About Us
Exergy3 is a Scottish cleantech company developing and commercialising a high-temperature Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system for industrial decarbonisation. Our technology converts surplus electricity into stored heat, delivered as process steam or hot air directly into industrial plant, displacing natural gas and reducing industrial carbon emissions without requiring customers to redesign their processes.
Having received £10mn in VC investment earlier this year, Exergy3 is growing and we need a part-time HR Generalist to help us expand and maintain our team further.
The role will be part-time, 20 hours/week - £38,000–£45,000 FTE, pro-rata (£21,700–£25,700 actual).
The Role
This is a hands-on, standalone HR generalist role. You will be the dedicated HR professional in the business, reporting to the Head of Business Administration (a member of the senior leadership team), and working closely with the Commercial team, engineering leads and founders. The role carries genuine ownership across recruitment, employee relations, policy, and compliance - not just administrative support to a wider HR team.
You will own recruitment activity end-to-end. You'll have external HR legal advice available covering both the UK and Germany, and will help shape the HR foundations — policies, processes, and systems — that will support Exergy3 as we scale.
This role suits someone who has outgrown a pure HR administration or advisory function and is ready for genuine day-to-day ownership of recruitment and people matters, with the backing of senior leadership and specialist legal support when things get complex.
Why Join Exergy3?
-
Be part of a dynamic and innovative company at the forefront of clean energy technology.
-
Play a pivotal role in driving the growth and success of Exergy3.
-
Opportunities for professional growth and development.
-
Contribute to a sustainable future by promoting clean heat solutions.
-
Opportunity to shape the design processes, documentation standards, and engineering practices at a critical growth stage.
-
Be a key contributor in turning emerging technologies into commercially viable products.
-
Work at the intersection of academic innovation and industrial impact, helping scale clean heat solutions across Europe.
Flexible working, family-friendly culture
-
Requirements
Talent Acquisition
- Own end-to-end recruitment for engineering roles across the UK and EU, including mechanical, thermal, electrical, controls, and software engineers, as well as other company hires (e.g. operational, financial, commercial)
-
Write compelling, technically credible job descriptions in partnership with hiring managers
-
Build and manage candidate pipelines through direct sourcing, LinkedIn, university partnerships, and specialist networks
-
Run structured phone-screening, interview and assessment processes, briefing hiring managers and ensuring consistency and best practice
-
Manage candidate experience from first contact through to offer, ensuring a fast and professional process
-
Track hiring metrics and report progress to the Head of Business Administration
-
Manage relationships with specialist technical recruiters where needed, negotiating terms and managing performance
HR Generalist & People Operations
-
Act as the first point of contact for all people-related queries from managers and employees
-
Own the full employee lifecycle: offer letters, contracts, onboarding, probation, and offboarding
-
Develop and maintain core HR policies and the employee handbook, in consultation with the Head of Business Administration and external legal advisors
-
Coordinate payroll inputs and benefits administration in partnership with the finance team
-
Maintain accurate HR records and ensure GDPR-compliant data management
Employee Relations & Compliance
-
Provide confident, pragmatic advice to line managers on day-to-day people matters: performance, conduct, absence, wellbeing etc
-
Handle straightforward ER cases independently, escalating complex matters to the Head of Business Administration and/or external HR legal support as required
-
Work with external HR legal advisors to ensure compliance with UK employment law (including right-to-work, working time regulations, and IR35 where relevant) and German employment law advisors for Germany-based hires
Culture & Engagement
-
Help establish the cultural norms and ways of working that will define a VC-backed company as it grows
-
Contribute to onboarding programmes that set new joiners up for success from day one
-
Support recognition, engagement, and communication initiatives across a predominantly technical team
About You
Essential
-
CIPD Level 5 qualified, or Level 3 qualified with significant standalone/generalist experience and clear intention to progress towards Level 5
-
Minimum 3–5 years' generalist HR experience, including demonstrable experience of recruitment
-
Track record recruiting technical or engineering professionals, or a strong background in a technical sector
-
Confident advising managers independently on routine HR and ER matters, with sound judgement on when to escalate
-
Solid working knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice
-
Comfortable operating without a wider HR team around you; able to prioritise and juggle multiple live recruitment processes alongside generalist HR work
Desirable
-
Experience in an early-stage or scale-up HR role, ideally as a standalone or lead HR hire
-
Background in engineering, energy, manufacturing, or deep tech
-
Familiarity with direct sourcing techniques and LinkedIn Recruiter
-
Exposure to German/EU employment practices, or comfort working with external advisors on cross-border matters
What You're Like
-
You are equally comfortable talking to an engineer about a technical role as to the CEO about performance metrics
-
You take ownership instinctively: if something needs doing, you do it
-
You are pragmatic: you know when good enough is right and when to go deeper, or when to bring in your manager or legal support
-
You are energised by variety and the pace and – at times – ambiguity of a growing company
Benefits
-
Stock options
-
34 days annual leave (inclusive of public holidays)
- Company pension
-
Hybrid working with 2-3 days in office
-
Up to 15 days of remote work from abroad each year
-
Additional benefits to be disclosed at interview stage
OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES
If these principles resonate with you, we look forward to receiving your application.
Respect for the task
What we do is challenging! What we do is significant—for humanity, for our customers, and for one another. Someone has to do it, and we embrace the challenge.
Speak plainly
No sugar-coating, no dodging the issue. We speak openly, share the full picture, and collaborate based on genuine trust. Honesty isn’t just a value; it is the foundation for better decisions.
Take ownership
We don’t wait to be told what to do. We identify what needs to be done and take personal responsibility for seeing it through to completion.
Efficient and precise
We don’t get distracted. We focus on the details that matter. We channel our energy into critical tasks to quickly turn ambitions into results.
Mistakes happen!
Occasional mistakes are normal. When they occur, we learn from them together and move forward.
Enjoy the work
We take our work seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We celebrate successes and support one another—because great teams are built on trust and genuine care.
Exergy3 is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
