background (SaaS strongly preferred) • High-scale startup (50–300 people) + larger established company experience • Hands-on HRIS experience (HiBob a bonus) - comfortable owning data integrity, adoption, and new features • Everything we do is shaped by five values. You'll be asked about these in your interviews, but more importantly, you'll live them in this role. • Fast: we move quickly and make decisions with the information we have • Surprising: we look for better ways, not the obvious ones • Simple: we cut complexity; clarity is a feature • Human: we build for people, and we treat people well • Owners: we take responsibility and see things through
Responsibilities
• Own the full performance cycle - 360s, reviews, calibrations, and comp rounds • Coach and develop our managers, from new team leads to senior leaders • Lead employee relations: tough conversations, PIPs, and exits handled with care and clarity • Own and evolve our people infrastructure: onboarding, HRIS (HiBob), policies, and handbook • Partner with the leadership team on org design, headcount, and talent strategy • Drive retention and succession planning - identify flight risks early and build plans that work • Lead culture and engagement initiatives; we're open to novel formats and experimental approaches • Keep us compliant with UK employment law and evolving HR regulation
Benefits
• You won't inherit a polished function. You'll build one. • We've stood up v1 of most processes, but these will become yours to own and evolve, not just maintain • The leadership team has real conviction about people; you'll have a seat at the table, not a service desk • We use AI seriously, including in our own people processes • Novel performance formats, culture experiments, AI-led initiatives - we back new ideas when they're grounded • This role has a clear path to leading a team as we grow • 25 days PTO plus public holidays, although we operate a Flexible Time Off scheme • Health insurance / private medical cover • Monthly stipend towards wellness, fitness, and learning and development • Remote - work from anywhere in your home country • Enhanced parental leave policies, whether you become a parent through birth, adoption or surrogacy • Access to our Pencil office in The Shard, London for our UK employees • Flexible working hours
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