Are you ready to lead and shape the people strategy of an ambitious and growing hospitality business?
HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR
Staines-upon-Thames | £95K plus bonus | Full-time (40 hrs/week)
We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced HR Director to join the team at Accent Catering. Reporting to the Finance Director, this is a key senior leadership role responsible for leading the HR function and delivering a professional, practical and commercially focused people strategy across our multi-site contract catering business.
Working closely with the senior leadership team, you will play a pivotal role in helping Accent continue to be recognised as one of the best employers in the industry. You will help shape and drive the culture of the business, supporting people development, management capability and employee engagement while ensuring a consistent, compliant and commercially balanced approach to HR across the company.
This role combines strategic leadership with hands-on operational support in a fast-paced environment where managers require clear, confident and commercially sound guidance. You will lead on complex employee relations matters, organisational change, safeguarding, recruitment strategy, HR systems development and the practical use of AI and technology to improve efficiency, reporting and decision-making across the HR function.
We are looking for a commercially minded and highly credible HR leader with significant generalist Human Resources experience within a multi-site environment. You will be confident influencing senior stakeholders, leading and inspiring teams, driving projects and supporting managers through complex people matters with professionalism, resilience and sound judgement.
Benefits of working with Accent as an HR Director:-
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Competitive salary with annual review
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Annual performance bonus
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Free on-site parking
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Life insurance, company sick pay and pension
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Private medical insurance
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25 days holiday plus bank holidays
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Career development opportunities and study support
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Multiple Discounts on our Accent Engage platform - shops, restaurants, gifts, leisure and more
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HIT apprenticeships for all experience levels
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Team events, awards and competitions throughout the year
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Access to our Employee Assistance Programme for wellbeing and financial support
As our HR Director, you will be:-
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Leading and developing the HR team to deliver a consistent, responsive and commercially focused HR service
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Partnering with senior leaders to shape and deliver the company people strategy
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Supporting the business to recruit, develop and retain the best talent across the organisation
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Driving a positive, accountable and high-performing management culture
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Leading on complex employee relations matters including disciplinary, grievance, absence, capability and safeguarding cases
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Providing practical and commercially balanced advice on employment law, risk and organisational change
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Working with Operations Directors and senior managers to identify training needs and deliver practical management training, building confidence in areas such as absence, conduct, performance, difficult conversations, safeguarding, recruitment and policy application
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Leading and supporting the company’s ongoing pursuit and achievement of recognised catering industry employer accreditations and awards, helping to drive continuous improvement and reinforce best practice across the business.
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Monitoring changes in employment legislation and implementing effective policies and practices across the business
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Supporting TUPE transfers, restructures, consultations and mobilisation activity
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Leading HR projects, systems development and process improvements including the use of AI and automation
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Using HR data, reporting and insight to identify trends, improve decision-making and reduce risk
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Supporting initiatives focused on employee engagement, wellbeing, sustainability and people development
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Working closely with Operations teams to support workforce planning and reduce agency spend
What you will bring:-
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Significant senior HR experience within a fast-paced, multi-site organisation
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Strong generalist HR knowledge including employee relations, organisational change, recruitment, TUPE and management development
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Detailed knowledge of UK employment law, HR best practice and current legislative developments
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Experience handling complex ER matters confidently, effectively and assertively
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Strong commercial awareness with the ability to balance business needs, legal compliance and employee experience
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Experience advising and influencing senior leaders and stakeholders
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Strong leadership skills with experience developing and inspiring HR teams
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Excellent communication, relationship building and organisational skills
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Experience improving HR systems, reporting, automation and digital processes
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Interest and understanding of how AI and technology can support modern HR practices
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High attention to detail with a proactive and solutions-focused approach
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A CIPD qualification at Level 7 or equivalent
About Accent Catering...
We are an ambitious and ever-growing fresh food company, providing innovative food service solutions to a variety of Schools and Businesses. With turnover in excess of £55m, more than 1,400 employees, and operations across over 170 catering sites, we have won numerous awards for our service, including The Caterer’s prestigious Best Places to Work in Hospitality. At Accent we’re passionate about food quality and people development, making this a fantastic place to build your career in a supportive and professional environment. We are independently owned, so you’ll never be just another number to us - our people are at the heart of everything we do, and we take pride in recognising every individual’s contribution.
SALARY
Salary £95K per annum plus bonus
HOURS
40 hours per week, Monday to Friday
LOCATION
Based at our prestigious riverside offices in Staines-upon-Thames with occasional travel to sites as required.
Apply now and join our Award Winning team!
The Company treats personal data collected during the recruitment process in accordance with its data protection policy. Information about how your data is used and the basis for processing your data is provided in the Company’s privacy notice which can be found on our website.
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