Head of People (Temporary 9 month contract)

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 - People & HR. Own and oversee the employee lifecycle and people experience across the company, including: - The performance review cycle. - Turnover risk assessment and retention. - Employee relations — grievances, disciplinaries and conflict resolution. - Compensation and benefits administration, and supporting the salary review cycle. - HR policies, the employee handbook and general employment-law compliance across the markets we hire in. - Training, development and coaching. - Team wellbeing resources and support. - People metrics and reporting to leadership. - Oversight of regular 1-1s across the team. - Employee surveys and acting on the findings. - Onboarding and offboarding. - Employment contracts, references and work-eligibility checks. - Absence, leave and family-leave management. - Exit interviews. - Maintaining HR records. - Recruitment. Manage and oversee in-house recruitment end to end: - Coordinate with hiring managers on roles and requirements. - Own candidate experience and offer management. - Liaise with external recruiters and manage agency relationships. - Manage the applicant tracking system and candidate pipeline. - Track recruitment metrics (e.g. time-to-hire). - Write and refine job descriptions and role scopes. - Shape and drive recruitment marketing and employer-brand strategy. - Hands-on CV review, interview scheduling and HR interviews at peak times. - 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 - Proven experience leading an HR / People function (Head of People, HR Manager or similar). - Strong grasp of the full employee lifecycle and HR best practice. - Comfortable with employment law across multiple jurisdictions — we hire internationally (single-country expertise not required). - Familiar with how Employer of Record (EoR) hiring works. - A confident leader who's still happy to be hands-on at busy times. - Solid recruitment experience across hiring managers, external recruiters and interviews. - Experience line-managing others — this role has two direct reports. - Strong interpersonal skills, with the discretion to work directly with the CEO. - A self-starter who gets up to speed fast and works autonomously. - Comfortable adopting new tools, including AI-based ones. - Right to work in the UK (no visa sponsorship). - The role involves handling situations under stress, and requires ability to deal with stressful situations. - Available for the full term, early September 2026 to mid-May 2027. Nice to have - Experience managing international / distributed teams and working with Employers of Record. - Experience owning recruitment marketing / employer branding. - Experience in a fast-moving tech, software or startup/scale-up environment. - Experience or interest in the blockchain and/or AI sectors.