Fixed-term contract
This is a fixed-term role, running from early September 2026 until the second week of May 2027. The role exists solely to provide cover during the current post-holder's maternity leave, with a deliberate overlap at each end to allow a thorough handover in and out.
Applied Blockchain | Applied Edge
Applied Blockchain | Applied Edge helps regulated enterprises navigate AI and digital assets. We build and advise on AI systems, digital asset applications and privacy-preserving infrastructure.
About the role
We are looking for an experienced People leader to cover our HR and recruitment function during a period of maternity leave. Reporting directly to the CEO, you will own the people strategy, lead the function, and manage and oversee in-house recruitment.
You will line-manage two team members — one who run day-to-day HR and one who handles recruitment — so this is primarily a leadership and oversight role, directing how the function operates rather than delivering every task yourself. That said, the role stays close to the detail: you'll shape how onboarding, performance, wellbeing and 1-1s are run, and step in hands-on where needed, such as HR interviews at peak hiring periods. It suits someone comfortable both leading and, when required, rolling up their sleeves.
What you’ll be doing
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People & HR. Own and oversee the employee lifecycle and people experience across the company, including:
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The performance review cycle.
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Turnover risk assessment and retention.
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Employee relations — grievances, disciplinaries and conflict resolution.
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Compensation and benefits administration, and supporting the salary review cycle.
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HR policies, the employee handbook and general employment-law compliance across the markets we hire in.
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Training, development and coaching.
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Team wellbeing resources and support.
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People metrics and reporting to leadership.
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Oversight of regular 1-1s across the team.
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Employee surveys and acting on the findings.
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Onboarding and offboarding.
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Employment contracts, references and work-eligibility checks.
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Absence, leave and family-leave management.
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Exit interviews.
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Maintaining HR records.
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Recruitment. Manage and oversee in-house recruitment end to end:
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Coordinate with hiring managers on roles and requirements.
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Own candidate experience and offer management.
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Liaise with external recruiters and manage agency relationships.
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Manage the applicant tracking system and candidate pipeline.
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Track recruitment metrics (e.g. time-to-hire).
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Write and refine job descriptions and role scopes.
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Shape and drive recruitment marketing and employer-brand strategy.
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Hands-on CV review, interview scheduling and HR interviews at peak times.
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Team leadership. Line-manage and develop two direct reports — the HR team member and the recruitment team member — and act as the point of escalation for people matters across the business.
Requirements
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Proven experience leading an HR / People function (Head of People, HR Manager or similar).
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Strong grasp of the full employee lifecycle and HR best practice.
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Comfortable with employment law across multiple jurisdictions — we hire internationally (single-country expertise not required).
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Familiar with how Employer of Record (EoR) hiring works.
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A confident leader who's still happy to be hands-on at busy times.
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Solid recruitment experience across hiring managers, external recruiters and interviews.
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Experience line-managing others — this role has two direct reports.
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Strong interpersonal skills, with the discretion to work directly with the CEO.
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A self-starter who gets up to speed fast and works autonomously.
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Comfortable adopting new tools, including AI-based ones.
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Right to work in the UK (no visa sponsorship).
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The role involves handling situations under stress, and requires ability to deal with stressful situations.
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Available for the full term, early September 2026 to mid-May 2027.
Nice to have
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Experience managing international / distributed teams and working with Employers of Record.
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Experience owning recruitment marketing / employer branding.
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Experience in a fast-moving tech, software or startup/scale-up environment.
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Experience or interest in the blockchain and/or AI sectors.
