Interim Group Head of HR

The Opportunity

The Brownsword Group have created arguably the most iconic collection of historic countryside and city centre hotels, all wonderful properties set within beautiful grounds and cities, all with their own stories to share. Generosity, quality and welcoming hospitality is what they do very well. Being exceptional hoteliers has been the core of the operation, creating a successful hospitality business.

The Role

We are seeking an Interim Group Head of HR to join our leadership team and provide hands-on, end-to-end HR leadership across our UK hotel portfolio, on a rolling 3 month contract (with the realistic possibility of this being extended), whilst we recruit for the permanent role. There is also the possibility that we would consider an interim candidate progressing to fill the permanent vacancy.

Reporting to the CEO and line managing the Group HR Administrator & Advisor, this is a senior, highly visible interim role, ideal for an experienced HR generalist who thrives in fast-paced, people-centric environments and is confident balancing strategy with operational delivery.

Location

We are flexible on the location of this interim role, with some hybrid/ remote working taking place, depending on the successful candidate's location. Regular travel (at least once a week) will be required to our Central Bath Office, and across all of our hotels, on a planned and reactive basis (you will need your own transport for travel; we will cover your travel expenses and you can stay at the properties you visit).

Hours

Whilst we anticipate the interim role to be full-time, 5 days per week, we are open to discussions to take into account people's personal situations, and we may accommodate anything between 3 and 5 working days per week, depending on the successful candidate's circumstances.

What you will be doing

You will take full ownership of the HR function across 11 hotels in the UK and our Bath central office, supporting approximately 450 employees across a diverse range of roles. This is not a purely strategic role – you will be hands on, visible in the business, and actively involved in day-to-day HR activity while also guiding and influencing at leadership level.

Key responsibilities include:

• Acting as the senior HR leader for the group, partnering closely with the Central Support and hotel management teams

• Providing pragmatic, commercial HR advice across all areas of the employee lifecycle

• Leading on employee relations, including complex high risk cases, performance management, disciplinaries and grievances

• Overseeing all areas recruitment, retention and workforce planning, including directly recruiting for key positions in the group.

• Driving engagement, culture and people initiatives aligned to business objectives

• Ensuring compliance with UK employment law and best practice across all sites

• Reviewing, improving and embedding HR policies, processes and systems

• Supporting change initiatives, organisational development and leadership capability

• Managing, training and coaching hotel management and senior central leadership and acting as a trusted advisor to managers across the group

• Continually developing our group learning framework, managing learning material that is accessible to all levels of the business and provide clear pathways for learning and progression for all roles.

• Be responsible for the on-going management and successful development of the group’s people systems, including Harri (ATS), Fourth (WFM), Mapal (LMS) and Perkbox (Reward and Benefits)

• Produce regular reports and updates on the HR function for the group, giving practical guidance and support where there are areas for development.

• Be part of the wider central leadership team, helping to support with business initiatives and challenges across the hotel group.

About You

You will be a seasoned HR professional with proven experience operating at a senior level, ideally within multi-site hospitality

You will bring:

• Significant experience in a senior HR generalist role, ideally at Head of HR or equivalent level

• Strong interim or change-led experience, with the ability to quickly build credibility and momentum

• Deep, practical knowledge of UK…